Those who quit will never know how close they were to success, which is why it’s the setbacks, not the successes, that sow the seeds of a good business story
“All overnight night success takes 10 years.”
That snappy quote is widely attributed to Jeff Bezos, who of course founded Amazon.
It famously took Bezos and Amazon close to a decade before it turned into a profit. Today, in 2025, it’s on pace to surpass Walmart in sales, which would make it the largest retailer by that measure, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Success often looks like it comes overnight, however, that’s rarely the case. It’s usually a long hard struggle of consistently putting the work in, despite repeated shortcomings, mistakes and failures.
Yet when it comes to PR and specifically media relations, founders and executives typically shy away from being candid about missteps and setbacks. They want a pitch, press release and story that effectively says, “Our company is awesome and now it’s even more awesome.”
The reality is that’s not a story.
Have you ever seen a movie that conveyed such a narrative? Of course not.
Such a film would be a disaster at the box office, if Superman, Captain America or Captain Marvel won every single bout throughout the entire film. What makes a story is the tension that builds with every hindrance. Despite all the advantages that come with being a superhero, they still face setbacks, just like any other normal human.
The superhero analogy isn’t too far from the tech and business world. We often put fabled founders on a pedestal and forget a big part of what makes them…them is all the hardship and how they overcame those hardships. Mistakes you learn from are often, in a sense, a badge of honor, not an embarrassment.
In public relations, we identify with storytelling where human beings – who are made of the same stardust as the rest of us – battled back from adversity.
Those that quit will never know how close they were to success. This is why it’s the setbacks, not the successes, that sow the seeds of a good story.
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