Failure is just a test result away from success

Ready… Fire! WAIT! No, Aim… Ready… WAIT! FIRE! No, wait…

If you attended the webinar I had with Frank Kern last week, you may have heard me say this, but I think it bears repeating:

“Failure is just a test result.”

I try to think that everything in business (and life in general) is a test of one kind of another. Meaning that if you don’t get the outcome you were trying for:

1. Think of a possible reason why it didn’t work.

2. Implement a test that eliminates that possible reason and try again.

3. If it didn’t work, go back to 1.

I guess that’s just my usual “maximum verbosity” way of saying “Practice makes perfect.” :D One of my heroes said it best:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Thomas A. Edison

Now, as much as I love that attitude, I have to admit that I’d *rather not* have to fail *10,000 times* in order to find something that works. There’s got to be a better way, right?

It turns out that we actually use Alternating Current (AC) to power the most of the modern world, contrary to Edison’s designs. AC was actually championed by Edison’s biggest rival, Nikola Tesla.

And in fact, Tesla actually worked for Edison early on and thought his trial-and-error process was B.S. too.

“If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search.

I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor.”

Yeah! Now we’re onto something. If I can eliminate 90% of my work by applying a little theory and calculation, that means I only need to fail 1000 times. THAT’S do-able.

It might sound like a lot, but consider that with the internet, you can spend $100 on AdWords and get 1000 clicks to test nearly ANYTHING.

Failure online is a LOT cheaper than it was for Edison to try to make light bulb filaments out of every element known to man.

So how did Tesla do it?

“My method is different. I do not rush into actual work. When I get a new idea, I start at once building it up in my imagination, and make improvements and operate the device in my mind.

When I have gone so far as to embody everything in my invention, every possible improvement I can think of, and when I see no fault anywhere, I put into concrete form the final product of my brain.”

Man, wouldn’t THAT be awesome? There’s just ONE little problem. Tesla was dealing with harnessing little particles called electrons.

They move according to entirely predictable laws of physics and electromagnetism. So any electrical engineer can make a
*pretty good* guess about how they’re going to behave.

That’s the whole reason it’s even possible to harness electricity at all, and how we use it to keep the lights burning and wheels turning across the globe.

But as marketers, we deal with a much more UNPREDICTABLE force: human nature. If electrons were as unreliable as people, we’d still be cooking on wood burning stoves by candle- light.

The fact is, when you’re dealing with homosapiens like us, you don’t know ANYTHING until you do live testing. You can use the best theories and make a good GUESS, but you can’t ever truly predict.

Every single launch I do surprises me in at least some small way. BUT I learn a little more each time and that informs how I do the NEXT launch. And guess what? I do better EACH time.

That’s why I hereby recommend to you the hybridized Edison/Tesla/Jenkins method for solving the problems you find in your business.

You’ve got to be like Edison and be ready to test stuff right away and either proceed or fail and move on. But you want to waste as little time as possible, so you need to plan ahead like Tesla.

However: If you spend TOO MUCH time in the planning phase, it can make it hard to identify exactly why it’s failing because you’ve over-thought things. That’s why you need BOTH!

Get WHATEVER it is you’re testing in front of REAL prospects and customers as soon as possible. See how they react, then use your noodle, think of something to test and then adjust accordingly.

MAD SCIENTIST DEGREES NOT REQUIRED:

Now, all this talk of electricity and eccentric geniuses and entrepreneurs might make it seem like a big convoluted procedure you need to go through to test like this.

It’s actually REALLY easy.

You just take the time to INTERACT with your prospects, add value to their lives, and try to make em better every single time you talk to them.

Then, every once in a while, if you have an idea to bounce of them and test out, you can just ASK and they are HAPPY to help. For example:

If you feel like you’re failing, or you feel like you can’t fail frequently or fast ENOUGH: leave me a comment below to share your thoughts.

Until next time,
Andy

P.S. If you have just one takeaway from this newsletter, remember that what feels like a failure can really be just one minor tweak away from lasting success. How lasting?

http://www.centennialbulb.org/photos.htm

That’s a webcam where you can watch a light bulb from Edison’s time that’s been operating for 109 YEARS! Answer me this: If they can make them last that long, why don’t they ALL last that long? Conspiracy? Tell me in the comments below.


