Three Lessons We Learned This Week By Having Everything Go Wrong

At Fric.io, we believe in “imperfect action.” For us, this shows up in one simple rule: just take the next step. This week, we had the perfect opportunity to live that out after experiencing a string of technical difficulties during a webinar.

The plan was to provide valuable insights to our audience, but things didn’t go as expected. Some attendees couldn’t access the event, while others couldn’t view the screen. Many people, having set aside time in their calendars, felt left out and frustrated. To top it off, the video wasn’t captured, leaving us with nothing to share afterward. It felt like a complete failure.

But we’re not focused on the failure; we’re focused on the fix.

Here are the three lessons we learned:

1. People First, Technology Second

No matter how sophisticated your tech stack is, your attendees or customers are the top priority. We learned this the hard way when some couldn’t even get into the event. A solution? Always have a backup plan that ensures people can still feel included even when technology fails. In our case, we did not understand the true scope of the problem until the event was over. Our solution? Apologize and reschedule the event.?

2. Embrace Imperfection, Especially Publicly

This experience was a good reminder that “imperfect action” is not just a slogan but a value we live. Mistakes, though uncomfortable, are inevitable. The more transparent we are about them, the more human we become to our audience. By owning the technical issues, we were able to connect and build trust, showing that we are actively solving the problem. You can view my apology video here.

3. The Show Must Go On

The best remedy for a setback - especially a public one -? is to keep going. We are re-offering the same webinar next week. Rather than staying stuck in the failure, we’re taking another step—improving on what went wrong and staying committed to delivering value.?

And… you’re invited! If you'd like to attend a free webinar on Planning on Wednesday, September 25th, at 9:00 a.m., please register here.??

Failure happens - often - but how we respond to it can strengthen our skills and our team. Instead of viewing failure with shame or as a sign that we’re incapable of achieving our goals, we can use it as an opportunity for growth and deepening relationships.?

As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”