My Fuck-Up Story | Founder Stories

About this episode

Today things get personal. Instead of an interview, I'm sharing my own fuck-up story – a tale of failed ambitions, important lessons, and the realization that not every project leads to success.

The Young Entrepreneurs' Program at CODE University

Anyone who's been following my journey knows that in 2019, I launched the Young Entrepreneurs' Program (YEP) with the CODE University of Applied Sciences. It was an ambitious project designed to provide young founders with a platform to develop their entrepreneurial skills and take their first steps into the startup world.

The CODE University, known for its innovative approaches to education, seemed like the perfect partner for this endeavor. The vision was clear: create a program that would bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical founding experience.

Why YEP no longer exists today

But today, the Young Entrepreneurs' Program no longer exists. How did this happen? In this episode, I explain openly and honestly which factors led to the project's failure.

Often, it's not the big, obvious problems that bring a project down, but rather a combination of smaller bad decisions, false assumptions, and unfavorable circumstances. These are exactly the details I share in my fuck-up story.

What I would do differently today

The most important part of any fuck-up story is the learnings. Looking back, there are several things I would approach differently today:

Better target group validation: Sometimes we're so convinced of our idea that we forget to thoroughly validate whether the market really exists.

Clearer communication with partners: Different stakeholders often have different ideas about what project success looks like. Clarifying these expectations early on is essential.

More realistic resource planning: Time, money, and energy are limited. An honest assessment of these resources might have led to different decisions.

Why fuck-up stories matter

In the startup scene, there's a lot of talk about successes, but little about failures. Yet failed projects are often the more valuable teachers. They show us not only what doesn't work, but also how we can deal with setbacks and learn from them.

My story with YEP isn't unique. Every successful founder has a collection of projects that didn't turn out as desired. The difference lies in how we handle these experiences and what we take away from them.

The value of failure

Failure is part of the founder's journey. It's not the end of the world, but often the beginning of a new, better approach. The experiences I made with YEP now flow into all my projects and make them stronger.

If you're in a similar situation yourself – struggling with a project or having already raised money for your startup and feeling uncertain about how to proceed – then an open exchange about these challenges can be very valuable.

Conclusion

The Young Entrepreneurs' Program wasn't the success I had envisioned. But it also wasn't a complete loss. The lessons, connections, and experiences that emerged from it have shaped my further path.

Sometimes the failure of one project is the first step toward the success of the next. What's important is to reflect honestly, speak openly about failures, and use the insights gained to do better next time.