I appreciate your explanation of the difference between ‘rate’ and ‘count’. This phrase was present in Tom Watson’s original quote, or at least the version handed down through IBM’s history.

Ultimately, I think Watson’s point is do more, try more, experiment more. That leads to more failures, but also to more successes.

Your phrase “start again, with the acquired experience as a lighthouse” is terrific. That is a wonderful way of putting it. I hope many small business people will follow your example and learn from their hard-fought failures.

Thanks for taking the time to comment!

I’ld like to agree with you, that doubling your failure rate would also double your sucess rate.

You are, however, making a small mistake, as a rate is (at least as I understand it) a relation between two diferent counts. In the specific case of a failure rate, I would set/expect it as a rate between total activity count and the failure count. So, doubling your failure rate would reduce your sucess rate, not double it.

However, I do agree with your idea that doubling your failure count would double your sucess count, in normal circunstancies.

I’ld go a bit further, and say that each failure should be a good reason to start again, with the aquired experience as a lighthouse.

An year ago I was terribly reluctant to create my first small bussiness, and now, shuting it, I know that in a few months I’ll start again.

The failure rate was too big in my company to let it survive, but the experience conquested too important. I know that as I failed, I learned how, and in most cases why.

themage