How to Keep Going When All Else Fails

Summary

Help Wanted – "How to Keep Going When All Else Fails"

Podcast by Money News Network
Hosts: Jason Feifer & Nicole Lapin
Release Date: September 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode centers around navigating personal and professional setbacks. Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine, introduces the concept of the "failure number"—a mindset shift that turns failures into milestones on the path toward ultimate success. The episode is designed to offer encouragement and practical strategies to keep moving forward, no matter how many times you stumble.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Understanding the Sting of Failure

• Jason opens by acknowledging the deep emotional impact of failure, whether from a failed project, a rejection, or even a personal relationship.
• Quote: "You failed and it stings... you cannot shake the feeling that you suck and everything you make sucks and you'll never succeed again." — Jason Feifer [02:46]
• He notes how failure can feel definitive and overwhelming.

2. The Netflix-Blockbuster Anecdote and the Beginnings of the "Failure Number"

• Jason shares a story about a friend ("John") whose high-profile merger collapsed, leaving him disappointed but reflective.
• John's key insight came from recalling Netflix's attempted sale to Blockbuster in 2000, which was rejected—a "failure" that later became a footnote to Netflix's immense success.
• Quote: "Netflix tried to sell itself to Blockbuster for $50 million, and Blockbuster laughed Netflix out of the room." — Jason Feifer, sharing John's insight [03:26]
• The lesson: "Their story was and continues to be written."

3. Introducing the Failure Number

• Jason coins the idea of a "failure number":
  • For any big goal, there's a number of failures you'll likely face before succeeding.
  • Examples he gives:
    • "Closing a big sale, maybe your failure number is 9.
    • Finding the right romantic partner, maybe it's 11.
    • Writing a book, maybe it's 5." [04:33]
• Quote: "If you knew that you had to write five failed books before hitting the best seller list, you'd crank through them easily, right?" — Jason Feifer [05:05]
• Conclusion: If failure is seen as incremental progress toward this (unknown) number, each failure feels more like progress than defeat.

4. Accepting the Unknown—But Still Moving Forward

• In real life, we cannot know our failure number in advance, making repeated setbacks feel endless.
• The practical advice:
  • Each failure should be reframed as one step closer to eventual success.
  • "I am now one number closer than I was before, whatever that number is." [05:47]
• This reframe encourages resilience, learning, and a proactive approach to growth.

5. Personal Application—Jason’s Attempts at a TV Show

• Jason shares his own string of failures trying to succeed in TV:
  • "A novel that I co-wrote with my wife was optioned, renewed and then dropped."
  • "I developed a show with a big TV star, but we have had no buyer."
  • "I was in talks to host a business show and then the producers ghosted me." [06:25]
• Quote: "Am I bummed? Yeah, a little. But honestly, I just keep thinking about the failure number. What is the failure number for a TV show? Is it 50? More?" — Jason Feifer [06:45]
• The takeaway: Persistence matters more than knowing when you'll succeed.

6. The Outcome—John's Success After Failure

• Jason updates that his friend's company went on to thrive, hitting nearly $2 billion in revenue after their major setback [07:34].
• Quote: "All of life happens on a continuum. You can never be sure how close or far you are from success. But we must remember that today's outcomes are just a small part of a larger story." — Jason Feifer [07:46]

7. Final Message—Progress in Disguise

• Every setback is part of the continuum and is actually "progress in disguise."
• The episode concludes with encouragement: "Our true goal is to just keep going." [08:15]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Failure does not inherently feel bad. Failure can feel great so long as it's recognized as progress." — Jason Feifer [05:20]
• "Does he treat failure as defining or just disappointing? Much like Netflix's co-founders, he chose to keep going—disappointing, but not defining." — Jason Feifer (about John) [07:26]
• "Every disappointment is progress in disguise." — Jason Feifer [08:15]

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• 02:46 – Jason introduces the emotional impact of failure.
• 03:26 – The Netflix and Blockbuster anecdote and the concept inspiration.
• 04:33 – Jason explains the "failure number" with real-world examples.
• 05:47 – The practical reframe: Each failure moves you closer to your goal.
• 06:25 – Jason shares his personal string of TV show failures.
• 07:26 – Jason discusses John's choice to keep moving forward after failure.
• 07:46 – Reflection on the continuum of progress and life.
• 08:15 – Closing encouragement: Every disappointment is progress in disguise.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode empowers listeners to view repeated setbacks as crucial elements of future success—not as signals to quit. With relatable anecdotes, a memorable mindset shift, and heartfelt encouragement, Jason Feifer and Nicole Lapin offer practical support for anyone facing failure: Recognize, reframe, and simply keep going.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

This is Help Wanted, the show that makes your work work for you. I'm Jason Pfeiffer, editor in chief of.

