This past weekend, I had my first interview (I’ll post it soon). But it wasn’t about The Innovative Hobbyist; it was all about my past failures. One of the most important things we can do when starting a business is to embrace those failures and learn from them.
Failure shouldn’t be seen as negative. Whether it was a mistake, a risk that didn’t pan out, or just a bad judgment call, the key is to use that experience to figure out what went wrong and do better next time. It’s all part of getting better with practice.
It’s kind of like video games; when you lose a life, you learn from the mistake and avoid doing it again. Business is the same way. Approach it like a game and keep leveling up.
Lessons From Past Failures
During my interview, I was reminded of all my past business ventures and the failures I encountered along the way. In total, I’ve opened, or at least attempted, around seven businesses. Each one taught me a valuable lesson.
My entrepreneurial mindset started young. One of my earliest memories is drawing up a floor plan for an Italian restaurant when I was just a kid. I loved Italian food and dreamed of owning my own company. Of course, at eight years old, I didn’t know anything about business, but it was just one of the many ideas I had growing up.
Sora Entertainment
Fast forward to my first business: Sora Entertainment. It was supposed to be a media company, but there was no proper structure or plan in place. I just had this idea of creating films and TV ads, and I figured I’d learn how to open a company; so, I did. Unfortunately, this venture didn’t even last a year, as I never landed a single client.
True Tales Brewing Company
Skipping ahead past a few other attempts, the next big one was True Tales Brewing Company. Yep, I tried turning my hobby, mentioned in my About Me page, into a business. This time I had a story: the brewery was going to combine beer with storytelling. Each beer would have a story attached to it, accessible via QR code, based on the ingredients. The stories were a mix of fiction and history, depending on where the ingredients came from.
Well, this one failed too. I didn’t account for the high startup costs, and, to be honest, the beers I was brewing weren’t exactly tasty. I wanted a brewing partner but couldn’t find one, and, frankly, I was broke.
Parks of Progress
After that, I said, “Screw brick-and-mortar!” and decided to focus on something I loved: writing. I started a blog, which originally had a different name but was later renamed Parks of Progress. It was a Disney news blog, and I kept up with regular posts.
A few months in, though, I realized something, there was nothing unique about my blog. It wasn’t standing out from the thousands of other Disney blogs out there. I couldn’t find the motivation to figure out a niche, and eventually, I let the blog go.
Vestra Travel Company
My next venture began in early 2020, yep, right before COVID. I wanted some side cash, so I opened an online travel company called Vestra Travel Company. This time, I had a partner, but we quickly realized that the pandemic wasn’t doing us any favors. The idea was to book vacations for friends and family and build our business through word of mouth, with a focus on Disney vacations. But between the travel bans and some issues with my co-founder, the business didn’t survive.
The Innovative Hobbyist
Which brings me here to The Innovative Hobbyist. These past failures taught me some crucial lessons: don’t start something just because it seems like a good idea—make sure you have a solid plan and budget everything out. Don’t partner with friends just because it sounds fun—make sure their vision aligns with yours. And most importantly, stay consistent and don’t give up.
Stay tuned for that interview; I’ll post about it when it drops.
What past failures have taught you valuable lessons? Share your stories in the comments below!