Tagged as: failure, Internet Marketing, nikola tesla, split testing, testing, thomas edison

  • http://brendanwenzel.net Brendan Wenzel

    This is a great post Mr. Jenkins. Many times I find myself failing and don’t know why because I had no plan in the first place to know what I should be testing. That’s where I need to start thinking more like Tesla and at least creating a strategy so I can cut down on how many times I have to fail to find the winning formula. Thanks for reinforcing my need to begin to plan better and take better actions towards finding the success that I will eventually discover.

  • http://www.alancwilliams.com Chris

    I loved the light bulb! Amazing that they can last that long. I bet that they build them cheaper for cost reasons, along with reselling opportunities!

    We really need to pay as close attention to our failures as we do to our successes. For me the failures are the most telling. They are also great input on what will work.

    I think the biggest trick in learning from failure is mixing the attitudes of Edison and Tesla. We need to plow ahead and not wait forever, but need to work as effectively as possible. I honestly believe that what most people lack is the actual effort required to move forward. It is very easy to fall into the analyzing for ever mode.

    Determining the right time to start can be hard, but often the time is right now. Look around carefully and if nothing indicates to wait a bit, start testing out your work and ideas now!

    Thanks Andy! Great as always!

  • http://webgroupmarketing.com Bob Marconi

    Failing is something I am familiar with, having not made an income on the Internet.

    I know, a lot of it is my fault because I am looking for something – I don’t know what – and I constantly flit from here, to there, to there to… It’s called lack of focus I guess.

    My biggest problem is lack of money – I have been fighting a losing battle being on ss and dealing with credit card fraud, identity theft, etc., etc. I seems as though every time I turn around, something else comes around and hits me on the chin. It is hard to get back on your feet when they keep being pulled out from under you.

  • http://www.theslowbleed.com Godfather

    Love the comments Andy. BTW way you handled the call just fine.

    I remember giving a Key Note speech in front of 3500 people. Just as I hit the remote to bring up the word “technology” the Power Point skipped ahead 7 slides. – I just made a joke and moved on (I think the crowd thought it was planned).

    You just have to roll with it and it all works out in the end. Although my success rate in starting something is much greater than it was when I was young, I would say my initial ratio was 1:10 (yea, one was the success part). Live and learn and keep trying!

  • Mukesh

    Andy,

    Agree.

    “All you have to do to win is rise each time you fail”

    I have a suggestion. I had seen your interview with Frank Kern and interested in your Kajabi bonus offer. But your interview was late and I already subscribed to list control. Can you admit list control buyers who are not through your affiliate link?

    If yes I am interested.

    Mukesh.

  • http://www.kalandtura-blog.hu zsolti

    Great stuff Andy, pretty inspirational, too.

    One thing that’s frustrating is if, after you fail, you realize that by taking 10 seconds to think something over, you could’ve saved yourself time/money/trouble and avoided the failure. On the other hand, not knowing where you screwed up and then experiencing an AHA when figuring it out… yea, that’s a lot more fun and educational.

    keep rockin’

  • Susan_braswell

    I Loved you picture up top. It made me laugh.

    OK there are times when I feel like I am stuck in the MUD. This is my first venture into the entrepreneur world and so afraid to waste time, & waste money. There are days that I feel like I am wasting time but then there are days when I think… OK I am right on target. I have accomplished a lot. It is like learning how to ride the bike for the first time. You too afraid to have that person let go of the handlebars while you are riding. You have seen others do it, You know it can be done… But that apprehension just bites you in the rear.

    I am a strong believer that majority of the initial time needs to be in the planning stage. This article made me think and question… AM I spending TOO MUCH time in the planning phase? I am comfortable and confident with working for other persons but trying to come out of comfort zone to be an entrepreneur is not as comfortable… In fact it is a bit uncomfortable because I lack experience. I will attempt to get something in front of REAL prospects and customers as soon as possible & see how they react.

    Great advice

  • http://freeglobaltraffic.com Jeff

    Hi Andy I need to ask this question Jeff here from http://freeglobaltraffic.com Andy my Market and Product is getting quality targeted website traffic, To peoples websites in specialized niches is this a good product to have because every one needs good quality traffic yes or no please respond thank-you.

  • http://imCarlBrown.com Carl Brown

    Andy,

    I failed. Big time. I ate dirt. Almost literally.

    But I’m back, baby. And this time, ain’t nothing gonna keep me down!

    I’m almost to the point where I’m happy I lost EVERYTHING I owned. Because you see, I didn’t own my wife (God bless her). Or my kids. Or my friends.

    Matter of fact, you should have seen the Christmas my friends threw for my kids.

    Just thought I’d let you know.

