Connect with us

Success Advice

Adversity Leads to Success but Only if You Don’t Give Up

Published

on

Image Credit: Unsplash

In the pursuit of any goal, you’re going to encounter hard times and adversity. Generally, the bigger and more ambitious the goal, the more obstacles you’ll need to overcome. I dropped out of college in 2014 to start a business called cravebox.com. I had no prior business experience or business education, very little start-up cash, and took no investments or debt. So growing the business was a slow process that required faith and persistence. Facing adversity in business or in life forces you to adapt, become stronger, and stay in the game long enough to find success. You just can’t give up along the way.

Results come long after the work

When you start something new, success does not come quickly. Most new businesses require 18-24 months to become profitable. You need to understand and expect that you’ll do a lot of hard work over a long period of time and it might seem like you’re making no progress. My business was not profitable for the first 3 years. I worked all day, 7 days per week, for 3 years straight and continued to lose money and hardly do any sales. 

There were many occasions when I thought that maybe I should give up and doubted that I was going in the right direction, but deep inside I had faith and decided to keep going. In my 4th year, my business became profitable and continued to grow. Now we’re in a 60,000 square foot warehouse and employ 40 full-time staff. 

So the lesson here is to focus more on doing high quality work consistently over a long period of time and focus less on results. The results will come but they’ll take time to come and if you focus too much on results, you might become discouraged and quit. 

You have to adapt

In the last section, I wrote about how you should focus on the work you’re doing and don’t put too much emphasis on results (or lack of results). But that doesn’t mean you should continue to work mindlessly in the same wrong direction. It’s very important to work hard in a certain direction, analyze the results to see if it’s gaining any traction, and depending on those results, possibly pivot and adapt if you think it’s necessary. 

So while results will take time, and be underwhelming in the beginning, you should notice some signs that results are around the corner. If you’ve worked at something for a year and you’ve seen absolutely no sign that it could ever work, maybe it’s time to pivot and try a slightly different approach. 

For example, I started my CRAVEBOX business by partnering with colleges, marketing to the parents of their students, and giving the college a cut of sales. I worked on this marketing approach for about 2 years and it worked to a degree but my progress was so slow and cumbersome and it wasn’t very profitable since I was giving a large cut to the colleges. I decided to try listing my products on Amazon and after some time and effort, I realized Amazon would ultimately be more successful than partnering with colleges, so I went 100% in the direction of Amazon.

“Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.” – Zig Ziglar

Rejection is the norm (especially early on)

When you first start on the pursuit of any goal, like growing a business, you will face a lot of rejection. In the case of starting a business, rejection is more common in the beginning but it’s a pretty common theme through the life of the business. As I mentioned before, CRAVEBOX started by partnering with colleges, but it was a very competitive environment since many companies wanted these exclusive partnership rights.

 For every college that partnered with me, I was rejected by about 400. And each of those attempts required a lot of work, communication, presentations, etc. It was frustrating and almost discouraging but I’m the kind of person that gains energy from rejection. I became more determined and frankly angry as the rejections kept coming. This energy helped me to work even harder, submit more proposals to colleges, and to think of other ways to make the business work, which ultimately led to listing my products on Amazon.

Eventually you’ll figure it out

If you can consistently work towards your goal for a long time, adapt along the way, and gain energy as you face rejection and obstacles, you will eventually find success. With enough time, experimentation, learning, and work, you’ll figure out what it takes to compete. To be successful, you need to be better than most of the competition and that takes time. 

Even after I listed my products on Amazon, it took about 4 years to become a top Amazon seller in my category. This was a daily effort to improve my images, products, reviews, listings, etc. As I continued to improve the business, I realized that I was getting closer and closer to offering a product that was as good or better than the top competition in my industry.

John Accardi is the founder and CEO of cravebox.com and starcoursecap.com. CRAVEBOX assembles care packages and gift baskets to be sold online. STARCOURSE CAPITAL is a venture capital firm that invests in young e-commerce companies. John dropped out of a PhD program at Georgetown University in 2014 to start CRAVEBOX and he says it’s the best decision he ever made. He now runs the businesses out of North Wales, PA and also lives in Manhattan part-time. When John’s not working, he enjoys sailing, playing guitar, and spending time with family.

Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

Published

on

Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

Continue Reading

Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

Published

on

leadership tips for new CEO
Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

Continue Reading

Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

Published

on

Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

Continue Reading

Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

Published

on

entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
Image Credit: Midjourney

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

Continue Reading

Trending