Why Failing Isn’t Fatal (But Ignoring It Is)
Oops, I Did It Again—And Learned Something!
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Failure gets a bad rap. It’s the unwelcome guest at the party, the typo in your big presentation, the “oops” moment we all dread.
But here’s the twist: failure isn’t the villain of your story—it’s the plot twist that makes it interesting.
Ignoring your failures? That’s the real danger.
How Aanchal Turned Failure into a Seven-Figure Business
Quitting a cushy job at Bain not once, but twice? That’s the bold journey of Aanchal Goel.
The first time Aanchal resigned from Bain in 2017, she left with big dreams of entrepreneurship but not much else. The plan fizzled, and soon, she was back where she started.
Cue awkward first-day comments like: “This must be the lowest point of your life. Lol.”
But here’s the kicker—it wasn’t.
Fast forward to 2020, Aanchal quit Bain again. This time, she didn’t just leave with a dream—she left with a plan.
And that plan turned into Brainworks, a consulting startup co-founded with her partner, Pinaaki, which hit seven figures in just one year.
What made the difference? A shift in approach.
2017 Aanchal’s Approach:
❌ No cofounder = zero accountability
❌ Vague ideas with no validation
❌ Flying solo without systems or structure
❌ Quit too soon, without a safety net
2020 Aanchal’s Approach:
✅ Partnered with a skilled cofounder for shared accountability
✅ Tested and validated her business idea with real customers
✅ Built a team at zero overhead
✅ Planned operations with a lean strategy
✅ Had a reliable income stream to weather the early days
Her Lesson for Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
Test your ideas. Engage with real customers before diving in.
Build a small, motivated team. Even if you’re bootstrapping.
Plan your systems. Don’t jump without a parachute.
Be frugal. Bootstrap over fundraising when possible.
Starting a business isn’t about the leap—it’s about preparing for the landing.
Would you take the leap like Aanchal? Let us know what’s holding you back!
Are you a start founder? Or someone interested in learning how startup investing works?
Then here is the Venture Capital 101 Guide by Panache Ventures.
Go have fun decoding it.
Harsh Pokharna’s Investing Lessons: 3 Mistakes Every Angel Investor Should Avoid
Harsh Pokharna, CEO of OkCredit and an angel investor, has backed 35 startups in just four years.
But the journey hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Along the way, he made three critical mistakes that cost him a significant amount of money—and taught him invaluable lessons.
1. Following the crowd instead of trusting his own judgment.
In the early days, Harsh let FOMO influence his decisions.
One such investment was in Markk, a startup everyone on Twitter seemed to be raving about. Without fully understanding the business, he jumped in.
The result? Markk shut down last year, taking his investment down with it.
His takeaway? Hype isn’t a strategy.
Solid due diligence and independent judgment are non-negotiable.
2. Ignoring the power law of investing.
Harsh initially spread his bets thin, aiming for consistent returns across multiple startups. But he realized angel investing doesn’t work that way.
The power law dictates that your best investment will likely outperform all the others combined.
Now, Harsh focuses on identifying potential home runs rather than playing it safe with smaller, scattered bets.
3. Asking the wrong questions.
In his early investing days, Harsh focused on risks: Why might this fail? or What could go wrong?
Over time, he shifted his mindset to a better question: How big could this get if it works?
By focusing on upside potential, he now evaluates opportunities with a growth-first perspective.
For Harsh, angel investing has been a journey of trial, error, and growth. His advice to fellow investors? Learn from mistakes, trust your instincts, and always look for the upside.
What’s your biggest investing lesson? Let’s talk! 👇
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