How Entrepreneurs Take The Loss — When Startup Leaders Get Forced Out
Fight or flight, this is how you maintain your integrity
In my long career as an entrepreneur, I can definitely say I’ve lost more times than I’ve won.
Not in the way you might think. In terms of outcomes, I’m batting well over 50%. But to get there, I’ve had to take a lot of Ls — from losing deals, to losing position, to losing face.
How do entrepreneurs deal with all of that losing? I mean, besides alcohol.
The deepest cut? Betrayal.
So yeah, I’ve had a lot of after-hours drinks with friends and associates, sometimes complete strangers, to hear their tales of having personal defeat snatched from the jaws of professional victory.
I’ve heard every story, from the founder who put every last penny and fiber of her being into an idea only to watch it fail due to a freak external factor, to the cofounder who built something game-changing, only to be forced out by people she trusted.
That last one burns. And I hear it a lot.
Being pushed out hurts more than failure, because at least failure is your own fault.
