Serial Entrepreneur Mike Grossman Discusses Failure in New Book

Mike Grossman, a serial entrepreneur who has served as CEO of six venture-backed Silicon Valley technology companies including Zetta, Inflection, and Live Capital, has released a new book titled 'Failure Is An Option: Reflections Of A Silicon Valley CEO'. In an interview with Andrew Mueller on Monocle Radio, Grossman discusses the importance of failure in business, drawing from his own experiences. He notes that his book diverges from typical business literature by focusing on the realities of struggle and setbacks rather than just success stories. Grossman recounts a formative failure early in his career when a company he co-founded fell apart within six weeks, leading to two years of difficulty before eventually breaking through. He emphasizes that failure is an inherent part of entrepreneurship and that companies, even successful ones, struggle mightily. He advises not taking failure personally, as outcomes are not fully controllable, and suggests that a realistic view of challenges helps in navigating ups and downs. The book, published by Monocle, offers humorous reflections on what went wrong and what can be learned from those experiences.