Fail Forward

Welcome to this episode of the Fail Forward podcast.

In this slightly different episode, I am interviewed by Amy Rowlinson, podcaster, coach and podcasting mentor.

Over the next 40 minutes, Amy asks what made me set up my own podcast, why the topic of failure and my plans for the future.

The first question was an easy answer, Amy is who I have to thank for setting up my podcast.

When I shared the idea of the podcast with her I said I was planning to launch it in a couple of years. Amy responded, "No, you're going to do this now because it's the best time" and she was right. From there, she helped me build this podcast and get my the message out to thousands of people.

Amy has been on the podcast previously, where she spoke about how she went from being an unfulfilled employee to a purpose-led coach, mentor and podcaster. Today she helps others align their lives with their values and create exciting mid-life beginnings.

She shares my passion for personal growth and has a fearless approach to embracing change. When Amy asked why the topic of failure, I took a deep dive into my story knowing I was speaking to someone who shares my belief about failing forward.

As many of you know, my business failed a few years ago and I lost everything. I only got through it with support from my family and friends.

It was at that point I read the book 'Black Box Thinking' and had an epiphany moment where I realised my failure didn't have to define the rest of my life.

From then on, I removed my worries about failure. I'm open to trying new things and accept that I don't need to get everything right the first time around. I truly believe this mindset helped me rebuild my business and achieve success as an entrepreneur.

Amy asks my vision for the future which is to create financial freedom for my family. From there, my dream is to have freedom and money to be able to help people in need.

When I was in my dark place, I went to groups and there were lots of people like me who had families, jobs, and houses and they took a couple of wrong turns and ended up on the streets. The only difference was that they didn't have support from their loved ones.

I'd love to start a halfway house because I think people who suffer from addiction have similar traits to entrepreneurs. I'd be helping get people off the streets and get them onto the next stage. So that's my master plan over the next few years!

This episode will leave you inspired to embrace intelligent risks and open yourself up to the possibility of failure.

If you enjoyed listening and are interested in listening to my interview with Amy, you can tune in to Episode 35 of the podcast.

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

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Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

I believe that having an addictive personality can be a superpower.

Stay with me. Those of you who have followed me for a long time will know that I have struggled with addiction in the past.

I have an addictive personality and have learnt to channel that energy into positive things like running. I can't say I particularly enjoy the activity, but nothing beats the feeling you get afterwards.

In this episode I share:

> An insight into what addiction is really like.

> How to support people going through addiction.

> How to use an addictive personality to your advantage.

Listen now and ask yourself; can you be more empathetic to someone struggling with addiction? What steps can you take to help them make a positive out of a negative situation?

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/failforwardhenri

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/

Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

This podcast episode is an ode to my wife, the most empathetic person I know.

I wasn't very good at showing empathy before I met Sarah and, if I'm totally honest, it's taken me a while to master even with her support.

Before my business went under, I'd come home from a day at work feeling incredibly frustrated by mistakes people were making.

After moaning to Sarah, she would often say 'Have you asked them if they're ok?', she would explain that people often don't choose to act out. I found that when I started to ask how they were, I began to better understand their situation.

From a business perspective, we all have standards that we expect our employees to adhere to. Whether it's timeliness, dressing smartly or general courtesy to others.

By being empathetic, you're not saying a drop in these standards is ok. Instead, you're giving them the time and support they need to improve.

In this episode I talk about a time where I learnt there can be opportunity in empathy. As much as you don't show empathy for personal gain, it often leads to more personable interactions and relationship building.

Listen now and start approaching situations with an empathetic mindset. The next time someone cuts you up when you're driving or forgets common courtesies, consider what they might be in a rush for or what their situation might be.

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/failforwardhenri

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/

Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

Are you the bottleneck in your business?

If you're the main decision maker in your business, it's likely that you hold things up from time to time. It could be because you don't have the capacity, or headspace.

In this episode I ask, is there anything you can do to change this and move your business forward?

It could be giving yourself more free time, or having a business coach to turn to for advice. Even better? Try giving someone else the responsibility to make business decisions on your behalf.

I hope you find this episode helpful, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/failforwardhenri

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/

Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

In this episode, I talk about the importance of building an effective team.

When I started my business, I pledged myself to do whatever I could to look after my team.

There are often people in business whose only priority is making money. The truth is that by looking after your team, your staff retention will go up and so will your revenue and profit.

We all spend more time at work than anywhere else. When your staff come to work, they want to feel valued and part of a team.

One of the steps I take to help achieve this is an anonymous quarterly survey.

The survey has given me so much valuable information. As often as you ask people to be honest in conversation, you're their boss and they might inevitably choose to keep some things from you.

At the end of the survey, there's a free text section where employees can leave their thoughts. This feedback can be the most challenging to read but also the most useful, the important thing is to set your ego aside and try to solve the problems that can be fixed.

Join me in treating your staff how you'd like to be treated.

If you want to know more about how to build an effective team, just drop me a note and I can send you the details of my latest mastermind.

