Sometimes failure is good.  Failure often leads to success when the right lessons are learned from the failure.  Many of today’s successful people were considered failures at some point in their lives.  But they learned from their mistakes and continued to strive towards their goals. Where ever you are in your business endevours don’t be afraid to fail because it brings you closer to success…

The other night I was flipping channels and I happened upon the VH1 Behind The Music episode that profiled Lil Wayne, the Grammy award winning hip hop artist. I didn’t intend on watching the whole show but I glad I did. I have a couple of Wayne’s song on my ipod and I think he’s a talented artist. I thought I knew Wayne’s story. I figured it was the typical story of an inner city kid that wassurrounded by drugs and violence and eventually turned to music to make it out the ghetto. While that is certainly part of Wayne’s story there was so much more. As I watched the story unfold I could see that there were clear lessons for anyone chasing their destiny could learn from this 27 year multi-millionaire.

Road To The Top

Born as Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. on September 27, 1982 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Dwayne Michael Turner and Jacinda Carter, who was then 19 years old, Lil Wayne was forced to bid goodbye to his father who abandoned him and his mother right after he was born. During that time, he and his mother were forced to survive by themselves in the criminal-infested community at Hollygrove division of New Orleans. -www.aceshowbiz.com

During the Behind The Music profile, Wayne described how his father was verbally and physically abusive to his mother before abandoning them.

From www.allmusicguide.com:

[H]e was a straight-A student but never felt his true intelligence was expressed through any kind of report card. He found music was the best way to express himself and after taking the name Gangsta D he began writing rhymes. Combining a strong work ethic with aggressive self-promotion, the 11-year-old convinced the Cash Money label to take him on, even if it was just of odd jobs around the office. A year later, in-house producer Mannie Fresh partnered him with the 14-year-old B.G. and dubbed the duo the B.G.’z. Although only B.G.’s name appeared on the cover, the 1995 album True Story has since been accepted as the B.G.’z debut album both by fans and the Cash Money label.

…rumors began flying about Cash Money’s financial troubles and possible demise. The rest of the Hot Boys had defected and Wayne’s planned 2003 album was scraped, coming out instead as an underground mixtape called Da Drought. Wayne became enamored with the mixtape world after Da Drought drew so much attention from the hip-hop press. He used these underground releases to drum up anticipation for his next official album, the breakthrough effort Tha Carter. Released in 2004, the album seemed familiar on one hand with Mannie Fresh’s production, but the Wayne on the cover was a dreadlocked surprise, and the rhymes he laid on the tracks showed significant growth. His marketing skills had become sharper too…

the number one hit "Lollipop," Tha Carter III arrived in May of 2008, selling more than a million copies in its first week of release. An appearance on Saturday Night Live and four Grammy Awards — including Best Rap Album – spoke to Wayne’s mainstream acceptance. He also performed at that year’s Country Music Awards with Kid Rock, but rather than rap, he played guitar. The guitar playing was part of Wayne’s new involvement with rock music

Born Into Failure

I decided to profile Wayne for Successful Failures because he was born into failure and refuse to accept it. How many people do you think are born into similar situations everyday and go on to let the drugs, violence, and despair that surround them keep them locked into perpetual poverty? A better question to ask yourself: how many people have been born into a vastly better life and they find themselves in dead end jobs and locked into perpetual just getting by?  Can you count yourself in that group? At the age of 12 Lil Wayne was actively and aggressively pursuing his passion.  At age_____, what are you doing to go after your passion?  At age 14, Wayne shot himself in the chest while he was home alone.  He drag himself into the living room and dial 911, he held on until help arrives and spent two weeks on life support. He worked his way back and by the time he was 17 he has a double platinum album. Are letting obstacles that you face stop your progress towards your goals or are you pushing them aside and continuing to reach for the gold?

