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What is your favorite career failure?

My favorite career failure is with Friendly, the first company I started. We never achieved product market fit and ended up selling to Facebook as a talent acquisition. Despite not being the outcome I was originally looking for, I learned so much in that experience, which has helped me become better equipped to build successful companies.
 
Transcript: "Great question, Mike. I think my favorite career failure would probably be what happened at Friendly, which was the first company I started. Where we never fully achieved product Market fit and as a result ended up selling the company to Facebook, not because the company was successful. But more as what they call a talent acquisition basically a way for Facebook, to acquire our team. And, you know, I guess that's not obviously not a complete. Earlier, but it was not a homerun success, and not the outcome. I was originally looking for when I started the company, but what I have to say is, I learned so much in those next several years at Facebook. And then after that, a tuber working at other successful startups, just kind of seen how to build a company, which there was just, there was so much. I didn't know back when I was starting friendly. So, you know, I still have a lot to learn. Everyone always does. But I feel like I'm in a much better place now, because of what I learned working at those other companies."
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Ed Baker

CEO of AnyQuestion
Great question, Mike. I think my favorite career failure would probably be what happened at Friendly, which was the first company I started. Where we never fully achieved product Market fit and as a result ended up selling the company to Facebook, not because the company was successful. But more as what they call a talent acquisition basically a way for Facebook, to acquire our team. And, you know, I guess that's not obviously not a complete. Earlier, but it was not a homerun success, and not the outcome. I was originally looking for when I started the company, but what I have to say is, I learned so much in those next several years at Facebook. And then after that, a tuber working at other successful startups, just kind of seen how to build a company, which there was just, there was so much. I didn't know back when I was starting friendly. So, you know, I still have a lot to learn. Everyone always does. But I feel like I'm in a much better place now, because of what I learned working at those other companies.
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Greg Bennett

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Olympian, 3x World Champ, CoS AnyQuestion
Hey, Michael, really great question mate. I wouldn't say that. I have a career failure, so much as a career disappointment that turned into one of the best things that happened to me. And that was that the in 2004, the Sydney Olympic Games. I'd won on the course that you previous. I had been on the podium. The three years before that, I grew up a mile from the Sydney Olympic site, where it was going to be at the opera house. And anyway, was left off the Australian team ended up, being a bit of a court battle. It wasn't a joyous time the court battle didn't go my way. And I was pretty lost and bewildered. Anyway, young friend of mine. Simon. Whitfield said, Greg. Why don't you come over Canada? Help me get ready for the games and I did, and we trained relentlessly together for five, six months. And as it turned out, Simon went off to win the Olympic Games. He then stood on top of the die has got his gold medal and after he got his gold medal and was walking off. He ran up to the stadium and put the medal around my neck and said, this is yours. And when I Look back at my career highlights. That was a very, very special moment. And I love re telling that story because it was just such a special time. And you know, that was pre 9/11. So, you know, it was a bit looser and we could do those things. But on top of all of that, when I went to Canada help Simon train. I also met the woman of my dreams Laura and we were married. We were together right away and married after the 04 Olympics. And I always wonder if I'd been put on that Australian Olympic team, What would have happened both for my career and my relationships and everything going forward? So it was a really when I look back it was one of the the turning points in my life to be able to have that massive disappointment in that moment. But when you look back and big picture, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Cheers.
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Brett Hawke

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ 5x Olympian - No.1 Swimming Podcast Host
Michael. It's an interesting way to ask this question because most people would feel like they wouldn't favorite that Foley has been. I agree with you. On this instance. I do have a favorite failure and it's one that fuels me to this day and it has from the point that it happened. But most people would think would be missing the Olympic team in 1996 by 31 hundredths of a second. And by all means that one hurt, but it wasn't my favorite failure. I felt like I wasn't ready to make the Olympics at that point. Now, once I did make the Olympics in 2000. I honestly was believing that I had a chance to get on the podium. And this is where my favorite failure to comes in. I finished 13th in the semi-final and didn't make the final and this one hurt hurt hurt to the deepest core points of my body and it still hurts to this day. In fact, it hurts so much that I was supposed to go to the finals. The next night, sit in the stands with the Team and watch the finals. And actually I was in so much pain physically that actually went to the track and field and watch the track and field that night. I couldn't even watch the final of the 50 freestyle because I truly believe that I should have been in that race. I should have won a medal and from that moment on I didn't miss an Australian team for the next six years. I went to every single Australian International meet with the Australian swim team for the next six years. I was the father Assets from Ernest, Ray for success. I went on a very dominant run within my country and it was because of my favorite failure at the Sydney Olympics. That fueled me to be successful.
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Jan Frodeno

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช All - Olympic ๐Ÿฅ‡ & 5x IM World Champ
Couldn't agree with you more and your failures in my career. That's a show. I couldn't go. As far as calling a failure. My favorite yet though. Take a little bit more. Spontaneously comes to mind. Hamburg World, Series, 20,000, 10 2010. Sorry, Javier Gomez. Dishing out punches 141 and he did beat me with about km, have to go and knows a lot from that race. What it is to hang on. Hold on and probably shape me as an athlete.
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T.J. Hagan

Sports Physician & Chiropractor
Hi Melanie, what is my favorite career failure? There been so many but one that comes to mind was I was presenting at a healthcare conference, on recovery for athletes and had my standard morning coffee on the way in and before it was my turn to speak. I was perusing through the vendors and happen to try this new cold brew roasted locally. And it was delicious, but I soon realized that I had really maxed out on my caffeine intake, just before going on to present and my talk was about half the time that it was supposed to be. I don't know that your audience really understood what I was saying, because I was talking so fast with so much energy. They probably question, what kind of substance I was on. I think the talk went, okay, but it was, It wasn't my best. I'll try to think of some more for you. Thanks.
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Melanie Marshall

Olympic & World Champ Coach, ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡งOlympian
Hey Michael, my biggest my favorite career failure was not favorite. Do you ever really think of my favorite actually, so in the four by two hundred relay in Beijing? I was fun to alternates. Great Britain, and we rested Rebecca adlington. Who was the double Olympic champion in the 400 800, and Kaitlyn McClatchy who was turning me. A finalist in the 200 freestyle and four of us embarked on the job in the heat. I was due to progress through to the final. So was John Jackson was also a medalist in the form of me. It's freestyle. And we came ninth. We weren't happy that we were supplement into. We were disappointed with the coaches choices around that and we ultimately watched our team come 9th because we had two people that potentially one person that was little bit and experienced in the event, and we took a risk. And but that was my favorite career failure moment. Because when I finished that race, I was due to retire. And even though I was disappointed and I was angry, I was really, I was pleased and content because I'd done all I could done in my career. So the last trim down that I did I had no mind no regrets and no shame. No, fears about the future because I knew I was walking away knowing that I'd won everything. I could win. I tried my very best. I'd won some, I'd lost some but I'd become a better bigger person through the Journey. So that's always my three favorite career failure.