Lessons Learned from Entrepreneurial Setbacks

Strategic Advisory

Jeff Bartel

Chairman and Managing Director

The entrepreneurial spirit has been the backbone of business in the United States since its founding. However, that does not always ensure success, requiring patience, resilience, and an understanding of how to adapt to challenges. By learning to overcome setbacks and turn failure into growth, companies can pivot quickly and achieve better outcomes.

Embracing Entrepreneurial Setbacks as a Catalyst for Growth

A large part of the “great adventure” in starting a business is understanding that there will be challenges. How those are dealt with can show limitations in strategy and allow for improvements in products and services. In effect, failures increase forward progress and make it possible for adaptation that ultimately leads to stronger and better outcomes.

A concentration on growth at all costs helps see past the challenges. Entrepreneurs should accept that the challenges they face and the consequences that come with those provide an opportunity to improve skills, refine strategies, and increase innovation.

The Role of Resilience in Entrepreneurial Success

Entrepreneurship takes a high level of dedication and an understanding that there will be as many startup failures as successes along the way. By staying resilient and focused, entrepreneurs can work past any pitfalls and develop solutions despite any difficulties that might make them want to give up on the chosen direction too soon.

Business resilience comes from fostering a strategic mindset in both personal and company dealings. Personally, entrepreneurs should always be growing and learning, improving their physical and mental health, and building a network of support with friends and colleagues. In business, it is important to remain optimistic and always look for solutions. Innovation and clear communication, along with the ability to quickly move to new ideas and recovery strategies without regret for what is abandoned, will help promote success.

Strategic Pivots: Knowing When and How to Change Course

Knowing the right time to change direction comes when there is a thorough understanding of various factors. These include the needs of the customer, movement and changes in the market, and the overall health of the organization. Pivoting comes into play when entrepreneurs can clearly see that their strategies have stopped working, growth has declined, customers have lost or shifted interest, and an increase in negative feedback.

Moving purposefully and quickly is the key to successfully pivoting. An example of this is Instagram – this software was originally called Burbn and was designed for location sharing. When developers discovered that users were primarily using it for photo sharing instead, leadership acted quickly to rebrand into what has become a very successful social media presence. Another example is the application Slack, created by a game-maker called Tiny Speck. The company found that the messaging feature of the game was more interesting to consumers than the actual game and quickly pivoted the product into a business tool for internal messaging.

Businessmen smiling and shaking hands, celebrating progress after overcoming entrepreneurial setbacks.

Learning from Failure: Case Studies and Key Takeaways

True entrepreneurship comes from recognizing failure and converting that into success after initial setbacks. Examples of failed companies and others that have made it work include:

  • Webvan was an online delivery service for groceries from 2000 to 2001. They ultimately failed by trying to expand too quickly and not making sure there was enough demand for the service to meet the level of operations they had in place. Instacart saw the mistakes of Webvan and built a company that avoided these mistakes to become successful.
  • Pets.com was a victim of bad management of finances and an unclear vision for success. They spent considerably on advertising but could not make up for the lack of infrastructure and cost overruns. Chewy, focusing mainly online, was able to see the failures of its competitors and avoid making the same mistakes by focusing on robust customer acquisition and clear ROI strategies.

Leadership in Crisis: Steering the Ship Through Stormy Waters

When problems arise, executive leadership needs to be able to show a clear and stable direction to their teams. This includes the need for effective and transparent communication that can reach investors, customers, and employees and provide detailed information about the problem and what actions are being taken.

Leadership must stay clearly focused on the health of the business, ensuring that employee morale and dedication stay high, and making decisions decisively and strategically to ensure that business operations move forward smoothly and quickly. Developing a solid foundation of employee collaboration and a culture that understands how to solve problems and take ownership when necessary.

