Christopher V. Flett

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life and in business. I’ve stumbled, tripped, fallen flat on my face, and stepped in the ‘dodo’. I used to get really pissed when I’d make a mistake because I think stupidity should have a price, but over the years, I’ve gotten a bit softer. I realize (finally) that making mistakes is part of the process. You don’t learn if you don’t stretch and sometimes when you stretch, you fall on your bean. That’s the way that it works. I think any success that I’ve enjoyed has been directly related to a previous mistake I made. Too often, business owners are so worried that they are going to make a mistake, they don’t do anything and that inaction, in effect, is the mistake that is costly. Inaction is the greatest mistake any of us can make. It’s been the cause of World War 2, and even the current recession. Everyone stops and looks at what is happening, but no one steps in for fear of doing the ‘wrong’ thing.

I had bad business partners (mistake) and now I have good partners (learning from my mistakes)

I used to ’save’ clients from themselves (mistake), and now I suggest the path, but empower them to make the right decisions (learning from my mistakes)

I used to pass over business deals that I was unsure how to build (mistake) and now I take on the challenge knowing that I can learn and do very quickly (learning from my mistakes)

I used to destroy competitors to get them out of my market (mistake) and now I partner with them to build more together than we can alone (learning from my mistakes)

The only reason I am where I am is because of the mistakes that I’ve made in the past. Now I know from learning (sometimes very costly and brutally) what ‘not’ to do. Where I get pissed now is when I make the same mistake twice. I still get the odd partner that sneaks in with a good pitch only to lie on their belly when the going gets tough. I get disappointed when this happens, but now quickly weed them out of the family. Fortunately now, I have champions in the circle and things are good. But as more people come in, there is always the ‘chance’ someone will sneak in.  I’m not going to be perfect every time, but by making mistakes time and time again, I get stronger with my resolve not to duplicate them. This is a good thing and something you can only learn from falling down.

Take a risk. Take a chance. Calculate the upside and the downside and jump. Don’t over think your decisions. Use your gut and choose to explore the unknown opportunities for you. My best business experiences and knowledge have come from the worst business deals and partners. The best way to learn how to be careful around the stove is not to bake a cake. It’s to touch the element when it’s on high. That sends an immediate lesson to you. Same goes from the missteps. Fear is an acquired habit. So too is being curious about potential and knowing that even if it doesn’t work out the way you thought it would, there are going to be some very valuable lessons in there IF you choose to learn from them.

I’m doing some big expansion this year and although I hope everything is unicorns and rainbows, I know there are going to be some hiccups. Having ridden this horse before, I know that any mistake I make, I will (because I always have) figure out a way to fix it and keep moving forward.

Now get off this blog and go take some risks!

C/