Why Failure Is Often the First Step to Success

I recently read the story of Paul Galvin, the founder of Motorola, and was amazed by his resilience and self-belief, even after facing failure more than once.
 
Most people would have given up, but he didn’t. He kept going, and because of that, he built a company known worldwide.
 
It made me think: how many great ideas or life-changing inventions never happened because someone gave up just before their breakthrough?
 
 
The secret to success.
 
“The so-called ‘secret’ to success is really no secret at all. It’s about one simple, timeless truth: getting back up every time life knocks you down, and carrying forward the lessons you’ve learned. Few people embody this better than Paul Galvin, the founder of Motorola.
 
In 1928, at the age of thirty-three, Galvin found himself facing failure yet again. By this point, he had already endured two painful business collapses.
 
His first company, producing battery eliminators to help radios run on household electricity, failed because the technology was flawed and the market wasn’t ready.
 
His second attempt in the storage-battery business also went bankrupt under financial pressures.
 
For many, two big failures might have been enough to call it quits. But Galvin thought differently. He believed he still had something worth fighting for.
 
When his company’s assets went to auction, he scraped together $750 and bought back the battery eliminator portion of the inventory.
 
From this tiny seed, he launched a new company: Galvin Manufacturing Corporation.
 
This changed everything.
 
The early days weren’t easy. Competition was fierce and sales were slow. It would have been tempting to give up once more. But Galvin and his small team kept pushing, innovating, and believing.
 
Then, in 1930, right in the middle of the Great Depression, they took a bold risk. They created the world’s first affordable car radio.
 
They called it “Motorola,” combining “motor” for cars and “Victrola,” the well-known phonograph. At first, people doubted that anyone struggling through an economic crisis would spend money on a luxury like a car radio. But Galvin trusted his instincts.
 
The car radio was born.
 
To his surprise and relief, the gamble worked. Car owners were excited by the idea of having music and news on the road, and sales began to grow.
 
From that breakthrough moment, Motorola was born. Over the decades that followed, the company pioneered countless technologies, from walkie-talkies used in World War II to communication systems that supported NASA’s Apollo moon missions.
 
Years later, Motorola even played a role in creating the first handheld mobile phones.
 
 
Paul Galvin’s journey reminds us that success rarely comes smoothly. It often follows a road paved with disappointment, rejection, and failure. Yet what made him remarkable was his resilience, the ability to rise again and again with renewed determination. He famously told his employees:
 
“Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. That’s the way you learn.”
 
His words still ring true today.
 
 
3 Key Learnings from Paul Galvin’s Story
 
Failure is not the end.
Galvin could have stopped after his setbacks, but instead, he treated failure as a lesson that helped him move forward.
 
Tough times can spark ideas.
He launched the car radio during the Great Depression. While others saw problems, he saw opportunity.
 
The way you think shapes your future.
Galvin accepted mistakes as part of the learning process. This mindset helped him and his team create inventions that changed the world.
 
 
Paul Galvin’s story teaches us that success isn’t about avoiding mistakes, it’s about using them as fuel to keep moving forward. Whether in business, leadership, or personal life, the decision to get back up after failure can be the very thing that changes everything. 
 
Thoughts for the week. 

1. Have you had a setback lately? What could it be teaching you?
2. Could today’s challenge be tomorrow’s opportunity?
3. Who’s got your back, and how can you lean on them more?
4. What belief is keeping you from taking your next bold step? 

 
Well, that’s it for this week. Have a wonderful weekend and keep believing.
 
Warm regards

John


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