Changing Setbacks into Success

Surprise setbacks are a large part of the entrepreneurial process, but they also provide learning opportunities that can lead to strategic advancement and increased innovation. With a culture of invention, focused and decisive leadership, and the ability to pivot in the face of challenges, successful entrepreneurs are better able to examine each situation carefully, be adaptive, provide clear communication, and overcome failure by turning it into a path to success. Visit our strategic advisory page for more information on overcoming challenges and finding entrepreneurial success.

Collaborating with CHROs to Drive Business Success

Strategic Advisory

Jeff Bartel

Chairman and Managing Director

A Chief Human Resources Officer, also known as a CHRO, is an individual who strategically advises businesses and creates practices, policies and systems for meeting the needs of both employees and the company. Their activities typically go beyond the usual HR functions and are important overarching players in the executive management team in aligning workers, innovation, and culture with business goals.

The Strategic Role of CHROs in Business Success

When it comes to making strategic decisions, CHROs are a major contributor to making sure that staffing meets the specific needs and objectives of the business. Attracting, developing, and keeping employees is important to talent management and can have a significant impact on organizational growth. CHROs also help with business strategy by defining the company culture and engagement policies, fostering adaptation, and leveraging the capabilities of staff to meet demand.

Fostering Cross-Functional Collaboration Among the C-Suite

CHROs need to work closely with other executives in a business, including Chief Operation Officers and Chief Financial Officers. Their relationship with COOs allows for the development of smooth-running organizational structures, staff management, and the building of a strong corporate culture. Leadership collaboration with CFOs consists of working to make sure the investment in employees is in line with how the company is performing financially. Collaboration with other executives creates a consistent merging of the needs of employees with the overall needs of the company and encourages a more productive business and more engaged employees.

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) offering guidance and insights in a professional one-on-one conversation.

Driving Culture and Innovation Through CHRO Leadership

To be successful at new opportunities and challenges, companies need to be positioned with staff ready for adaptive, creative, and not afraid to take risks. A strong CHRO will develop and support a culture where innovation thrives, and creative thinking is seen as a strength to be nurtured—one where staff is motivated to offer new ideas with suggestions or solutions to problems. This encouraging environment will increase employee satisfaction with their jobs, leading to them staying in the role longer with more productivity due to greater engagement and empowerment provided by the company

CHROs use several strategies to help develop workforce innovation, including:

  • Shaping teams that have a variety of experiences, outlooks, and backgrounds that then lead to more creative solutions to needs and problems.
  • Establishing development programs to build individual leadership, promote critical thinking, and foster innovation increases the strength of the entire organization.
  • Creation of flexible work situations that let employees collaborate in new ways, whether in an office setting, remotely, or through hybrid work.
  • Building a culture where staff feel comfortable speaking out about new ideas or providing suggestions without worrying about failure and providing an environment for more organic job development.

Overcoming Challenges in Aligning HR Strategy with Business Goals

There are challenges to balancing business objectives with human resource strategies, and CHROs often struggle with leadership resistance, changing market conditions, and a disconnect between financial goals and HR needs. Getting past these obstacles requires an individual who can highlight the analytics of worker trends as compared to productivity and overall engagement and show how HR strategies line up with the greater business strategy. Changes and shifts to business plans are also common challenges and require HR to build flexible strategies and adapt as necessary.

The Future of CHRO Collaboration in Driving Business Transformation

The landscape of business is always changing, and it is important for CHROs to be strong collaborators in all parts of the company and develop robust HR strategies to help keep staffing in line with those changes. Whole industries are being reshaped due to the influx of digital technologies in the workplace, and it is necessary for staffing to be prepared for increases in automation and the growth of AI advancements. The lack of in-person staff majority is also an issue that companies must contend with as worker interest in remote and hybrid positions continues to trend up. This will require new solutions and leadership in continuing to develop employee engagement, culture, and performance. Likewise, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives are still popular in many organizations, and CHROs will need to stay current on this to remain innovative and competitive in talent growth.

