From lemons to lemonade

By Paige Arnof-Fenn

As an entrepreneur I don’t believes in failure, every setback has always made me stronger. As a student getting a bad grade on a quiz made me work harder for the midterm and final so I could end the term strong, not getting into the Ivy League college in the early round lead me to a place that was a perfect fit for me academically where I met lifelong friends including my husband. As an entrepreneur firing a client or colleague who lacks integrity made space to attract ones who shared our core values. In my experience when you hit a wall or doors shut find the open ones to see where they lead. There have been so many times in my career where things did not go as I had hoped or planned but with each setback I learned important lessons which made me more resilient and able to bounce back stronger, mentally tougher and try again because:

Not getting what you want can lead you to magical outcomes

Being an entrepreneur provides me a platform to do work I truly enjoy with and for people I respect. When I worked at big companies I always felt the ball would roll with or without me, that if I got hit by a bus someone new would be in my office right away. Now my DNA is in everything we do and I can trace every decision and sale to something I did or a decision I made and that is incredibly gratifying and fulfilling. Like most entrepreneurs, I am working harder and longer than ever and I have never been happier. Working for yourself and building a business you started is incredibly rewarding and gratifying. It has been a lot of fun, I joke that I am the accidental entrepreneur.

You learn a lot more from failure than success

When things work well you never really know why but in my experience, when a project fails and you take the time to do a post mortem you can clearly see in retrospect where things broke down or which assumptions were incorrect and that is knowledge you will never forget again. Wisdom that comes from age and experience is gold. That is also where you make lifelong connections from being in the trenches together.

In retrospect you may look back at what you thought was a failure and realize it was a blessing in disguise

Whether you were passed up for the promotion, did not get the job offer or missed the deadline for the launch you learn that as Winston Churchill said failure is not fatal and being resilient and getting back up and trying again is really what matters in life.

I enjoy public speaking and get a lot of referrals and business that way. One morning after a big event where I spoke I showed up at a meeting with a prospective client along with a few of my colleagues and I realized I was completely out of business cards. I was so embarrassed and my team laughed at me since I always remind them it is important to be professional and prepared all the time.

I ended up sending a hand written thank you note to the prospect with my card enclosed and we won the business so I turned my mistake into a good outcome plus I have never run out of business cards again! It is a great lesson in the power of humility, resilience, persistence, manners and having a sense of humor.

Connect With Paige

www.linkedin.com/in/paigearnoffenn

www.mavensandmoguls.com