Definition of Failure

And the stories we create with that word

I recently stumbled upon an article in the December 28, 1882 edition of the “Phillipsburg Herald” newspaper from Phillipsburg, Kansas. In this article, they report that “there were 197 business failures in the United States during the seven days ended on the 22d, against 208 for the previous seven days.”

That short article, one long sentence, got me to thinking about how we use the word “failure” as it relates to business. I think it’s safe to say that we typically equate a business closing with “failure.” I think it’s also safe to say we typically equate “failure” with being a negative thing. Are those two things really true, though?

Just for the heck of it, I looked up the dictionary definition of “failure.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition, lists the first definition (of nine) as, “The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends.” I think this is the most important definition. Let’s think about it in terms of a business.

If a business begins and then closes within a few years, is it a failure? Not necessarily. Did it serve its purpose? Some businesses are meant to be short-term for the owner. Perhaps the owner wanted to serve a particular audience or solve a particular problem that they knew was a short-term endeavor. If it did that, and it closed, it was still a success by our definition above.

It’s the public that might have a different goal for that business. But guess what? It’s not up to them!

And guess what (again)? By identifying the closed business as a failure, the public just started a negative narrative that can perpetuate and cause more problems. Those negative stories have ripple effects. All because the other people didn’t know, understand or accept the true goal of the business. The public created that business closing into something negative.

But, what is the alternative story?

Why can’t we say, “Thank goodness that business owner stepped up and served a need for three years!”

Notice that the negative-naysayers are rarely the ones stepping up to fill a need. Rather, they like to say, “Someone should…” Why can’t we say, “I learned something from that business owner. I think I will….”

Why can’t we say, “This country was built on small businesses. Not all of them will last 10 years or 20 years or more. But that’s ok! Not all of them need to, and these are the people we need in order to keep trying, moving forward, and innovating. Thank goodness for that owner!”

I don’t know the original author of this, but I’ve seen the story about how when a child begins to walk, we don’t say, “They failed!” when they fall down after the first step. No, we urge them, “Get up! You can do it! Keep trying. You’ll get it!” Why can’t we do that with businesses?

Maybe that business closed without fulfilling the owner’s goal. Ok. Then by the definition above, it’s a failure, but it doesn’t have to be negative. If that owner learned something they can take into another business or aspect of life, great! Then that business was a learning experience in life. It’s just like the child’s process of learning to walk: with each attempt, they learn a bit more about balance.

I’ve had many people go through courses about how to start a business and then they actually never start a business. Was that course a failure? I don’t think so. If that person has made an educated decision not to move forward with their business idea, then that course was actually a success.

How? Why do I say that? Did that educated decision save them from spending their life savings? Did that educated decision help them realize they didn’t want to put in the effort it really takes to build a business? Did it save them time? If yes, to any of these things, then that course was a success.

Back to the business owner…

There are so many things out of the business owner’s control: supply chains, pandemics, employees, people(!). Business is hard. In 2025, we need to quit adding to that challenge by labeling things that we don’t really know anything about.

For 2025, let’s watch the words we use and the stories we create through those words. Just because a business closes, doesn’t mean it’s a failure. And, even if it fails according to the owner’s original goal, that’s not all bad. It’s ok to attempt something and it not work. We need those attempts. We need people to try.

If you’re not going to try, at least be a cheerleader for those who do.

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[All this said, since I work daily with businesses, I can tell you that the businesses I see that do “fail” do so because of lack of planning: no business plan, no projections, no emergency fund, not realistic, etc. But that’s a whole other article for another day!]

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