5 Lessons That You Can Learn From Lil Wayne’s Story

1. You Can Come Back From Anything. Lil Wayne is proof that you can take a bullet point blank to the chest (strongly not recommended) and go on to win a Grammy. If you’re starting a business and you’ve made mistakes it’s not end of the world, or even the end of your business. Learn the lesson of that mistake, regroup and figure out what you need to do to get back on track, and get up and do it!
2. You Have to Work Harder Than Anyone Else. The scene of Behind The Music episode that caught my attention was when Wayne was detailing how he finished a 3 hour concert, watch a couple hours of Sports Center, and then when to work producing another song–at 3 AM in the morning! He’s a workaholic (in 2007 GQ Magazine gave him the title of  Workaholic of the Year). There’s always going to be someone out there with more talent than you or someone who is more knowledgable on a subject. But a strong work ethic evens the playing field and could even give you the edge.
3. Change the Game. Wayne incorporated the use of mix tapes into marketing hype for his upcoming albums. Others had certainly done the same thing to a degree but Wayne change the game by making it such an intergal part of the promotion process. Conventional business wisdom says you should stick the tried and true methods of doing business because they’ve been proven to work. I don’t disagree with that but keep in mind, we live in a crowded world. And collectively our attention span isn’t what it used to be. Sometimes you have to stick out from the crowd and sometimes that means changing the way the game is played.  
4. Do You. Now, Mr. Carter does have his faults. He has been arrested for drug and weapon charges and he has needed to go to rehab for substance abuse. Wayne freely admits to his faults and makes no apologies for who he is. He accepts himself, flaws and all, and continues to do the things that have made him successful. Are you letting your flaws hold you back? There are 3 things you can do with your shortcomings: You can work to improve them, you can hire somebody to cover those areas (i.e. not good with numbers? hire an accountant), or you can let them keep you from going after what you want in this life and stay miserable.  
5. Never Assume. This is the lesson I learned the most from watching Lil Wayne’s biography. Because I knew a few his songs and seen a few of his videos, I assumed I knew enough about Lil Wayne and I could probably guess at the rest. In truth I knew very little about him. Don’t assume anything, always take a look behind the surface. This goes for your business as well as  your personal relationships and friendships. 

What do you like most about working with Avon? Least?

I like the fact that I am my own boss.  I can set my own hours and dedicate as much, or as little, time to the success of my business.  There really isn’t anything that I like least about Avon because I am impressed with every facet of the business.

What was your initial investment? How long did it take you to become profitable?

My initial investment was only 10 dollars.  I received a start-up kit which included campaign brochures for two campaigns, an Avon tote bag, some product samples, and basically everything that I needed to jump-start my business.  My Avon business started to become profitable when I started to dedicate time to advertising and getting the word out about it.   

I have used and loved Avon products for years.  I started selling just to have access to their products and to be able to purchase them at a discount.

You definitely have to have people skills to be successful at selling Avon.  It is important to provide personal service to your customers and to show them that you appreciate their business.    

I maintain my drive/motivation by attending monthly sales meetings at my District office and engaging in networking with my fellow Representatives as well as sharing ideas of best practices.

Don’t be discouraged by others or by your own lack of confidence.  You have to believe in your own ability to be successful.  Also, if you want to become an independent Avon Representative, contact me and I can point you in the right direction.

It is important to maintain contact with your customers to keep them up to date on current product offers and promotions.  Additionally, the goal of every single day is to share Avon with at least three other people.

I wouldn’t recommend that anyone leave their job unless their business is established and turning enough of a profit to address all of their financial needs.  This kind of financial freedom requires a lot of time, work, and dedication.

The thing that has surprised me the most about working for myself is that I am really good at it.  I think we can be our own worst critics sometimes and tend to stand in our own way of being successful.  The biggest challenge is managing having a career and dedicating enough time to running your business.  The way that I have overcome that challenge is by scheduling time to devote to my business daily.

I would have started sooner.

My children inspire me to be the very best that I could be at everything that I do in my life.  They also encourage me to be successful so that I may provide them with the best possible life. 

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Running a new business is hard- opening a dance studio during a recession may seem foolish. Food is a necessity;waltzing is not.  Bu the owners of a new ballroom studio in midtown, Elizabeth Chen and her son Steve decided to gamble.

