--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A startup is literally just a series of…" description: "\"A startup is literally just a series of unfortunate events where you failed, failed, failed, and failed until you succeed.\" — Adam Draper" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/adam-draper-20999_customer_a-startup-is-literally-just-a-series-of_2265578.jpg" --- # A startup is literally just a series of unfortunate events… ![“A startup is literally just a series of unfortunate events where you failed, failed, failed, and failed until you succeed.” quote by Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/adam-draper-20999_customer_a-startup-is-literally-just-a-series-of_2265578.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/adam-draper-20999_customer_a-startup-is-literally-just-a-series-of_2265578.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/adam-draper-20999_customer_a-startup-is-literally-just-a-series-of_2265578.jpg) > “A startup is literally just a series of unfortunate events where you failed, failed, failed, and failed until you succeed.” [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Startups are a series of failures that eventually lead to success, emphasizing perseverance through setbacks. **In simple terms:** Failure leads to success. Key Takeaway Embrace failure as learning. Themes entrepreneurship resilience iteration Mood encouraging realistic Type business motivational When to use this quote - product development - fundraising - team building Key Concepts business learning cycles innovation Questions to Reflect On - How do you recover from repeated setbacks? - What metrics signal progress amid failures? A Different Perspective Failure can be costly and demoralizing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Series of unfortunate events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/series-of-unfortunate-events/) [Startup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startup/) [Unfortunate events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfortunate-events/) ## Related quotes > [I was never a very popular one I once had dreams of becoming a beautiful poet. 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All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-times-the-world-may-seem-an-unfriendly-and-sinister-place-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ That movie \[A Series of Unfortunate Events\] told four books in two hours, and we have two hours per book. So we have eight… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/that-movie-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-told-four-books-in-two/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [I didn't realize this was a sad occasion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-didn-t-realize-this-was-a-sad-occasion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Daniel Handler's a writer, musician and the author of, among other things, the "Series Of Unfortunate Events" books. He also wrote the TV version…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/daniel-handler-s-a-writer-musician-and-the-author-of-among-other/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [“If you have ever peeled an onion, then you know that the first thin, papery layer reveals another thin, papery layer, and that layer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/if-you-have-ever-peeled-an-onion-then-you-know-that-the-first-thin/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [There's a series of children's books called A Series of Unfortunate Events, which is like an incredibly dark version of Roald Dahl. I hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-sonnenfeld/there-s-a-series-of-children-s-books-called-a-series-of-unfortunate/) [Barry Sonnenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-sonnenfeld/) > [and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may in fact be the first steps of a journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-what-might-seem-to-be-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-may-in-fact/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The first book that I bought with my own money was "The Blue Aspic" by Edward Gorey. In fact, when the first two volumes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-first-book-that-i-bought-with-my-own-money-was-the-blue-aspic-by/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [Back in the late '90s, a writer named Daniel Handler decided that kids books were too cheerful. I mean, all the "Harry Potter" series…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/back-in-the-late-90s-a-writer-named-daniel-handler-decided-that-kids/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [I once had dreams of becoming a beautiful poet. But a plan and a series of unfortunate events saw those dreams dash and divide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-once-had-dreams-of-becoming-a-beautiful-poet-but-a-plan-and-a/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [I failed so therefore I succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-failed-so-therefore-i-succeed/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [Almost every dot-com idea from 1999 that failed will succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/almost-every-dot-com-idea-from-1999-that-failed-will-succeed/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) ## More by Adam Draper > [What bitcoin does better than the current financial system is it's a better stored value globally. There are a lot of countries that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/what-bitcoin-does-better-than-the-current-financial-system-is-it-s-a/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [What's really happening is that every bank in the country is experimenting with the blockchain and experimenting with bitcoin to figure out where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/what-s-really-happening-is-that-every-bank-in-the-country-is/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [People wanted Bitcoin to live so much, they basically willed it back into existence. That showed me how passionate this community was about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/people-wanted-bitcoin-to-live-so-much-they-basically-willed-it-back/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [Pave your own path and be fearless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/pave-your-own-path-and-be-fearless/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [I think there will always be need of trusted voices in the investment community, but what the ICO markets are showing is that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/i-think-there-will-always-be-need-of-trusted-voices-in-the-investment/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [I saw Bitcoin as an actual market opportunity: as a trillion-dollar marketplace with long-term potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/i-saw-bitcoin-as-an-actual-market-opportunity-as-a-trillion-dollar/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [Bitcoin is here to stay. There would be a hacker uproar to anyone who attempted to take credit for the patent of cryptocurrency. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/bitcoin-is-here-to-stay-there-would-be-a-hacker-uproar-to-anyone-who/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [Energy and bitcoin work really well together because you can pay out in micro-transaction units. As the energy gets used, they pay out, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/energy-and-bitcoin-work-really-well-together-because-you-can-pay-out/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [If money was being invented now, it wouldn't be designed to look like cash or credit cards. It would look more like Bitcoin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/if-money-was-being-invented-now-it-wouldn-t-be-designed-to-look-like/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [I always believe that people can learn a broader skill set. You need good technology and solving a big problem. I always think that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/i-always-believe-that-people-can-learn-a-broader-skill-set-you-need/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [In the future, when people look back at the early days of Bitcoin, they'll say, 'It was so obvious that the ability to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/in-the-future-when-people-look-back-at-the-early-days-of-bitcoin-they/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [For Bitcoin, if it becomes a thing, it will become an enormous thing. It will be world-changing. But if it's nothing, it's nothing. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/for-bitcoin-if-it-becomes-a-thing-it-will-become-an-enormous-thing-it/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [The blockchain does one thing: It replaces third-party trust with mathematical proof that something happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/the-blockchain-does-one-thing-it-replaces-third-party-trust-with/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [Most people hoard their money - just keep it in the bank. Bitcoin will really take off when people start spending it, creating a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/most-people-hoard-their-money-just-keep-it-in-the-bank-bitcoin-will/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [I believe that Bitcoin is going to change the way that everything works. I want entrepreneurs to tell me how its going to change.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/i-believe-that-bitcoin-is-going-to-change-the-way-that-everything/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) [Explore all 30 Adam Draper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) ## More Customer quotes > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. 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Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/) [Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/) > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/) [Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/) > [Damn inflation, full speed ahead,' Greenspan has said in both action and word. I think an investor should believe him and invest accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/damn-inflation-full-speed-ahead-greenspan-has-said-in-both-action-and/) [Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/) > [“When companies get big, they devote most of their care and feeding to the business that got them big. 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