Radical Honesty: 3 Real-World Ways to Fail Upward

“Stay married to the problem you’re solving, not the solution you THINK will solve it.” — Marc Randolph, Co-Founder of Netflix

Ever spend weeks building something nobody wanted? Yeah… that.

Too often, we entrepreneurs come up with what we think is a “nifty, groovy” idea the market needs… and it doesn’t work.

The market does not care how long you worked on a bad idea.

Marc Randolph’s quote nails it.

It helps us focus on the real problem.

We’ve seen it too many times with our Stark Raving Entrepreneurs members who feel certain they have the right solution to a problem.

It is way too easy to get carried away and fall in love with our solution of the moment.

Those who succeed in business are the ones who see the bigger picture and aim to solve the real problem the customer has.

Too often, we entrepreneurs fall in love with our own “genius” invention.

Not that I have EVER done that!!!

(Yeah, right, Terry!)

Truth be told, I’ve made that mistake WAY too many times.

When customers don’t like our current “solution,” it really is a gift.

It lets us know the tactics or steps we are taking are not what is needed.

That gives us a wonderful chance to change course and embrace what can work.

Solutions change.

Netflix went from DVDs to streaming to content production.

But the problem — people wanting easy access to great stories at home — remained the same.

The key for you and me, once again, is to be flexible and change.

The U.S. Marines are famous for saying, “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.”

Let that be your motto as well.

If you stay married to your solution because you think it is just dandy, you will sink with it when the market shifts.

If you stay married to the problem’s solution, you will keep testing new experiments until one works.

Here’s another quote from Marc Randolph that I love:

“The hardest thing is to abandon a solution you’ve spent months building. But if it isn’t solving the problem, it’s just baggage.”

I would add a Terry-ism to Marc’s quote:

If it’s just baggage, dump it quickly!

We can all use that on a regular basis.

This requires a mental state of “radical honesty” about what is, not just what we think is the right thing.

One of the biggest benefits we have today with AI is the ability to research issues in depth really, really fast.

Instead of just thinking we have a marketable idea, we need to run it by our AI research tools.

But don’t stop there.

Try it out with real customers buying a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) at a realistic price.

That is far better.

Use evidence rather than clinging to our own “great idea” or telling ourselves something is real when it isn’t.

Ouch!

Yeah, that hurts.

But it is exactly what we need — on a regular basis.

Here are 3 real-world ways to implement this:

#1 Experiment Fast

Don’t spend gobs of time polishing and perfecting an idea that doesn’t sell.

Offer a Minimum Viable Product and keep changing it until customers buy.

#2 Embrace Sloppy Starts

Usually, your first attempt will fail.

Good.

Learn from it and build something different until you find what works.

#3 Don’t Be Married To Your Initial Idea

Slap down your original idea if necessary.

Often, it deserves it.

Follow reality rather than your cherished first concept.

Remember, your current solution is just your current idea.

If it doesn’t work, replace it — fast!

All that matters is that your customers are happy — and buying.

Stay obsessed with solving the problem.

Leverage the daylights out of AI tools like Gemini, Castmagic, ChatGPT, Taja, and others.

These AI tools are helping people get solid answers and real business results today.

Here’s a fabulous way to get help in real time.

Gina shows in this video how to use AI to do work for you, not just give answers.

You’ll love this:

https://youtu.be/1PML2-ViMAY?si=sCfEFMRvwu69Eg1R

So, what is the most important challenge you face right now that might need changing?

This is where AI becomes more than a toy — it becomes a truth-teller.

Go for it and keep experimenting until you get the right solution.

To your success,

Terry

Terry@TerryBrock.com

P.S. This is a fabulous time in history to have powerful tools like Gemini’s AI, which Gina shared in the video.

This is a great way to get solutions rapidly.

https://youtu.be/1PML2-ViMAY?si=sCfEFMRvwu69Eg1R