The rest of the article details what motivated Mrs. Chen, 65 and her son, 38 to dump their clothing import business and open a dance studio in Manhattan. It also provides good pointers for anyone looking to transition to a new business venture:

• "We were losing money everyday". According to Mrs. Chen their clothing import business was hit hard by the recession. It’s important to keep an objective view of your current situation. Many times people can be blinded by emotional ties and fail to see the reality of their situation. 
• "..we didn’t jump inot this blindly. We did our homework".  It is equally as important to keep an open mind on the new venture. Things often look rosy on the other side. The Chen’s are attempting to capitalize on the popularity of ballroom dancing but they were smart enough not to assume that success was guarantee.  They looked into the viability of this business and created a plan to ensure success. 
• "He reached out to insturctors, students, and other dance studios". When doing due dillingence is key to seek input from all sides.  By seeking insight from instuctors, students, and dance studios the Chens will benefit from seeing the business from point of view of everyone involved in the business.  This will no doubt help them to make the business better for all stakeholders.
• "They could not find a bank willing to lend to them, so they relied on their savings as well as loans from relatives and friends."  Traditional sources of funding can be tough to come by during recessions. so you may have to go it alone. This is not bad thing. Having your own money on the line  wil force you to keep a closer eye on the bottom line. While it’s true that many small businesses die prematurely due to lack funding. This should not keep you from making the attempt.
• "The Chens are thinking of hiring a marketing manager". It’s a good practice to focus on your core strenghts and find experts to focus on other areas; people like CPA’s and lawyers. This may not be an option early into your venture. But it should be incorporated into your plans as soon as possible.  

 PHOTO CREDITS: NY Daily News.com

1) Where to be an Etntrepreneur: Entrepreneur.com posted this article profiling 10 start-up friendly cities and success stories from each city. Biggest suprises: Portland Oregon,  Chapel Hill North Carolina, and Madison Wisconsin.

2) Entrepreneur Thrives in Difficult Economy: Chris Hume combines his passion for design with his love for children into a growing company.

3) Entrepreneur Survival Guide: 10 Apps the every entrepreneur should use daily 

4) Mortgage Bake Sale Becomes a Runaway Success: New Jersery woman started selling cakes to raise money to stop foreclouse and it turns into a huge business opportunity.

5) 15 Ways to Take Action NOW!:   15 steps to world domination. If world domination isn’t your thing, then you could use them to help you get control of your life and move you closer to your obtaining your goals.

  Christopher Gardner Chris Gardner grew up in an environment that has led to failure for many people.  He had an absentee father, an abusive step father, a mother repeatedly incarcerated, and multiple stays in state foster care.  Any one of these factors could have easily caused Mr. Garnder to settle for whatever life he could scrape together. But Chris knew he was destined for greater things and knew he could only depend on himself to make those things a reality. Chris credits his mother with encouraging him to believe in himself and becoming self-reliant, he quotes her as saying, "You can only depend on yourself, the cavalry ain’t coming".  As an adult, Chris struggled to make his success real.  Initially, he trained for a medical career but quickly realized that was not his path.  He switched over to selling medical equipment where he had moderate success. However changes in medical technology and turmoil in personal life left Chris in a dead end career, deep in debt, and eventually homeless with his young son, Chris Jr.  This is where the story would end for a lot of people but Chris continued to seek opportunities to obtain his goals.  When he had the chance to apply for a internship at Dean Witter he jumped at it.  The internship was unpaid and highly competitive.  Chris had to work faster and harder than the other candidates while being homeless and caring for a young child. His drive paid off when he was awarded a full time stock broker position at the end of his internship.  Chris moved up ranks in Dean Witter and eventually left to start his own brokerage firm.  Today he is a multi millionaire businessman and philanthropist. His personal struggle of establishing himself as a stockbroker while managing fatherhood and homelessness is portrayed in the 2006 motion picture The Pursuit of Happyness.

The Cavalry Ain’t Coming

Chris personifies that can do attitude that is vital to making your business successful.  Running a home business requires a level of self reliance that isn’t found in most other types a of businesses. You have to stay focused on your goals and disciplined in your activities to achieve your goals.  All of the successful home businesses around the world have one common denominator- an owner that stays motivated towards success.   Other factors help to determine the degree of success but nothing is more essential to the achievement of success than the owner’s ability to stay motivated despite failures. It boils down to you and don’t look for the cavalry because they ain’t coming!

Protect Your Dream  

  Hope it helps, leave a comment and let me know if it does.

