Every car comes with five tires for a reason and the spare tire in the trunk isn’t there if you get a flat tire – it’s there for when you get a flat tire. The fine folks who designed, manufactured, and sold you the car fully expect you to get a flat tire at some point, and they provide the spare to ensure you reach your destination.
In much the same way, a spare tire in business can guide you on the road to success. I am a sucker for biographies – especially ones about successful business people. Regardless of background or industry, they all have one thing in common: they failed (in many cases, more than once) before they succeeded and needed their personal “spare tire” to drive them to their successful destination.
Mark Cuban, Owner of the Dallas Mavericks and one of the “Sharks” on Shark Tank
Before selling broadcast.com to Yahoo for $2 billion, Cuban was fired as a carpenter, a cook, and a waiter (he couldn’t open a bottle of wine).
Fred Smith, Founder and Chairman of Fedex
While studying at Yale, Smith presented an idea to his business management class and received a nearly failing grade. Ignoring the grade, Smith pressed on and founded FedEx.
Henry Ford, Founder of the Ford Motor Company
Ford’s first two car companies went belly up and left him broke. It didn’t stop him from starting the Ford Motor Company where he became the first to employ the use of the assembly line to manufacture cars which revolutionized the auto industry.
Harland Sanders, Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken
You likely know him better as “Colonel” Sanders. Before he created one of the largest quick service food chains in the world he was fired from multiple jobs, lost everything during the Great Depression, and had his famous chicken recipe rejected over 1,000 times. Even after all the setbacks, he decided to start Kentucky Fried Chicken at the age of 65 and finally found great success.
Walt Disney, Founder the Walt Disney Company
At the age of 18, Walt Disney was fired because he, “lacked imagination and had no original ideas.” Today, the Walt Disney Company is viewed as one of the most creative organizations on the planet and has annual revenue of almost $60 billion.
When you get a flat tire in your professional life where you feel like a failure – and we all will – remember that you are no different than some of the most intelligent, powerful, creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial people who have ever lived. Like the examples above, put on your spare tire and keep advancing forward.
Bill is president of PromoCorner, the leading digital marketing service provider to the promotional products industry, and has over 17 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, immediate past president of the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS), vice president of the Regional Association Council (RAC) board, and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, and developing branding that resonates with a target audience. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.