The Only True Failure in Business is Giving Up: How to Learn, Adjust, and Succeed

"The greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to always try just one more time." – Thomas A. Edison

This quote has stuck with me for years because it perfectly captures a mindset that every entrepreneur and business owner needs to cultivate: persistence. Recently, I was reminded of this lesson in a conversation with someone who, like many business owners, lost sight of their passion because they felt it was "too late."

The reality is, it’s never too late—unless you stop trying.

I was catching up with someone I used to coach in softball many years ago. Like me, they had a marketing degree, so I asked if they were currently doing anything with marketing. Their answer was simple: “No.”

Curious, I asked why they pursued marketing in the first place. As they talked about their love for the creativity, the excitement of building brands and campaigns, their face lit up. It was clear that they still loved marketing.

So, I asked, “Why didn’t you keep trying to find a job in this field? Or, if no jobs were available, why not create a business of your own? You have the knowledge, the passion—why give up?”

And then it happened. The light in their eyes faded, and they said something I’ve heard from so many people: “It’s too late.”

We Don’t Fail—We Produce Results

That phrase, “it’s too late,” signals more than just the passing of time. It signals a mindset shift. Somewhere along the way, this person didn’t get the result they expected, and instead of adjusting and pushing forward, they stopped trying.

This happens to business owners all the time. We launch a product, and it doesn’t sell. We run a marketing campaign, and it falls flat. We hire the wrong person, lose a client, or miss out on an opportunity. These are tough results—but they are just results. They aren’t failures.

If you get a result you didn’t want, it doesn’t mean the journey is over. It just means you produced a different outcome than expected. The key is what you do next. Do you learn from it? Do you adjust your approach and try again? Or do you let the disappointment convince you that it’s "too late"?

The Real Failure: Quitting

Let’s get one thing straight: You only truly fail when you give up.

This isn’t some abstract motivational quote. It’s a mindset that separates successful business owners from the rest. You’ve heard the stories of entrepreneurs who tried and failed repeatedly before finally hitting on the idea that worked—those aren’t exceptions. They are the rule.

Most businesses don’t succeed on the first try. In fact, the path to success is often littered with missteps, wrong turns, and unexpected results. But the entrepreneurs who keep going, who learn from their mistakes and pivot when necessary—those are the ones who succeed in the end.

Adjust, Learn, and Try Again

The critical lesson here is that every setback is an opportunity to improve. Didn’t land that big client? What can you do differently next time? Launched a product that didn’t resonate with your audience? How can you refine your messaging, your pricing, or even the product itself?

Persistence isn’t about blindly doing the same thing over and over. It’s about being flexible enough to adjust your strategy based on the results you’re getting. It’s about learning from those results and trying again with a smarter approach.

In business, you have to be willing to fail—often. The trick is not to get discouraged, but to see every "failure" as an opportunity to get closer to the result you actually want.

What Are YOUR Biggest Challenges?

So, what about you? If you’re a business owner reading this, you’ve likely faced a setback or two. It’s part of the process. But here’s the question: How do you respond when things don’t go as planned? Do you adjust and try again? Or do you let that voice creep in—the one that says, “It’s too late”?

I challenge you to rethink your approach to failure. Remember that there’s no such thing as failure, only results. If you’re not where you want to be, that’s okay. It’s just a result that needs adjusting.

To help you reflect on your journey, here’s something to consider:

What are the three biggest problems you currently face in your business? Take a moment to think about them. Are they results you didn’t expect? How can you adjust your strategy and push forward?

Share your challenges in the comments, or connect with me to discuss how you can turn those obstacles into opportunities. Let’s learn from the setbacks, adjust our course, and keep moving forward.

The road to business success isn’t linear, and it’s certainly not easy. But it’s navigable—as long as you keep trying just one more time.