Learning How to Fail Fast (Part 3 of 4)
Here’s a quick reality check: you’re going to screw up at some point in your career.
Failing sucks. Trust me, as a Virgo, I’ve had to battle perfectionism for my entire marketing career. Perfectionism to the point of paralysis.
In an interview with Oprah, Dr. Brené Brown said:
People who are walking around as perfectionists are ultimately afraid that the world is going to see them for who they really are and [that] they won't measure up.
Eventually you have to accept that you’re going to screw up.
As a marketer, one of the hardest things for me was, ironically, sending newsletters.
My first marketing assistant job was with John Hancock. Established in 1862, John Hancock is one of the oldest and largest North American life insurers.
Typical corporate setting: business casual, grey cubicles, standard work hours. And the biggest role of my job was to design and deliver weekly email newsletters.
I would meticulously review an email draft over and over again, to the point where I would delay delivery out of utter fear of screwing it up. I’m alright with sending a typo in a written email to somebody. What kills me is when I’m sending out a one-time email to thousands of people while representing an entire organization.
A blog post? Just edit it. A social post? Just delete it and post it again. But a newsletter? You hit send, that’s it.
Much like life, there’s no undo option.
I would literally sit there for an unfortunate amount of time with the mouse over the send button. Staring at it. Beads of sweat. Eye strain.
Eventually, after building up enough courage, I’d hit send. I’d almost always spring out of my cubicle and storm away from my laptop. Nope nope nope nope nope. Time for a smoke break. Except I didn’t smoke.
You know what? No matter how many times I checked each link and read each word, no matter how many people helped with final review. Even after countless hours of review, there would still be a typo or broken link somewhere in the newsletter.
In actuality: failure is inevitable.
There’s an old Latin saying. Repetitio mater studiorum est. Repetition is the mother of all learning.
I had to learn how to fail fast.
Over time, I overcame my fear of newsletter delivery (obviously, you’re reading one right now). I eventually realized that: 1) I never lost a job or client over a newsletter, 2) a typo or broken link was never truly a code red emergency, and 3) stressing out over matters that aren’t important in the grand scheme of things can be a massive waste of time and energy.
So whether that means sending out an email blast with a typo in the subject line, inadvertently tweeting from the wrong account, or falling short of your KPIs after an unsuccessful marketing campaign, the cards aren’t always going to fall in place.
What differentiates a resilient marketer and one that is not is the ability to fail fast. When a blunder occurs, the faster you get up, the better. Grab a mop and clean that shit up. Be quick to learn from your mistakes. Make sure it never happens again.
That being said, it’s important to own up to your mistakes. Covering up failures will eventually catch up to you. Be sincere and apologetic, but always have a solution ready.
The sooner you accept that failures will occur, the better marketer you’ll be.
However, that brings up the next question. What do you do when problems arise?
Tune in on Wednesday, as we touch on one of the most important aspects of an entrepreneurial marketer: problem solving.
Click here to read part 4: Be a master at solving problems
The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.
-Barack Obama
Handpicked Remote Marketing Jobs 👩💻👨💻
Growth Marketer - ATB Financial
Senior Demand Generation Manager - Aurora Solar
Your WFH Playlist 🎧
We left last week in the 90’s, so we may as well stay there for a little bit longer.
At the start of December, Madaline and I happened to catch a super cool live stream of her favourite band, who also happened to be my late childhood best friend Ryan’s favourite band too. The live stream featured grunge legends Alice in Chains, who were (finally) inducted into Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture. I admittedly grew up a Nirvana kid, so other than hearing Ryan playing AIC from his bedroom, I never knew how incredible of a voice that lead singer Layne Staley had until Madaline formally introduced me to their music. Grimy and vicious. Dark places can pave the way to creating incredible music. For today’s feature, let's take it back to one of Alice in Chains’ most memorable album: Dirt.
Your Investments 🚀
You know, when I first started this section I thought I’d drop a few stock names that are worth looking into, when in fact, I should’ve put more focus on how to manage your money better. It’s something I wish I had learned while I was still in school. I’d be a gazillionaire by now. Probably.
Today’s advice is simple: if you don’t have a TFSA (tax-free savings account), get one. Consider creating an account with a robo-advisor like Wealthsimple or Questrade over banks and traditional financial institutions. Set your portfolio, find out the annual dollar limit for deposits, and anytime grandma gives you a couple bucks, toss it in there. This week we’ll cover a few ETFs that are a little bit safer yet offer fantastic growth opportunities.
Liked this post? Let me know by clicking the ♡ below!
Thanks for reading. If you liked this post, and you’re not yet a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Sign up for the Marketing Daily email newsletter and get the next one sent to your inbox. I publish three times per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Lastly, please share Marketer Daily to your friends and family. If you’ve ever wondered What can I do to help Reggie?, that’s definitely the #1 thing—for people who enjoy this newsletter to encourage their circles to sign up as well. Many thanks!
Now get out there and fail fast!
Reggie ✌️