Success Isn't a Straight Road

Better bring along a spare.

I hate buying cars.

Perhaps it's the overall inflated cost of things I don't believe even exist, like "ceramic shield coating." Perhaps it's the exhausting process of the salesperson telling me that they need to "talk with their manager" while I doom scroll on my phone. Maybe it's the fact I'm not really a "car guy" and just want four tires and an engine - anything that will get me out of the dealership.

However, that's not entirely accurate. Well, my disdain for the purchasing process is. I'm talking about the "four tires" part because every car comes with five tires for a reason. That spare tire hidden 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 and manufactured the horseless carriage fully expect you to get a flat tire at some point, and they provide the spare to ensure you have some level of remediation.

In much the same way, a spare tire in business can keep 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. Here are a few of my favorites:

Mark Cuban, Owner of the Dallas Mavericks and a former "Shark" on Shark Tank

Before selling broadcast.com to Yahoo for $2 billion, Cuban was fired as a carpenter, a cook, and a waiter - the latter because he couldn't open a bottle of wine. Not to digress, but I would NOT have that issue.

Fred Smith, Founder  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 founding the Ford Motor Company, where he became the first to employ 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 fast-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 of 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 an annual revenue of over $90 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 driving to your successful destination.