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Here's the thing: you can't fail

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

The first time I saw this question, it was a physical thing. I felt it in my stomach, my heart, my gut. Here was the thing I’d been missing. Here was something that hit the nail on the head of what held me back: everything was hemmed in by fear of failure.

It was this question that started untangling me from that fear.

Because what is failure, really? Isn’t it something we decide for ourselves, and sometimes cling to, no matter what?

Is bankruptcy failure? Society certainly thinks so. Is it failure if the first thing we do isn’t perfect? Is it failure if it’s never perfect?

Oh, perfectionism again. Let’s just all let it go, shall we?

In business, “failure” is the opposite of “success”, and they just feel like two sides of the same self-imagined coin. You get to take the coin and flip it down the gutter if it can ever tell you you’re a failure.

A project may not make the money you were hoping. Your products may not be as popular as you’d hoped straight away. You might make a mistake, let someone down.

But you learn from all of them, which is all you can ever do. Mistakes, let downs, “failures” teach us more about what works than out-and-out successes. If something goes perfectly well, how will you know which bits made it happen? Isn’t it better to have something you’d improve next time?

If everything’s a learning curve, you can’t fail.

I truly believe you can’t fail. You can fall down. You can make a mistake. You can drop the ball. You can have less money than when you started out. You can procrastinate. You can put on weight. None of it is failure.

Everything is learning what works for you, what works in the world.

Maybe you’ll learn that missing the post run in the middle of Christmas sales makes you more stressed and lets customers down. Maybe you’ll learn that trying to do too much tires you out and leaves you feeling unfocused. Maybe you’ll learn that a particular business venture doesn’t work or needs a radical shift.

And that’s okay. It’s essential. Keep learning.

Here’s the thing:

You get to try anything and everything you want. You’re in charge. And when everything is just exploration of possibility and learning new things, you can’t fail.

What’s your answer? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Take a moment to sink into that question right now. Accept whatever comes up – you’ve probably been hiding from it.

What would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail? I’d be self-employed. I’d allow myself to be open to different avenues of my business, doing only and everything that felt fun and good and interesting to me.

I’d run a retreat for small business owners who need to know that they can be and do what they want, that there’s a place for their business and brand in the world.

I’d write a blog to share my ideas about small businesses, self-employment, and authentic, holistic business practices.

I’d make time to go to yoga two or three days a week, even if it means being away from my emails during “office hours”. I’d buy a flat and start a business in the same year.

Oh, wait. That’s exactly what I’m doing. Because I can’t fail.

You know what I’d do if I had no clients and no blog readers and no money in the bank? I’d re-think. I’d consider getting a part-time job while I re-grouped. Sure, I’d feel disappointed. But would I stop trying to do my thing? Never!

And you can do just the same.

PS Want more? At my Small Creative Business Retreat, I’m dedicating Sunday afternoon to this question, plus exploring the fears that keep us stuck and stop us from doing the things we really want to do. If you’re free 20 to 23 March and have a similar stomach-heart-gut reaction to this question, I’d love to have you there!

Here's the thing: you're changing the world

I’ve been working with small businesses since I joined notonthehighstreet.com back in 2009, and, in fact, for many years before that. In that time, the era of microbusinesses owned, managed and run by creative people has begun. It’s a pretty inspiring thing, this idea that an industry has been created around inspiring, creative, innovative people. I completely love that.

The internet and online selling is a big part of this new era and all that comes with it. Thank you, internet. Thank you, notonthehighstreet.com, and Etsy, and PayPal, and all the marketplaces and craft markets and everyone who has supported this upsurge of small business success.

But I think we’re entering phase two. I believe it. I hope for it. I work for it every day.

Because small businesses can change the world.

I’ve been thinking about big business, about business empires that become twisted and distorted and managed through fear. I’m thinking about the beauty industry, who make their money by perpetuating the myth that we’re ugly and need to spend money to be acceptable in society.

And the supermarkets who sell us health in January and chocolate in February. And who feed our fear of not having enough and scarcity by claiming they’re the cheapest (not the best, not good value – the cheapest).

And don’t even get me started on the dieting industry. The get-thin-quick, become healthy and happy by investing time, money and energy on something that isn’t proven to work and will do more damage than any of us realise at the time. Sigh.

Small businesses, microbusinesses, solopreneurs, creatives. We have the opportunity to change the way business works.

We can offer – you can offer – value, quality, honesty, integrity with every product, every customer interaction, every business decision you make.