    Like a BOSS!

    -Carl

  • http://www.imarketonmac.com Jerry Nielsen

    Andy,

    The thing most people don’t realize is that practice does NOT make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Practice your mistakes, and pretty soon you will make them perfectly..

    Jerry Nielsen – iMarketOnMac

  • http://allergybusters.net Evangeline

    Oh Andy, Your emails brighten my life. So much good sense delivered so well and with so much humour. I look forward to more.

  • http://www.privatedimension.at/_improve_your_life_being_coach.html Christa

    This is a great post, especially saying to find a balance between preparing a test in your mind and testing.
    Someone who fails only gave up before he could find out what works. This is what Edison’s thousands of tests told me. But great stuff always starts/comes out of the mind.

  • http://www.lifecoachbrodie.com Lifecoach Brodie

    Hey Andy,

    I love how you have synthesized the work of these two master inventors & combined their creative juice with your own. Great work!

    I’m looking forward to testing the course I’m creating. Thanks for the inspiration!

    If you’re interested in meditation, make sure to check out my article this month on ‘My Top 10 Reasons Why Meditation Rocks!’ at http://www.lifecoachbrodie.com/blog/ ~ I would love to hear what you have to share about meditation.

    Great Alchemy!
    Lifecoach Brodie
    http://www.lifecoachbrodie.com

  • Sergio

    Hi Andy, great thoughts, I agree that a combinations of Thomas Alba E. and Tesla’s method could apply to market.
    Hey, when are you releasing he videos fom Video Boss?

    Thanks

  • Bea

    Great post. Regarding the light bulb…as a property manager with 23 years experience allow me to explain: it was never turned off.

    If you’ve ever noticed, a light bulb blows when, after it’s been off, you turn it on. In the buildings where I’ve worked, certain areas have lights that are always on…they blow very rarely, because they never have to deal with the fluctuations involved.

  • Steven Egan

    That makes me think of a few Bruce Lee quotes I’m using in a project.

    “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
    “Expose yourself to various conditions and learn.”
    “Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”
    - Bruce Lee

    The project is a booklet to help people with learning and problem solving. This post goes right along with one of the main points I’m trying to get across. We can’t move forward without testing and failing sometimes, so just consider it a part of the process. For any interested, the umbrella project’s blog is http://www.LegacyOfLore.com and the LOL acronym was intentional.

  • http://gitarre-spielen-lernen.com David

    Hello Andy,

    liked your eMail and the webinar (well the replay to be honest), too!

    I know quite a few electrical engineers and to my experience this fighter attitude of continuing untill the end seems to be a caracter trait they all have in common.

    Anyways, that’s really entertaining and in an inspirational and smart way so thanks. Thanks also for the 5 irresistable influencers, started to use them.

    Good luck all you bosses out there,

    best wishes

    - David

  • http://www.toplocalrankings.com Mark Bossert

    Picked one of my genius heroes Tesla there, Cuz Andy!

    He was on a different plane than the rest of us… he’d build generators in his mind to .0001″ precision, set it running in his mental workshop and would check back in a couple days to weeks later to see how it was doing. He would then give the precise measurements to his engineers and they’d build the device. It would work – first time out!

    Love your post. Life experiences as a test – just learn and retest – digging that!

  • Jules

    Oh I like that .. I havent’ been spinning my wheels for years .. I’ve been “testing” lol. I’ve been”testing” my unique standpoint for my internet business for such a long time. I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way but now have an educated understanding – from other people’s trial and errors also – the best way .. for me .. to create a new profitable online business that offers real value. I couldn’t have done this without rolling my sleeves up at the start AND observing what worked and what didn’t, and what I enjoyed doing.

  • Scott Birkhead

    I think the toughest part is the financial difficulties while in the learning curve. Especially in the beginning, when nothing’s getting traction, it’s difficult just to start over. But any time you have something that works and then it stops working, there’s a real sense of failure…and learning to NOT FEEL the failure is such a difficult thing to do when there still isn’t success.

    S

  • Diego

    Andy,

    what can I say, you know what your doing. And if I may ask, When will you do a product were we can learn exactly what you preach? I mean there are so many frauds out there that just confuse you and bring you to the point to say, you know what I will never buy another course again! You know what I mean, how many do you see out there that make you kinda of say, thats stuff is crap! But I speak as a true believer you are one of the few that really want to help people as you make money ofcourse. And lots of it! Im in your video boss and wow, what a well presented and organized course. I bought your course to do something that I really love, Video. But its kinda like starting in the middle of learning a new business. I want to start and learn the begining, and from a pro! So my question to you is are you gonna take out a full blown course, mentoring or something that will show us from start to finish? Or can you lead us to the right direction.