[A]

Entrepreneur magazine, and I'm money expert Nicole Lapin. On Tuesdays, Jason and I answer the helpline and help callers solve their work problems.

[B]

And on Thursdays, I give you one way to improve your work and build a career or company you love.

[A]

And it starts now.

[B]

You failed and it stings. Maybe a project fell through, a pitch got rejected, a relationship ended. Whatever it was, you cannot shake the feeling that you suck and everything you make sense sucks and you'll never succeed again. Today, I'll share a simple mental shift that will make you feel better, helping you move forward with excitement instead of dread. I call it the failure number. It is a way to stop thinking about failure as the end of something and to start viewing it as a step towards success. But before I explain how it works, I'll tell you about a friend of mine who failed in a big way and how it inspired this idea. My friend John, that's not his real name, runs a massive company. A few years ago, he engineered a merger with his largest competitor and he was going to be the CEO, which was a huge deal. It made a lot of headlines, and then the deal fell apart. I called John to ask how he was doing. He said he was disappointed, of course, but then he remembered this. Do you know about when Netflix tried to sell itself to Blockbuster? He asked me. Yes, I said. In 2000, Netflix tried to sell itself to Blockbuster for $50 million, and Blockbuster laughed Netflix out of the room. I imagine Netflix's founder in that moment, John told me they must have thought we failed, but they had a choice to consider this the end of their story, or just one moment in a much longer story that hasn't been written yet. We all know the rest. Netflix conquered Blockbuster, became a generation defining company. And this failure is now just a funny footnote on the path to success. Their story was and continues to be written. When John said this, it sparked something that I now think about all the time. I call it the failure number. As I said before. So here is what the failure number is and how it works. Everything that you want in life comes with a failure number. That is the number of times that you must fail before you succeed. So closing a big sale, maybe your failure number is 9. Finding the right romantic partner, maybe it's 11. Writing a book, maybe it's 5. Now, let's just say those are all correct, right? So writing a book, the failure number is 5. 5 times. Do you have to fail before you write an amazing book? Now imagine embarking upon any of those quests, but knowing the number in advance, knowing that if you wrote five failed books, you would write a successful one. What would happen? You would be very excited for every failure. That's what I think would happen, because each one would move you closer to your goal. If you knew that you had to write five failed books before hitting the best seller list, you'd crank through them easily. Right? In other words, failure does not inherently feel bad. Failure can feel great so long as it's recognized as progress. So why does failure generally sting so much? Simple. In real life, we don't know our failure number. We are not fortune tellers. We have no idea how many failures are required to get somewhere. And because we don't know, it feels like every failure could go go on indefinitely. So here's what we can do when we fail. We can think. I am now one number closer than I was before, whatever that number is. If it's 5 failures, 10 failures, 20 failures, every failure simply means that you are one failure down from the ultimate number. This reframes every failure as progress. The version of you that ultimately succeeds will be more knowledgeable, versatile and resilient than the person you are now. And your job today is to simply move, move through the failures, gathering the knowledge and experiences that you can to become that better person. I think about this for myself all the time. For example, here's something that I have failed at for many years. Making a TV show. You want a sampling of my failures? Okay, here they are. A novel that I co wrote with my wife was optioned, renewed and then dropped. Countless ideas of mine led to exciting producer meetings and then nothing. I developed a show with a big TV star, but we have had no buyer. And I was in talks to host a business show and then the producers ghosted me. Am I bummed? Yeah, a little. But honestly, I just keep thinking about the failure number. What is the failure number for a TV show? Is it 50 more? I don't know. But whatever it is, I know that I am in the early innings here. My job is not to succeed right now. My job is to keep failing. Now here is the end of my friend John's story. His big deal collapsed and he had that choice to make. Does he treat failure as defining or just disappointing? Much like Netflix's co founders, he chose to keep going disappointing but not defining. And that situation was maybe five years ago. Today, I am happy to report that John was correct. His company has gone on to thrive, and revenue reached nearly $2 billion last year. It just goes to show, all of life happens on a continuum. You can never be sure how close or far you are from success. But we must remember that today's outcomes are just a small part of a larger story. Which means that every setback gets you closer. Which means that every disappointment is progress in disguise. We which means our true goal is to just keep going. Help Wanted is a production of Money News Network. Help Wanted is hosted by me, Jason.

[A]

Pfeiffer, and me, Nicole Lapin. Our executive producer is Morgan Lavoy. If you want some help, email our [e-mail] for the chance to have some of your questions answered on the show. And follow us on Instagramoneynews and TikTok MoneyNewsNetwork for exclusive content and to see our beautiful faces. Maybe a little dance?

[B]

Oh, I didn't sign up for that.

[A]

All right, well, talk to you soon.