Startup Fundas
When Life Hands You Lemons...
Vivek Wadhwa
Tuesday,August 11,2009 Print Comments(1) Share\Email
As an entrepreneur, you had better learn to make lemonade. My own triumphs and setbacks demonstrate why that is more than a cliché.

Success is the magic elixir all entrepreneurs crave. It tastes sweet and makes the whole journey worthwhile. Failure is what entrepreneurs fear and go to extremes to avoid. And when failure does finally catch up, many take the easy route of burying their heads in the sand. Others embrace the experience and learn all they can.

I've had my share of both success and failure. I have no doubt that the most important lessons life has taught me stem from failure. And interestingly, the bigger the failure I've suffered, the bigger the success that has always followed.

YOUNG AND GREEN. As an entrepreneur who has co-founded two tech companies, helped produce a Hollywood film, and achieved many other milestones, I am considered successful by many people. Yet, if I were to list my failures, I could write volumes. I wouldn't know where to start -- or where to end.

My first experience with failure on a grand scale came when I was a young computer programmer in Canberra, Australia. Like a typical techie, I just knew I was the best software developer on the planet and could do no wrong. That was until some last-minute enhancements I made to our computer systems disrupted corporate operations for an entire day.

Fortunately, I had a forgiving boss who saw this as a great lesson for me. And he was right -- my techie ego and arrogance disappeared rapidly, and I developed a new focus on learning from those with more experience.

SAYING NO. And then came my software startup years. At a CS First Boston/IBM (IBM) spin-off, my job as chief technology officer was to deliver quality products and help make the company grow. In the software world, customers always desire new features, and salespeople always want you to promise the world so they can close deals. It didn't take long before the promises caught up with my team's ability to deliver.

For more than a year, we suffered one customer setback after another, loss of critical business, and declining company morale. And I had to take sharp criticism from the sales staff I was trying so hard to help. The lesson I gradually learned was the importance of saying no -- forcing the company to walk away from business at times -- and staying focused on commitments I had already made.

For a
Post your valuable comment here
Email:     Password: 
Don't have SiliconIndia account?  Sign up     Forgot your password?   Reset
Char left
Comment 1: By Sharad Manohar Pant on 12th May 2011
Dear Mr. Vivek,
its nice thoughts, I am agree with you on though "success is always temporary, and that failure always serves as the motivation to do better". I am developing the Agriculture Business Centre and I experienced lot of trouble sometime i get frustrated but I had not give up and now all is going on track.
thanks for good encouraging thoughts.
With regards.

Sharad Pant
Sierra Leone
Freetown
Disclaimer
Messages posted on this Web site under the `Comments' area are solely the opinions of those who have posted them and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Infoconnect Web Technologies India Pvt Ltd or its site www.siliconindia.com. Gossip, mud slinging and malicious attacks on individuals and organizations are strictly prohibited. Infoconnect Web Technologies India Pvt Ltd can not be held responsible for errors or omissions in content, nor for the authenticity of the user/company name or email addresses associated with posted messages. Infoconnect Web Technologies India Pvt Ltd reserves the right to edit or remove messages containing inappropriate language or any other material that could be construed as libelous, potentially libelous, or otherwise offensive or inappropriate.Infoconnect Web Technologies India Pvt Ltd do not endorse the products and services or any other offerings mentioned in these messages.
Startup Fundas
5 Things that Kill Startups on Friday,August 26,2011
To start a company of your own, is a dream of most of the young professionals these days. And many among them go ahead and start the business of their dreams.
more>>
Bangalore: Is this a good time to start a company? Probably not! The world economy is rather unstable and many economists are predicting another recession soon.
more>>
I want to start a new enterprise. But, will I be able to do that? Do I need to sacrifice any of my luxury? If yes, then what? These are few of the common questions asked by a potential startup entrepreneur.
more>>
Leadership Styles that Deliver Results on Friday,August 26,2011
In the past couple of years, specialists in the field of management have undergone a remarkable attitudinal change in how they identify and define leadership.
more>>
Some of our previous Sponsors
News:           Technology   |   Enterprise IT   |   Tech Products   |   Startups   |   Finance   |   Business   |   Career   |   Magazine  |   Dailydose   |   News archive   |  
RSS
RSS
Network:       Network   |   Profile   |   Messages   |   Scrapbook   |   Find   |   Blogs   |   Communities   |   Events   |   Q&A   |   CXO Insights  
Career:        Jobs   |   Companies   |   Test your skills   |   Mentorship   |   Videos   |   Career blogs   |   Training institutions  |   Freshers   |   Web developer course
Online courses:   Web developer   |   Java developer   |   CCNA training   |   SEO   |   SAS   |   SQL server 2005   |   J2EE
Education:   MBA   |  MCA   |   Engineering   |   US   |   Internship
Life:                  Humor   |   Bookstore   |   Relocate  |  Marketplace
Cities:             Startup   |  Real estate   |   Finance  
Company:   About us   |   Contact   |   Help   |   Community rules   |   Advertise with us
Member directory:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z   

and help us continue to improve SiliconIndia
© 2010 SiliconIndia all rights reserved