    Thanks,

    D

  • Walter Daniels

    Tesla was undeniably a genius, probably greater than Edison ever was. He couldn’t market for s–t, but he was a genius. Maybe 100 times better than you or Frank, but that kind comes once every three of four centuries. OTOH, you two come along once in a generation. I’m glad you’re here when I am. ( Is that enough butter?:-) ) I’ve been taking what you and Frank have talked about, and applied my own learning, from years of running businesses.
    Having “failed” in small ways, I learned a lot. Most of what I learned, came from face to face selling, where learning is quite rapid. You fail to connect sufficiently, and you don’t make a sale. You don’t make enough sales, and you don’t pay bills. We all know where that leads. :-) I see a lot of IM “Guru’s” that don’t seem to have that experience, behind them. If they do, they didn’t really learn the lessons, very well.
    That lesson is a simple one that you and Frank seem to understand. Customers (list members) are people. Made up of individuals, with shared wants and needs that they think we can satisfy. If we don’t think of them as individuals, not a “herd,” or impersonal buyers, we are essentially spamming them. I wonder what the retention is for most big name “guru’s?” How much do they spend to keep filling their lists, because they burn it out, with constant sales pitches.
    You and Frank do it right,l and teach it well. I wish that more would learn those lessons, and do it just as well.

  • http://thesuccessfulgeek.com Adam Teece

    Great post, I am constantly struggling with the balance between repetitive failures because I jump in too fast and planning too much without doing. Slowly I am finding the balance for me though.

  • http://www.kenstech.com Freedom Through Technology

    Good points Andy. When I was an undergraduate, one of my professors used to tell me , “an hour in the library is worth 10 in the lab.” Actually, I think he was understating the case. If you look long and hard enough you can probably find someone somewhere that has worked on a problem that is at least similar to yours. It only makes sense to avail yourself of prior efforts. That is, after all, the whole idea behind this “civilization” and “division of labor” thing.

    I try to bring that concept to my marketing as well (which is why I’m on your mailing list). As Frank Kern pointed out in your last interview, If other people can do it, then I figure I’m not too stooooopid to figure it out too. I hope.

    Ken
    http://www.kenstech.com

  • http://www.howtomakemoneyby.com Ellery

    Here is my “Ah-ha” moment.

    I have never thought of putting these 2 thoughts together. In the past, either I am trying, trying, trying and apply little thinking, or thinking, thinking, thinking for a long time before doing anything.

    I know that now we can apply “Tesla” approach first and “Edison” approach at the same time.

    Failure is just a test result away from success – I will remember this, thank you Andy.

  • http://www.webbusinessresearch.com Jon Poland

    Andy:

    I have always believed that there is no failure as long as you learn from the experience. And the biggest failure is when you sit there and never take action.

    But the dilemma that internet marketers must wrestle with is “How much planning should we do before we act?” This has been a challenge for me, at times, because I want the project or the site to be “perfect” before acting on it. Big mistake, because in this business perfection is the enemy of success.

    One more thought: Isn’t it amazing how much we learn when we are taking action? When we plan, we can make progress. But when we take action, that is when we have breakthroughs!

  • Munesh kumar

    kEEP ON TRYING TILL SUCCESS.

  • Martin

    Like most of you, I have failed, been down in the dumps and felt like crap. After all of that, then I set up a game plan with others and I start to bounce back. I have to. For me.

    It is not simple at times but it has provided me with some incredible life experience I have used to inspire myself, family members, close friends, youth and others who I don’t even know.

  • http://EagleTVProduction.com James Rizzuti

    Great point, Andy. I really enjoy reading your material… and you look just fine on camera, by the way.

  • William

    Great post, I bet I’ve read and heard the inspirational quotes about Edison hundreds of times in my life, but NEVER have I seen the reference made in contrast to Tesla and his inventing A/C along with his different approach to problem solving… I love it. The thing I recognize about Edison’s approach is that it fits right into Napolean Hill’s “Think & Grow Rich” philoshophy, it’s the “burn your boats” attitude. Working smarter can shorten the time it takes to succeed, no doubt. But persistence is the difference between success and failure. Like your subject says, failure is only one test away from success. Working smarter is almost a necessity, but without persistence it will still fail more often than not. The trouble with a lot of smart people who know how to work smarter is that they often have too many “options” and give up too soon, one test away from success. So, I agree, do both… but of the two persistence is the most important (I think). Thank you for another great post, keep up the great work – you make a difference!

