No one wants to fail. Especially when you are running a small business. Failure is not an option and we often sink our entire mental and physical being just to avoid failure. If we do fail it is often not because we didn’t try hard enough, but because success takes time to build. And then there’s that one person who points out viral overnight success and puts that into your thought process to mull over. Yes some people win the lotto too. It will happen out there in the world to someone, but not everyone.

And yet more and more of us adapt to owning their own business, putting in 10x the effort and hours than a 9 to 5. Because the journey is more, because the reward is more, and the freedom is more. We don’t want to believe it, but failure gives more meaning and gravity than success and you need both on your journey. Success is the result, but failure creates the meaning behind our success. Without that knowledge, we don’t know why we are succeeding and we don’t understand how to grow. Just as there are different levels of success, there are different levels of failure as well. And while we are not actively seeking a total wipeout failure, those that succeed after a wipeout have stronger businesses than those who never failed at all.

When I say leave room for failure, allow yourself to fail because you always get a stronger and better business from learning from mistakes. In this day and age, the concept of skipping right to success is fed into our minds over and over. We want that internet fame, that level of money without the hard work, climbing sales with little effort, and viral everything. Sounds great right? But if you are a business that processes 10 orders a day you have no idea how to handle 100 in a day and run into severe problems instantly. Incremental growth you can learn to manage over time and instant growth can cause complete chaos. If you are a handmade business, you have an instant problem of how to make and fulfill your orders, plus if you cannot recover in an appropriate time frame you have angry customers.

Failure is also notorious for uncovering your weaknesses. Everyone has them but maybe you don’t have to address them right away because you are doing ok. All it takes is a shift in the economy or a new competitor in the market and a tank in sales to force you to address your weaknesses. We are often guilty of setting something aside that doesn’t feel important while things are doing well. I’m the three little pigs scenario did you build your house of brick or straw? Because all it takes is a huff and puff from a wolf to show you what that house is made of. It may be fine when it’s sunny, but can it weather a storm? When failures expose your weaknesses, it causes you to be more proactive for an upcoming storm or for the impending wolf.

So the thought to take home, is allow yourself room to fail in order to come out stronger and prepare yourself for the ups and downs of business. You’ll have healthy growth, knowledge, and strength in your business.