Fail Fast, Fail Early

Musings for the Seasoned Business Owner

I was reminded this week about the power of running experiments and failing quickly, and what a great thing that can be! Read below for more ….

Meanwhile, my brother has come to visit, I’ve been networking, and a new round of Get Clients Now! begins in a little over a month – things are fun and busy around here! Hope August is treating you well and you’re enjoying the end of summer.

Warmly,

Kris

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Fail Fast, Fail Early

This week I was reminded about the importance of running experiments, not being attached to the outcome, and being willing to fail fast and early. Let me explain with an example from my dating life.

A few weeks ago an attractive man approached me and we chatted and exchanged business cards. When I got home that evening he had already emailed me, a good sign! We traded emails and set a date for coffee a week away. A few emails were traded during the week, and we developed a warm rapport. The day of our coffee date came, and meeting was a bit awkward; after all, we’d never really spent time together. I let it slide that we were off to a slow start, knowing that for me conversation comes more easily when I know the person, and maybe the same was true for him. We had coffee, went for a walk, and shared a quick bite. During that time I was intrigued yet also uncertain, so when we parted ways and talked about getting together again soon, I decided to have another date to sort out what was what. The next day we talked, got together for literally 5 minutes, and that was it – I knew for sure we weren’t a match. Done – 24 hours, with one week lead time; it’s kind of amazing that
things can be sorted out that fast, yet they can. Let’s break it down further.

Experiment: Date in general! In this case, go out with someone I don’t know anything about.
Parameters for the experiment: Male, age appropriate, intriguing. 1-2 dates to see what’s what.
Pass / Fail: If its not a Hell Yes, its a Hell No.
Outcome: 1 official date and 1 half date = no match

What if your business worked this way? In fact it can and probably already does! The key is to set things up as experiments – for instance, a certain amount of time or money invested in trying something out – so you can measure the progress. At the end of the experiment period, evaluate how things went and put them into the Hell Yes or Hell No bucket; chances are different elements of the experiment will land in different buckets. Then repeat as necessary until you get the results you’re satisfied with.

Being willing to fail is one of the quickest ways to succeed if you can give yourself permission to not always get it right the first time. Fail fast, fail early, and keep going!

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Your Turn

What experiments are you running right now, and how are they going? If they’re failing, congratulations! You’re one step closer to success. Send me an email, I’d love to hear about it.

It has been reported that this Thomas Edison quote regarding the light bulb was in response to a New York Times Reporter’s question:
…”I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”

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Save the Date

Get Clients Now! is on summer hiatus and will be returning in September; 9/29 – 11/7. If you’ve been curious about the program, consider joining the group in September!

To learn more and save the dates on your calender, please visit:
http://gcnkcseptoctnov2014.eventbrite.co

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Upcoming Events

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, join me for an upcoming class at the Small Business Administration:
9/2 6 pm: Top Seven Characteristics of Successful Business Owners

Fridays at 12 noon weekly: Pro Alliance BNI. If you’ve ever been curious about BNI, and are in the San Francisco Bay Area, please join me for lunch and networking. www.proallinacebni.com

Hope to see you there!

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Copyright © 2014 Kristine Carey ~ Catalyst, All rights reserved.

 

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