Look at Your Scars and What You’ve Learned from Them

On October 20, 2000 I got some very bad news. I was one of four founders of a company called BIGWORDS.com. We had raised over $80M, won awards for a lot of our accomplishments, and done a good job growing and growing market share. But on October 20th, our investors told us that they didn’t think we could get profitable fast enough and they pulled the plug.

I was devastated. I was ashamed – angry – sad – scared – scarred. And I was not very sophisticated about dealing with failure. I went into a corner to sulk and I almost died of an autoimmune disease brought on by stress and fatigue. (Hear a little more about it here.)

Now, I am the official pitch coach for the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge, Johnson & Johnson JLABS, Houston ION, and many other globally renown incubators. I also do a lot of 1:1 Pitch Coaching and Executive Coaching for Founders of startups.

I’m good at it because of all the scars I got on my mostly unsuccessful journey as a startup founder. Those lessons have saved a lot of people I coach from making the mistakes I made. My Origin Story arises out of my scars.

You’ve got a lot to offer based on your scars! It’s about: Insightful Vulnerability™ – noting where you failed and what you’ve learned. Bringing one of these meaningful moments into your Origin Story can make a huge difference in how you relate to others.

So, look back over your scars and consider what you’ve learned. Then pay it forward by sharing your insights and learnings!