Hamptons Group Strategic Advisory for CHRO Collaboration

CHROs are often a misunderstood part of an executive leadership team, but when given the opportunity, can successfully merge talent, corporate culture, and employee innovation with the company goals.
There are challenges present in this, and strategies require constant modification to keep pace with changes in market conditions, but a well-positioned CHRO can make the difference between a business that simply succeeds and one that exceeds. Visit our strategic advisory page to learn more about CHROs.

Emotional Intelligence in Investing

Strategic Advisory

Jeff Bartel

Chairman and Managing Director

While traditional financial analysis and market knowledge are critical to investing, understanding emotional intelligence can make the difference between success and failure. EI (Emotional Intelligence) is important in helping investors stay calm when making decisions, and this increases their ability to make smarter and more informed choices. A good understanding of the EI strategies available to investors will help increase overall financial performance.

Emotional Intelligence in Investment Decisions

Managing negative emotions that can lead to bad decisions is at the center of EI. By staying calm, investors can carefully review the markets and financial information to help find good investments. The ability to stay calm under pressure, identify with market sponsors, and keep focused over time are qualities that help with greater investment success.

Key Components for Investors

Emotional Intelligence consists of specific items that are important to consider when investing: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

  • Self-awareness: This helps investors link emotional reactions to changes in the market and includes fear in down periods and overconfidence in a strong market. For example, self-aware investors tend to sell abruptly and fearfully when stocks decline, but by understanding this, they can avoid reckless decisions.
  • Self-regulation: This supplements awareness by helping investors control their emotional responses. Instead of immediate reactions to market changes, a self-regulating investor might stop and review the situation before moving ahead with a strategy and reduce the risk of losses from emotional trading.
  • Motivation: In EI, motivation means being focused on overall goals instead of sudden market changes. Highly motivated investors stay focused on investment goals, including retirement saving and wealth growth, and are not distracted by immediate setbacks or the chance of quick gains.
  • Empathy: This helps investors understand the emotions and behaviors of other market users and can provide insight into market trends. For example, being empathetic to fear and greed in market movements helps an investor predict upcoming changes to make smart decisions.
  • Social skills: These can help build and keep relationships in the investment community, including advisors, peers, and competitors. Successful communication and collaboration lead to more effective information usage, access to varied outlooks, and better investment decisions.
A business meeting where team members discuss the importance of emotional intelligence in investing decisions.

Identifying and Overcoming Perceived Biases

There are several factors that can cause questionable judgment and lead to less effective decisions.

  • Overconfidence: This can cause investors to assume greater knowledge or understanding in predicting market movements and lead to risky investments.
  • Confirmation bias: This causes investors to only find information that supports their existing views and ignore conflicting data.
  • Loss aversion: This leads to a strong fear of loss, causing investors to hold onto bad investments for too long or ignore risks.

Emotional intelligence plays a large role in identifying and reducing these biases, and EI investors should be able to recognize when their emotions are influencing decisions. For example, self-awareness helps investors see overconfidence or biased viewpoints. By pausing and reassessing their decisions, they can more easily find diverse views and data that challenge assumptions or manage their emotional reactions to losses to reduce the impact of loss aversion.

Emotional Intelligence in Risk Management

Investors who can anticipate emotional responses to risk, like fear or overconfidence, can more fairly estimate the likelihood and outcome of various risks. Empathy helps them gauge market attitude and understand how the emotional reactions of market users can drive behavior. By regulating emotions, investors can make less impulsive decisions and use a controlled risk strategy that meets their overall goals.

Creating Emotional Intelligence in Investment Teams

EI leaders can use training sessions and seminars to teach important emotional skills like self-awareness, empathy, and self-regulation. Sessions can include team activities to encourage thought on emotional reactions to challenges, learn active listening, and discover methods for managing stress. Regular team meetings to discuss emotional intelligence can aid this by allowing team members to share experiences, consider emotional challenges, and find group support.

Using Emotional Intelligence in Investing

Emotional intelligence in investment strategy leads to better decisions and overall performance. By understanding and managing emotions, investment teams can make more reasoned, informed, and successful investment choices. Visit the Hamptons Group strategic advisory page to learn more.