My first business failed. It actually failed pretty, pretty dramatically. I've experienced a few failures in my life. I'm not gonna lie to you. However, I've also experienced some successes as well, and I do feel like the reason why I currently have a successful business is because I've taken the time out to reflect on the businesses which haven't been successful.
The first bad decision that I made which led to the failure of this company was that I invested too much money. I didn't invest huge amounts. I mean, I feel like how much is a lot of money is just so relative to everyone, and at that time in my life, I didn't have a lot of disposable income.
The second decision that I made that led to the downfall of that company is all to do with Instagram, which is something I like to talk about a lot, right? So, this again, I was 22, so this was a while ago. This is in the early days of Instagram, I think.
The third bad decision that I made, and I'm proud to say that with all my other businesses, I didn't make the same bad decision, was that I didn't start building a mailing list. In fact, at no point throughout the entire time I had that business (which wasn't very long, to be honest, I think maybe it was like a year), I didn't have a mailing list.
The fourth bad decision that I made was that I didn't actually officially launch anything. So, I had this theme page where I had 10,000 followers. A theme page is basically a page where you focus on talking about one specific thing. So, my theme page was about fashion because I was about to launch or so I thought a fashion brand.
My fifth and final decision that I made that led to the downfall of this business is that I... I quit the business. I've done that a few times with businesses. It got too difficult, it wasn't working, so I quit instead of investing my time and my resources in figuring out what was wrong, measuring what was working and what wasn't working, pulling on my four-year marketing degree, which I didn't appear to refer back to at any point when I had this business, which was obviously a mistake.
Q: How did reflecting on past failures help in building a successful business?
A: Reflecting on past failures helped in learning from mistakes and understanding the reasons behind the failure, which contributed to building a successful business.
Q: What was the first bad decision that led to the failure of the company mentioned?
A: The first bad decision was investing too much money without proper validation.
Q: What mistake was made in terms of audience building on Instagram?
A: The mistake made was ineffective audience building on Instagram, particularly during the early days of the platform.
Q: What was the importance of building a mailing list in the failure of the business?
A: Neglecting to build a mailing list was a key mistake that was made, as it hindered the ability to reach and engage with customers effectively.
Q: What was the issue with the launch preparation of the business mentioned?
A: The issue was the lack of proper launch preparation and campaign for the business, which impacted its visibility and initial success.
Q: Why did the individual choose to quit the business instead of seeking solutions?
A: The individual chose to quit the business instead of seeking solutions, which ultimately led to its downfall. This decision was highlighted as a key mistake in the process.