  • Mike

    Great Stuff Andy motivation is something we all need. As far as the light bulb did you notice the size of the elements. You probably get more light out of a lighting bug, but that’s the secret to its long life no resistance.

  • http://www.theagileentrepreneur.com AJ Silvers

    Hi Andy

    Dig the post ;-)

    While to most this is D’Oh so obvious I find it is still worth mentioning: testing, Edison’s 10,000 attempts and Tesla’s mental short cut all have one thing in common…they require action!

    So many people complain that they are not getting results yet seem to forget that you need to take action first!

    Anyway, digging the blog, nice little community you have here…

    AJ

  • http://www.thelevievdevelopment.com/ Leviev

    wow love that picture up top very funny. nice article

  • http://www.re-voo.com/timer/ Tony Finbarr-Smith

    Hey AJ,
    Nice to hear a bit of a structure and expansion to the old “ready, fire, aim” approach.

    Appreciate your continued guidance.

    Tony in the wet and slightly drizzly very overcast UK

  • http://www.twogreenthumbs.com Janit

    Conspiracy, I say!!

    … enjoying your newsletters, Boss, thanks for the reminder memo! Getting back on that horse today… ;o)

  • http://blog.fcon21.biz John W. Furst

    Hi Andy,

    You have to be fast, right? Anyway, back to your light bulb. The real conspiracy lies behind the fluorescent lamps. That’s a big rip-off. It’s advertised with a 6 times longer life. No way, I already had to replace 4 of those this year. Not a sinlge incandescent lamp burned out in the same time.

  • John

    Hi Andy,

    Short, sweet and the the point. I like you, and your teachings.

    You and George Brown are great teachers, teachers that can look at us in the eyes then you talk to us. Thank you for the respect.

    John in Australia.

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Failure is just a test result away from success -- Topsy.com

  • http://www.globalhemp.com/ Global Hemp

    Yes, my great grandmother had a similar lightbulb on her front porch. It was a much brighter bulb, most likely around 60 watts. It was not protected from the outdoors, so in Central Illinois it dealt with the hot and humid summers as well as the 0-30 F temperatures of winter … all without ever burning out!

    Of course, she did turn the bulb off during the day, but my father said that it was an old lightbulb when he was a kid. The house is well over 100 years old, but the bulb was most likely new around WWII. Anyhow, a painter ended up breaking the bulb while painting the porch ceiling around 1989 or so. Otherwise, I am positive that it would still be working today!

    The old saying, “They don’t make ‘em like they used to” is true. We have Economies of Scale, so lightbulb factories must continue to produce more bulbs every minute which requires the lightbulb to be engineered to “Planned Obsolesence.”

  • James

    Hey Andy:

    I made my first power point videos and they kind of suck. You make it look so easy. Are you going to release a mini course shorter than your last one so I can still be a Video Boss without the really fancy stuff?

  • http://www.tdsart.com/ Thomas David Stringer

    Andy: Success without failure, is a good pathway to, ‘the land of big egos.’

  • http://www.proganica.com Syd Salmon

    A light bulb operating for 109 years is a huge business problem!

    What most people don’t realize is that Edison’s challenge wasn’t inventing a light bulb that worked, it was engineering a light bulb that would fail often enough to make him filthy, stinking rich, but not so often that people would not buy.

    GE’s market cap is around $198.03B. Now that my friends is worth the price of “failure.”

  • http://www.Internet-Marketing-For-Home-Based-Business.com Karl Hummel

    Hey Andy,

    I am a big fan of yours! As a somewhat new Internet Marketer and longtime Entrepreneur, I believe in what you have written about concerning failing and failure 150%!

    In fact I have adopted that attitude and mind set years ago.

    More importantly though, I want to compliment you on your style, and especially your style of writing. As a member of your list, I can honestly say that I never delete an email with the name Andy Jenkins on it, until after I’ve read it. And I usually save it for my swipe file anyway.

    You have a tremendous gift when it comes to making your communication interesting, fun, and valuable. Your personality shines through in everything you send or post, whether it’s in a video, an email, or a blog post.

    There is much to be learned from everything I get from you my friend!

    Thanks for being so honest and true to yourself, as well as helping so many of us learn from your experiences and observations.

    Karl Hummel