It's OK to Face-Plant!

Have you ever had a dream or vision so big it consumed your thoughts for hours, days, months and often years? Then, seeing a window of opportunity, you lunge for that dream… arms outstretched in total freefall, only to fall flat on your face.

That was me and my dream to have a mobile coffee shop, eventually branching into a full brick and mortar. Although I knowledge, I have far more weaknesses in business than I would like to admit, there were several factors to this epic fail and imminent face-plant.

o Minimal money for investment, no investors: I got a couple of loans, and scraped what I could together to get it started.

o No partner – I acknowledge that not only in life but certainly in business there is the perk of a partner. Having that someone else to hold me accountable and help with ideas and brainstorming.

o Covid-19 !$#!^%%$@#^$#!@#! : Without a doubt an element no one really saw coming and had no idea the overall impact it would create. Businesses closed office doors, sending workers to produce remotely with little to no intention of coming back any time soon if at all.

o Confession: I had far less true in-depth knowledge of business workings and truly should have studied a bit more on the matter. I crossed my fingers and jumped in hoping that my smarts and logic would fill in the gaps. It did not.

And now – realizing that my passion for creating culinary heaven and entertaining the ones the I cared about was misinterpreted as, “You’ll be amazing in the food industry” as opposed to the reality, “You have a gift for bringing people together and fostering relationships, you just happen to use the medium of food to accomplish that.” F-u-u-u-u-u-u-c-k!!!!!

So now what? How do I recover from this? I have a LOT of debt to handle, and a pride that’s so burned there isn’t enough aloe on the planet to soothe it. I hate failure. That being said, I did jump into this venture knowing that failure was a possibility (and let's face it - likelihood) but I knew that overall, I’d prefer to fail than never know. Truth be told the idea isn’t dead, it just needs some life support. . . aka: money. I refuse to “give up” on any dream or possible success. Although the business side is probably not my best nor strongest suit, it is still possible to get a home-run on this endeavor. We shall see what the cards have in place.

Failure is sometimes small: My hair did not turn out like I wanted; I burned dinner; I broke a glass today. Other times it is huge and feels rather catastrophic, I have vague recollections of many of those moments/feelings from throughout my life. Poor decisions I have made, or actions I have taken resulting in irreparable damage. That feeling that I cannot breathe, the weight of it all is overwhelming.

I find it’s important in these moments to push aside the big picture, the tomorrow or next month, and focus on the RIGHT NOW. Find and focus on what is good in your life. What brings you joy, or simply a smile? We do need to process these feelings, but do NOT let them take the reins. You are in control. In the words of the character “Bob” played by Bill Murray in "What About Bob?"; “Baby steps to the hallway, baby steps to the elevator.”

The baby steps will help us recover one step at a time and before you know it you have walked a mile. Determination is key, stay savage and also that best friend to confide in or cry on their shoulder. If you have found your “person” in life, this is what their calling is for you, to be there and listen, just as you would be there for them.

So, what is the moral of the story here? My take away is: If I want to be successful, I need to be sure I have the majority of my ducks in a row, or perhaps another person who can manage some of the ducks; Also, I don’t regret jumping in. Truth be told we don’t always know or understand the purpose for something, and my journey into this business allowed me to open new avenues I hadn’t really considered before, as well as learn new things about myself. That is winning in many ways in my book. Keep your head held high, LEARN from the mistakes and failures in life.