5 Tips to Grow Through Business Mistakes

“I have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.” ― Joe Abercrombie.

We all have heard that mistakes are essential for growth to happen. Failures, career speed bumps, and missteps teach you important lessons, which you then use to fuel yourself forward. They make us better, resilient, and more intelligent business owners. But they sure do suck at the moment. 

Whether it is working somewhere toxic for too long, missing an important deadline, a product failing to launch successfully, or choosing to go left when the answer was up, we have all been there. You don’t get to have a career without stumbling every once in a while. It’s how you get over that stumble that is important and essential. 

Are you ready for 5 tips to grow through business mistakes? You are going to make them, and it’s going to be ok. Now, what do you do next…

1. Search for the Mistake

Often, we don’t even realize we have made a mistake until it is far too late. We often see the repercussions of an error instead of the error itself. And those repercussions are usually much worse than the misstep. For example, you are producing lackluster material for your clients, and they are expressing disappointment in your work.

Obviously, something has gone wrong here. 

Audit your personal life and professional life consistently. Are you genuinely finding happiness and success, or are you struggling to move forward? Some happiness gurus say you should audit your lives every month while others say every quarter. I think the timing doesn’t matter as long as you are consistently evaluating your actions and choices – mindfully.

In the example above, perhaps you are making mistakes in your work because it isn’t bringing you happiness or the clients don’t match the vision of your business. Stop. Access. Evaluate. Then move forward.

2. Search the Why

Sure, you make an error, but what caused it to be a mistake? Often when something fails, it is because of a “user error” somewhere. Perhaps you didn’t have the correct information, tools, or people in place. Or maybe, you misinterpreted a problem, reaction, or person. Search for the why of the mistake – not just the failure itself. 

From there, you can access what needs to change, topics you need to know more about, or processes that should evolve when you try again. These decisions will lead you to the next steps. Don’t just try again – educate yourself first.

3. Search for Education

Once you have pinpointed why something was a mistake, educate yourself about the topic. There are experts in every subject imaginable, just waiting to give you the knowledge they have on a topic.   

I struggle with communication. Why? I assume everyone is in my brain, understanding what I am saying or doing or thinking, making my contact short, abrupt, and muddy. When realizing just how much of an issue this was in my career, I sought out books on communication and courses on understanding other styles of thinkers. I wasn’t going to improve by just knowing my shortcomings; I needed experts to show me steps to move forward. 

4. Search for the Fit

Everyone listens to different radio stations for a reason. People have other preferences based on their own experiences. As you search for education, you are going to find the same among experts. Some teaching will tell you to build a boat while others will ask you to build a train. Both ways are going to move you in another direction, but they are entirely different processes. Just as you have a target demographic, experts do too. Find the resource that speaks to you, in your language, and for your business. If something doesn’t fit, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong – just that it is wrong for you.

Not sure what your fit actually is anymore? Join me on September 16th for my next “The Fitness of Your Business” webinar: 3 Business Mistakes to Avoid. This 15-minute “The Fitness of Your Business” webinar will teach you how to overcome three business mistakes you may be making. Make sure to register today for free to attend live and receive the recording.

5. Search for Small Steps

One mistake is not going to catapult you further into success automatically. To form new habits, you need small steps. Tackle 1 small step at a time – 1 small lesson you learned. If you try to overhaul everything at once, you are setting yourself up for more failure. 

For example, your new small group training failed to launch successfully & you realized this was because you didn’t know enough about marketing. So you educated yourself on marketing to your target demographic. Now, implement 1 thing at a time! This week, focus on 1 thing. Then next week, add another. Then, another. Let the process slowly build so you don’t feel overwhelmed.