Fail Forward
On October 17th, 2024, BrainTrust held its 3rd annual BrainTrustLIVE Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. About 330 women founders were in attendance, in addition to 20+ men supporting our work. We were crammed into the space, clearly too small for us now, but the attendees sat with rapt attention as we heard from amazingly successful women entrepreneurs, all willing to share stories of mistakes and failures – so we could perhaps learn from them and achieve our growth goals even sooner. I wish you could have been there…it was powerful!
After BrainTrust LIVE, Laura Click, the founder of Blue Kite, a brand strategy company, posted a great event recap on LinkedIn. She did such a great job of capturing key takeaways, that I asked her to allow me to repost in this format. She said yes! So, the BrainTrust CEO blog today is written by marketing guru, Laura Click – also a gifted speaker, and as you can see…writer.
Why every entrepreneur needs to invest in yourself… 👇
“Your business cannot outgrow your personal growth as a leader.”
My dear friend, Amy Green shared that message on the stage at BrainTrust Live last week. It was something Michael Burcham, one of Nashville’s leading entrepreneurs and strategic advisors, told her as she grew her business.
And that’s why I spent last Thursday at BrainTrust Live — to invest in my own growth and development.
I’m so glad I did. I’m still bursting with inspiration from the incredible speakers who talked about failing forward.
Here are just some of my top quotes and takeaways:
1️⃣ Get support.
“Our own unwillingness to ask for support gets in the way of us receiving it.”
Sarah Bernier Olin, PCC talked about the importance of getting radical support in the areas that are giving us pain.
2️⃣ Lean into discomfort.
“Your next breakthrough is on the other side of your discomfort.”
Shalini Bahl Milne encouraged us to stop avoiding discomfort but use it as an invitation to listen to our intuition.
3️⃣ Let go of perfectionism.
“We think perfectionism is a shield from failure, but it’s not,” Giulia (“Julia”) Fantacci said. “Focusing on perfection keeps you from moving forward.”
She went on to talk about how she sets limits to her tasks so she doesn’t get stuck focusing on the small details.
4️⃣ Every lesson can be a blessing.
“I can’t allow others to take me back to a place I lived up from” Milan Harris said.
She dropped so many powerful gems! She talked about the power of acknowledging when things go wrong. She said that when we own our flaws and failures, no one can use them against us.
5️⃣ Build a safe environment for mistakes.
“Create a culture where mistakes are not just acceptable, but encouraged.” Deeannah Seymour said.
Mistakes are where you learn, so allowing that to happen is how you grow.
7️⃣ Different skill sets are required at different stages of the company.
Amy Buckner Chowdhry challenged us to regularly ask “Am I the right person to lead the company today”? She advocated for a strong advisory board with people who have skills that you don’t.
In addition to the strong lessons, it was incredibly powerful to be in a room with fellow female entrepreneurs and some of my dearest friends and colleagues.
Do not underestimate the power of surrounding yourself with smart, successful people. It has been a game-changer for me!
Being part of BrainTrust has been one of the best investments for me — both personally and professionally. I can’t say it enough — go find your people!
Thank you, Laura, for that masterful synopsis! Being able to distill the message so simply and succinctly – is one of the many strengths you bring to your clients!