Have a listen and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/failforwardhenri

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/

Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

How often have you let what someone thinks of you stop you from being yourself?

As humans, it's in our nature to want to be liked. It makes us feel good! But it's not always conducive to business.

When it comes to business, you need to be able to step outside of your comfort zone. That's impossible to do if you're always worrying about what people think.

In this episode, I talk about how to stop giving a f*ck about what people think.

Listeners of my podcast will know there was a point in my life where I lost everything. At that time, people were talking about me and knowing that was difficult.

Since I've been back on my feet, I've noticed that people still find something to talk about.

I learnt to let them think what they want and to put my energy into following my dreams.

Give it a try. I promise it'll serve you and your business well in the long run.

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/failforwardhenri

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/

Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

In this episode, I speak about remaining dedicated, no matter what.

Something that's reflected in fitness as it is in business is that it can take time to see improvements.

When you're working hard in the gym and eating well, you expect to see that reflected in the mirror after a few months.

But that doesn't always happen. In fact, it rarely does.

All these things take time. Real change is made from the cumulative effect of lots of little actions, showing up on the days you don't want to and staying dedicated.

You might've heard me talk about the one percent gain in the past. A perfect example of that was when Dave Brailsford took over the Sky British Cycling team.

From the bike design to the wider team's approach, Dave assessed every element of the process and looked to improve it by one percent. After just 21 days, the team won the Tour de France.

All you need to do is turn up and try to improve by one percent every day. That small change will make a big difference.

When I first started this podcast, we struggled to get many downloads and it often felt demoralising.

We kept going for 18 months and now we're getting hundreds of downloads each episode, hopefully making a difference to others by sharing my approach to life. If I'd given up after a few months because my ego was telling me I wasn't good enough, the podcast wouldn't be where it is today.

My message to you in this episode is don't give up, show up every day and fail forward.

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/

Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

In this episode, I talk about achieving a positive mindset.

Getting yourself in the right mindset helps you turn up every day. When it comes to business, this is key as there can be days when it feels like everything is going against you.

It's those days that you need to be able to break through barriers in your mind and have the tools in front of you to change your mindset.

In this episode, I go through the below four things that can help you and your team achieve a positive mindset even when times are tough.

> Manifestation and Goal Setting

> Growth Mindset

> Environment

> Self Care

After all, the people who really make contribute to business success are those who turn up even when business is challenging.

Mindset is something we can all work on every day. It could be by doing something small such as ten minutes of manifestation, or starting a new regular self care routine.

Have a listen. I'd love to hear your techniques for achieving a positive mindset and whether you use any that I've suggested in this episode.

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/failforwardhenri

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/

Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

In this episode I talk about failure.

As my podcast name suggests, this topic forms the building blocks to my content. It's clearly close to my heart, I think the reason for that is because its so closely connected to business.

All you ever hear is, "80% of businesses fail in the first five years", or "1 in 5 businesses fail in their first year". There seems to be a new statistic every week!

I take the view that this is due to a fundamental issue with the way society perceives failure.

There's no doubting its a negative word.

In school children are taught that they've failed if they don't pass their exams. In 2023, 32% of 16 year olds failed their GCSEs. Take a second to imagine what that installs in young people's minds at an early age.

One of the biggest things we should be teaching our children is that its OK to fail because it is a part of learning.

I wonder how many young people are left with a negative mindset when they leave school. They begin to let failure define them, rather than view it as something to learn from.

In this episode I explain that learning from multiple failures always becomes a positive. Not learning from them will compound into something catastrophic, such as a failed business.

I invite you to have a listen and challenge what we're conditioned to believe about failure.

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/failforwardhenri

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/

Welcome to the Fail Forward podcast.

"Some of the most amazing things are in the places we least expect."

We all have experiences that we wouldn't try. It could be due to preconcieved ideas, either from yourself or from others, or simply that you've decided it doesn't fit with your values.

I used to have negative preconceptions about people exercising on holiday.

"Who on earth would exercise in the limited time they have to have to relax?" I would think. Well, on my latest holiday, I tried it. Running every day and paddleboarding gave me so much more energy to enjoy the rest of my day - it could be one for you to try too.

I also recently attended a retreat with an amazing guy called John Beesom, who calls himself the CEO adventurer.

He explained that he's recently set himself the goal of leaning into experiences he would usually disregard.

John is currently trying yoga and meditation despite his first thoughts being that he wouldn't be suited to the experience. He's yet to tell me how he got on. But worst case? He will have learnt something new from it.

Do you have anything you're against giving a go? Why not approach it with a mindset of giving it a try?

In this episode, I share:

> Tapping into which experiences you tend to avoid

> What new experiences can bring you

> How to lean into new experiences

Have a listen. I'd love to hear if the points covered resonate with you, let me know if you do decide to try something new!

If you're enjoying the Fail Forward podcasts, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn for all the latest on my mission to help business owners Fail Forward.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/failforwardhenri

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben-539132101/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@failforward12

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/