Treat failure as a lesson on how not to approach achieving a goal, and then use that learning to improve your chances of success when you try again. Failure is only the end if you decide to stop.
If you are a new startup company, try not to arouse the interest or suspicion of your competition; especially if they are a bigger company. They can crush you while you are still in your startup phase. Lie low while still strengthening your bottom line.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Startups should operate discreetly and focus on their growth to avoid attracting unwanted attention from larger competitors.
Richard Branson's quote emphasizes the importance of humility and discretion for new startup companies. In a competitive business landscape, especially when up against larger firms, it is crucial for startups to keep a low profile while they work on building a solid foundation and strengthening their operations. By doing so, they can minimize risks and avoid prematurely inviting scrutiny that could jeopardize their chances of success.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about startup strategies, you can use this quote to illustrate the importance of discretion.
More from Richard Branson
All quotes →It's a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur's metric for success. It's not, and nor should it be.
Some 80% of your life is spent working. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work?
Values cannot be speedily forgotten if it is inconvenient or commercially expedient. Values have to have meaning and longevity; otherwise they are valueless. You cannot embrace innovation up to a point or only sometimes. Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking cords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.
Please don’t get hung up on this question of whether you need to have experience in an industry before you launch your startup.
What's the most critical factor in any business decision you'll ever have to make? Basically, it boils down to this question: If this all crashes, will it bring the whole house tumbling down like a pack of cards? One business matra remains embedded in my brain - protect the downside.
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