Anita Civils teaches dance, without a teaching degree or a fancy studio. She turned a hobby into a side job. "I’m not going to get rich off of this," said the 48-year-old Lansing woman, "but I’m making enough to get me my playthings." Those playthings come in the form of vacations, usually to the Caribbean. The class is Basic Hustle 101, which she hosts once a week at Letts Community Center in Lansing. She also sells real estate as a way to diversify her income and not rely solely on her 30-year career with the state Department of Treasury.  The dancing started as exercise in 2007 and quickly turned from hosting classes in her home to accommodating up to 35 people per class.  The side jobs bring an extra 5 percent to 8 percent in income each year. "Almost everyone I know," she said, "has some side gig going on."

Salsa may become another sideline

Six-year-old Sophia Chevalier and her 3-year-old sister, Ava, get credit for their father’s emerging salsa business. But it is Dad, Lee Chevalier, who is really pushing to make fresh salsa his latest money-making venture. "That’s what got me going," he said, explaining why he is pursuing the marketing of his recipe. "They’ll sit down and eat two bowls full." The Chevaliers – Lee, 46, and his wife, Keri, 41 – are Lansing entrepreneurs. Keri, who describes herself as a stay-at-home mom, cleans houses, and Lee works for Gordon Food Service. In addition, he rents out slushy machines, does some handywork such as painting and minor plumbing and makes salsa. The salsa isn’t officially for sale, because he doesn’t have a commercial kitchen, but he’s in the process of finding a commercial producer to recreate his recipe. He already has willing buyers – a foods distributor and dozens of word-of-mouth customers. In all, the couple’s side businesses comprise up to 7 percent of the family’s income. "Today, a lady called about plumbing," he said. "Fifty bucks here; 50 bucks there. It will help pay a bill."

Writing skills bring extra income to MSU staffer

Trent Wakenight is in the news business – just not the traditional corporate type. There’s no sports section. He has created his own thing, which he calls "event journalism." The 37-year-old East Lansing man travels to educational and science conferences in places as far flung as Mozambique and provides summaries, in writing, as well as video and audio for paying customers. Wakenight estimates this year he’ll make up to 20 percent of what he currently earns from his day job at Michigan State University, where he works as a project coordinator with the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center. He said he invented his side job after seeing a need, not because he saw someone else doing it. "It takes a little recognition of what skills one has," he said, "but also what needs exist in the marketplace." He was trained as a journalist, having earned degrees in communications and public relations, but there’s a certain amount of re-inventing that an entrepreneur must do. "We always have to go through that process," Wakenight said

Farrah Gray, born 1984 into the housing projects of Chicago’s South Side, answered the call and reported for duty at a young age in order to support his struggling family.

As a precocious six year old, young Farrah Gray peddled homemade lotion from door to door for $1.50. The youngster also discovered a bourgeoning market for hand-painted rocks that were sold as paperweights, doorstops, and bookends. With his first $50 in profits, our self-starting businessman treated his family to a restaurant meal.

Mr. Gray demonstrated the ability to organize and lead seemingly from birth. The second grader’s business card read ’21st Century CEO,’ and by the age of 10 he had established The Urban Neighborhood Economic Enterprise Club, a group designed to pool and allocate capital towards small businesses. By the age of 12, Farrah had also emerged as a player on the speaking circuit, commanding $10,000 per appearance and co-hosting Backstage Live, a nationally syndicated radio program that was to reach 12 million listeners.

Gray soon established Farr-Out Foods, a New York specialty food retailer targeting a young clientele. Farr-Out Foods was to become the largest coup for the then fourteen year old founder, as sales of the enterprise tallied up at $1.5 Million within the first year. Farrah Gray eventually negotiated the sale of the company at the age of fifteen at over $1 Million.

Mr. Gray had officially become the youngest self-made, African American millionaire – all before being licensed to operate a motor vehicle.

The serial entrepreneur has written the international best seller Reallionaire, established The Realty Pros asset management firm, and is a syndicated columnist through the National Newspapers Publishing Association.

Farrah Gray has evolved from a determined youngster hawking loose, painted rocks from door to door, into a recognized ambassador betwixt the worlds of both commerce and philanthropy. The story is nothing short of truly inspirational.