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Setbacks don’t have to be the end.
In fact… I see them as a secret beginning.
“Setbacks are a setup for success.” This quote from Dr. Ruth D. Jones perfectly captures the start of my business Mindtap.
It began the moment my role was eliminated.
My company entered a joint venture. When combining two organizaitons, it became clear there were too many innovation groups. (Yes… you can have too many).
The group I was in happened to be the one dismantled.
So what now?
(That question kept looping in my mind.)
Then I realized:
This last role of mine, which had been the favorite of my career, had quietly been teaching me for the last 2 years exactly how to build something new.
We were launching brands from scratch. Creating product lines from zero. Designing, experimenting, iterating. I had the blueprint.
Why not use it for myself?
So I did.
Now, I could stop here and make it sound effortless. But it wasn’t.
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
The first business model I tried? Failed.
The second try? Failed.
The third? Worked okay…
But deep down, I knew it wasn’t the work I really wanted to do.
Those attempts weren’t mistakes.
They clarified what mattered.
They redirected and refocused me.
They helped me build the business today.
The business that aligns with my strengths.
The business that connects to my personal passion.
The business that provides real value.
Mindtap didn’t start with certainty.
It started with what looked like an end.
See setbacks as what they secretly are.
A new beginning.
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
Henry Ford
Founder of the Ford Motor Company
