Mistakes will happen, move on

I was chatting to a number of women entrepreneurs yesterday at one of our Lioness Lean In events and a topic of conversation came up that was really interesting - how to recover from making mistakes on your entrepreneurial journey. It was a topic that resonated with everyone who was part of the conversation because let's be honest, when starting out in business, mistakes are inevitable. The challenge is how to deal with those mistakes, limit the damage, and ultimately move on quickly having learned valuable lessons. So if you are currently in the position where you are dealing with a mistake that could cost you dearly if not managed properly, then take the following learnings from those who have been where you are now. Firstly, communicate quickly with those who are potentially impacted (customers, employees, partners, suppliers), be honest about what has happened, and then proactively tell them how you are fixing the mistake. Secondly, take ownership of the mistake as the business owner and implement your plan to fix it quickly and effectively. Thirdly, take a deep breath, put the guilt and disappointment away, and move on. Mistakes will happen, it’s part of the business building journey, success comes from how you learn from them.