You don’t have to justify why doing something good is financially or commercially viable. You can simply do something good and MAKE IT commercially viable for you. You can choose the good things that matter to you, and find the customers who believe in the same things.

You don’t have to compromise for the sake of, well, anything.

You don’t have to rely on shame (“you’re not good enough / acceptable / beautiful unless you buy this”) or fear (“something bad will happen unless you buy this”) to market your business.

Worried about competing with big business who can make things cheaper (because they don’t pay people enough and buy materials irresponsibly)? Don’t. Don’t compete with people whose values are, essentially, damaging to society, our collective consciousness and our beliefs about ourselves.

Step out of the arena. You don’t have to fight them.

Be aware of them, but consciously avoid them and disengage from the fight. Give people something different.

This might look like demonstrating the value of your products in any way you can. It might mean you don’t discount your products without a good reason to.

Your customers will find you. The right people, who value the design concepts, business practices, experiences that you do, will find you. And you will find them.

As you shift your way of working and your attention away from big business and corporate mentality, you have more space to see how to connect with people. You have more opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with customers, or to tell your story online, or to respect your customers in a way that encourages them to spread the word.

You can experiment with ways to be in the places that your people are, online and offline.

Because when you find them, you want to keep them. When they find you, you want them to stay. Be grateful for every customer who loves what you love. Remind them that you offer something different.

Perhaps this feels like a call to arms to be part of the revolution and, in some ways, it is. My rebellious spirit is still fully in tact!

But when so many things seem wrong, or at least don’t seem right, and when the world seems driven by money and power, taking back some control to do good in the world feels essential.

It’s counter-culture, this idea of small business values changing the way people shop. It has to be, until it’s a bigger part of our wider culture. And I believe we can get there. I believe people want it, even if they don’t know it yet.

They want quality products. They want innovation and creativity. (Think about where trend setters and designers for big corporates have got their ideas for eons: from small-fry designers and innovators.)

Take up the mantle. Tell your customers why you’re different. Show off your unique gifts. And keep doing it. Don’t give into the fear and scarcity.

And if you need a reminder, or someone to send them to when they don’t believe you, I’ve got your back.

Here's the thing: winning

I’ve been watching a lot of the West Wing recently (I’m only on season 4, so may I implore no spoilers, please!) and I love it. It cheers me up. It gives me hope in intelligence, hard work and moral integrity. (Which can’t be said for many American dramas, but that’s another story…)

I’m also reading Carole King’s memoir, Natural Woman, which is both beautifully written and completely fascinating. The section I’m on right now is about her work with political campaigns for presidential candidates, so these two things have started fitting together, and it got me thinking about the concept of winning.

Carole King performed (at fundraisers) for two presidential candidates who didn’t become the next president, but she wholeheartedly admired and respected their campaign and ideologies. She found “joy in finding common purpose with other Americans… who had come to politics not out of fear, hatred, or greed but because they wanted to make the world better.”

Oh, Carole. Yes! Yes to coming to anything in life from somewhere other than fear.

It strikes me that we often get caught up in “winning” or “success” as arbitrary achievements. You win if you make a sale. You’re successful if your product is featured on a certain website.

Sometimes, we think that doing better than someone else means we’re winning In fact, there’s a line from Toby in the West Wing: “You want to beat them. I want to win.”

What if winning is, like Toby, about your own definition of success?

What if you get to choose what matters to you? (Spoiler alert: you do)

What if it doesn’t matter whether you get elected as president, but that you influence the people who are to create policies and projects you believe in?

It’s no secret that I’m highly motivated by doing a good job. I’m an idealist and a recovering perfectionist. I want it to look good, with integrity, positivity and accuracy – as well as a high dose of authenticity.

If I can get through my day sharing my wisdom, encouraging people to do what matters to them, and helping them find ways to do more of it, that’s enough for me. That’s winning.

So here’s the thing:

What does winning mean to you? How do you define success? How do you define enough? (Which is just as important.)

Perhaps it’s enough to get out of bed each morning, think about your business and keep your dream alive.

Perhaps it’s enough to connect with people who like your designs and your ideas.

Perhaps you’re winning if you make one person’s day with your designs and your ideas.

Perhaps you’re winning if people are buying your products.

Perhaps you’re winning if you’re breaking even right now.

Perhaps it’s enough that working for yourself makes you happy, and that you get to share your happiness with other people.

Whatever winning means to you, define it. Live by it. Take some time to think about it, so that you can celebrate each little win.

Here’s the thing:

Because small businesses can change the world.

So here’s the thing:

Enter The Forge