Finding Success in Failure: True Confessions From 10 Years of Startup Mistakes

by Lucas Carlson

"This book is a fantastic Entrepreneurship 101 course. If you are serious about building a company, this is where to start." Tucker Max, New York Times #1 Bestselling Author and Entrepreneur In every field, from chess to gymnastics, we can make bigger gains by reducing mistakes than by making winning moves. This is especially true in business. We study the greats, trying to extract valuable lessons, when avoiding a few key blunders would be more valuable. Fortunately, advice on what not to do is universally applicable. The ways to fall down the mountain are shared by all climbers, no matter which path they've chosen. This book is here to teach you how NOT to fall down the mountain. How can you be an entrepreneur that beats the odds? How do you build a successful business that not only changes the world for the better, but creates generational wealth for you and your family? You simply need to avoid mistakes -- and this book will show you how. Reviews "When I grow up I want to be like Lucas, who not only knows the pitfalls of startups, but don't keep falling into them" David S. Rose, Legendary NY Angel Investor and TED Speaker "Lucas' perseverance makes him an unstoppable entrepreneur." Neil Patel, Serial Entrepreneur and Popular Blogger "Lucas is the real deal when it comes to entrepreneurs. His commitment to long-term vision makes him stand out amongst a sea of people just trying to make a quick buck." Rob Hayes, Venture Capitalist "Lucas is a passionate entrepreneur and totally dedicated to his craft -- I backed him once and I'd do it again in a heartbeat" Chris DeVore, Seed-Stage VC "Startup life is a bizarre, thrilling, exhausting, painful and occasionally amazing ride. But it's easy to feel alone on the trip. Let Lucas be your companion and remind you of what to do and, more importantly, what not to do." Dave Hersh, Founder of Jive Software "His hard-won entrepreneurial wisdom and a penchant for sharing his inspiring stories is why I chose to profile Lucas in The Lean Entrepreneur." Patrick Vlaskovits, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Lean Entrepreneur "Lucas has distilled years of painful startup lessons into one clear and actionable book. Don't waste your time and money learning these lessons the hard way!" Kurt Sussman, Serial Entrepreneur "Lucas writes with passion and provides rock solid advice based on personal experience. Building a startup is hard, but this book can make it a lot easier by showing you the essentials you need to focus on, and the pitfalls you should avoid." Justin Sumner, Founder "Lucas imparts the sound tactics of a seasoned veteran. Invest wisely in your company's most valuable asset: you." Oliver Lade, Entrepreneur "Packed with insight, witty humor and approaches to difficult situations. Lucas shares truths that have an audience beyond the entrepreneurs for which the book is intended. His experience shines through the book as he draws the reader in to explore a mindset of what it means to be a founder." Brandon Dube, Founder

Genres: Business, Self Help, Startup, Nonfiction

148 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

Lucas Carlson is a bestselling novelist. He takes his first-hand experiences as an entrepreneur and computer programmer, and turns them into thrillers that pack a punch and are hard to put down.

His writing has often been compared to Michael Crichton, Joseph Finder, Harlan Coben and Blake Crouch. They deal with technology and business themes and how they affect society.

Carlson lives in San Diego with his family.

Reviews

[Nathan Sudds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great read for anyone looking to start something, and even more so for those who've started and run into their own fair share of challenges. It's a valuable combination of not just practical business advice but of emotional intelligence, which is lacking when it comes to information about starting up and the many challenges that inevitably lay ahead.

Lucas says it best...

"Your startup is going to feel like the only thing you should pay attention to, at the expense of yourself and personal relationships. That’s normal, but it doesn’t make it right."

"Take good care of yourself if you want to give your company its best chance at success."

I love that Lucas focuses on getting you the knowledge you really need, not the trendy get rich quick ideas that many people get sucked into when trying to start something.

One of my favorite quotes underscores the overall topic and value of the book...

"...expecting to find success without failure is like expecting to look like a bodybuilder after one day at the gym."

It's reframing failure like this as a learning and growing experience, that Lucas is talking about. That's why he's sharing what he's learned through his own successes and failures in the book..

Lucas goes on to say...
"You will face a lot of rejection, especially in the early stages, but you can build resilience against failure. The efforts you make to frame your psychology for success in a leadership role will benefit you and your company over the long term."

I think you'll find that this book will help you do just that!

[Eliot Peper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entrepreneurship sucks. No matter how much we mythologize storied founders like Steve Jobs, the day-to-day reality of building a business is a grueling exercise in trench warfare. The best founders are so relentless and resourceful that their success is inevitable. Lucas Carlson is one of those founders. And Finding Success in Failure is the kind of book that inspires through it's honesty about the process of entrepreneurship. Don't read this book if you want an a checklist or a cute poster with an inspirational quote. Read this book if you want a view inside the head and heart of an entrepreneur doing the real thing. Check your rose tinted glasses at the door and get ready for a roller coaster ride business tell-all.

[Gary Lucich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carlson writes with the tone of an older brother: approachable yet authoritative; familiar yet knowledgable; compassionate yet firm. He has boiled down the most bitter learning he has garnered into a palatable and immensely useful guide as you venture into the realm of entrepreneurship. This book is distinct from other business "how-to" books in that it delves into your root motivations and how that applies to your concept, burgeoning or established business. He also tells you how best to prevent setbacks, sail through challenges, and as his title suggests, converting failures into successes. I already feel more prepared for my own venture as I approach the starting gate. Carlson’s lessons are universal, and I recommend this book to anyone exploring their own business.

[Karan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prior to reading the book, my expectations were that this book would cover case studies and examples of failures, and not just high-level principles. To me, this was a self-help book, which was not what I was looking for.

I did find the "Rejection Therapy" - where you purposely try go through rejections to overcome fear of rejection pretty interesting. I am going to incorporate it as a practice and see how it goes.

Besides that, the chapter discussing the Logistics of Building a Startup was the most useful insight I took away from this book.

[Obed M. Parlapiano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entrepreneurship 101

Great book.. If you want to learn Bout the life of an entrepreneur, it's struggles and problems, along with all the good things this is a good book to start with.

If you are a seasoned entrepreneur you might find it logical, even dull, but you most likely will find value in it either way.

If you are just in for the ride, you will learn too, the tricks applied for a business are usually applicable for life too.

Good job Lucas.

[Sweetpea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review. For anyone looking to start their own business, Finding Success in Failure offers great information and advice to avoid many of the pitfalls of startups. Would recommend.

[Karen Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of those basic books you should read carefully and internalize if you're thinking of creating a startup.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Try try try

Such a good little book. If you've failed all the better you'll like this book. Life is a journey and business is a mountain to tackle this book is a guide. Try the book and life today.

[Zameer Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2 startups have already failed. Now, I realized that I must have read this before starting them so I thought of understanding why startups fail usually. I recommend this to all the people who are looking to become great entrepreneurs

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seem to be solid book. I haven't attempted to do a startup yet, so I can't say how effective his tips are. My only gripe is his examples are vague, he doesn't really go into much details of his failures so you don't understand the pain involved. Much of the times he will say, I suggest doing x, because I didn't and it caused me a lot of pain. Why did it cause problems, tell me the story and then I can really understand the pitfalls. I can understand the author's reluctance because it makes you vulnerable, but the title of the book suggests that he is going to do just that.

[Chris Cheatham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good if new to entrepreneurship

This book is great if you are about to make the entrepreneur plunge. I really liked the advice re writing. It's something I need need to get back to. Good reminder.