Episode 338. If not this, then something better
This episode of The Art of Entrepreneurship is for founders who need to believe a setback is making room for something better.
I don't believe something better is coming because I'm an optimist; I believe it because I know exactly how hard I work to make it true. That belief is what keeps me moving long enough to build the thing that's actually better.
I talk about where this belief has been tested hardest: client losses, team departures I didn't see coming, and a financial reckoning that forced some painful but necessary changes, and how each one ended up leading somewhere better than where I started.
From there I get into how to actually use this mantra: feel the loss first, then ask what better would specifically look like, and write the answer down instead of waiting for it to show up on its own. It's not a prediction; it's an assignment, and I explain why the work has to follow the belief, not the other way around.
Tune in if you're ready to turn your next setback into an assignment instead of a tragedy.
If you like this episode, here are some others you'll enjoy.
Episode 155. Turning your worst moments into opportunities — nearly the same thesis as this episode, just in Jackie's earlier words
Episode 220. Life doesn't happen to you—it happens FOR you — same reframe on setbacks; there's also a 2025 revisited version (Episode 314) if you'd rather link the more recent airing
Episode 154. What to do when your company is struggling financially w/ Ryan Calton — ties directly to the furlough/financial-reckoning story Jackie tells in this episode
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