This podcast is so good!! Tom's vulnerability and honesty are on full display!
#TomEllis 📺😈 #HowToFail #ElizabethDay
youtu.be/9FLVQCZ797M?...
#TomEllis 📺😈 #HowToFail #ElizabethDay
youtu.be/9FLVQCZ797M?...
September 3, 2025 at 3:53 PM
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6 likes
Rule #4 on #howtofail
Never follow up
Sent a message 3 days ago and they didn’t reply?
Obviously they hate you. Never message again.
Ghost yourself before they can ghost you.
#buildinpublic
Never follow up
Sent a message 3 days ago and they didn’t reply?
Obviously they hate you. Never message again.
Ghost yourself before they can ghost you.
#buildinpublic
April 14, 2025 at 10:12 AM
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2 likes
Splendid Sunday evening listening to Elizabeth Day and the fabulous Sophie Willan in conversation... #howtofail
March 30, 2025 at 10:08 PM
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Rule #8 on #howtofail
Talk to the wrong audience
Pitch your product to people who don’t need it, don’t care, and definitely won’t pay for it.
Build for everyone = build for no one.
#buildinpublic
Talk to the wrong audience
Pitch your product to people who don’t need it, don’t care, and definitely won’t pay for it.
Build for everyone = build for no one.
#buildinpublic
April 16, 2025 at 9:40 AM
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3 likes
Rule #36 on #howtofail
Stick to online networking only
Ignore local meetups, and wonder why no one trusts you enough to do business together.
#buildinpublic
Stick to online networking only
Ignore local meetups, and wonder why no one trusts you enough to do business together.
#buildinpublic
May 15, 2025 at 6:21 AM
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4 likes
Rule #28 on #howtofail
Work on multiple ideas
Try to do everything at once. Guess what? You’ll end up dropping all of them.
Focus on one thing, and you'll actually get something done.
#buildinpublic
Work on multiple ideas
Try to do everything at once. Guess what? You’ll end up dropping all of them.
Focus on one thing, and you'll actually get something done.
#buildinpublic
May 5, 2025 at 5:38 AM
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4 likes
Rule #35 on #howtofail
Overcomplicate your MVP
Add every feature you can think of. Ignore user feedback—your vision is flawless.
Spend months perfecting instead of launching.
#buildinpublic
Overcomplicate your MVP
Add every feature you can think of. Ignore user feedback—your vision is flawless.
Spend months perfecting instead of launching.
#buildinpublic
May 11, 2025 at 6:49 AM
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6 likes
Rule #14 on #howtofail
Confuse motion with progress
Lots of meetings. Endless planning. Nothing ships.
What stays in draft dies quietly.
#buildinpublic
Confuse motion with progress
Lots of meetings. Endless planning. Nothing ships.
What stays in draft dies quietly.
#buildinpublic
April 22, 2025 at 10:36 AM
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4 likes
If I wrote a book called “How to Fail” and it didn’t sell a single copy… that’s a bestseller in reverse! Mission *un-*accomplished exactly as planned! 💀📉
#HowToFail
#FailingWithStyle
#BestsellerInReverse
#UnintentionalSuccess
#EpicFailWin
#FlopGoals
#MasterOfFailure
#FailureExpert
#HowToFail
#FailingWithStyle
#BestsellerInReverse
#UnintentionalSuccess
#EpicFailWin
#FlopGoals
#MasterOfFailure
#FailureExpert
June 17, 2025 at 10:15 PM
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1 likes
Rule #33 on #howtofail
Be afraid to delegate
Believe no one can do it like you. Micromanage when you finally do.
Overcommit to everything yourself.
#buildinpublic
Be afraid to delegate
Believe no one can do it like you. Micromanage when you finally do.
Overcommit to everything yourself.
#buildinpublic
May 10, 2025 at 7:24 AM
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3 likes
Rule #17 on #howtofail
Pivot every two weeks
No consistency. No clarity. Just chaos rebranded.
What never settles never scales.
#buildinpublic
Pivot every two weeks
No consistency. No clarity. Just chaos rebranded.
What never settles never scales.
#buildinpublic
April 24, 2025 at 5:46 AM
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2 likes
Rule #12 on #howtofail
Forget metrics, trust your gut.
No tracking. No benchmarks. No idea why things break.
What gets ignored doesn’t grow.
#buildinpublic
Forget metrics, trust your gut.
No tracking. No benchmarks. No idea why things break.
What gets ignored doesn’t grow.
#buildinpublic
April 19, 2025 at 1:22 PM
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3 likes
Rule #29 on #howtofail
Take every “no” personally
Assume one rejection means your idea sucks. Lose motivation after the first dip in engagement.
Quit when it gets hard — which it always does.
#buildinpublic
Take every “no” personally
Assume one rejection means your idea sucks. Lose motivation after the first dip in engagement.
Quit when it gets hard — which it always does.
#buildinpublic
May 6, 2025 at 10:22 AM
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6 likes
Starting a new series: #howtofail — all the ways I’ve actually screwed up building a business so far.
No fluff. Just painful lessons from the trenches.
EPISODE 1: Pick a niche you know nothing about.
No experience, no network? Perfect.
Now go build something no one wants.
#buildinpublic
No fluff. Just painful lessons from the trenches.
EPISODE 1: Pick a niche you know nothing about.
No experience, no network? Perfect.
Now go build something no one wants.
#buildinpublic
April 13, 2025 at 7:17 AM
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5 likes
“[My father] hit me twice (…), the other time I did deserve it, so I can’t really blame him for that.” Rick Astley
Yes, we can all blame adults for hitting us. No one is deserving of #PhysicalAbuse. There is nothing that will justify child abuse. #ChildAbuse #RickAstley #HowToFail #ElizabethDay
Yes, we can all blame adults for hitting us. No one is deserving of #PhysicalAbuse. There is nothing that will justify child abuse. #ChildAbuse #RickAstley #HowToFail #ElizabethDay
December 19, 2024 at 5:15 PM
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Rule #15 on #howtofail
Focus on aesthetics over function
Gorgeous UI. Zero utility. Users impressed... then gone.
What looks good isn’t always useful.
#buildinpublic
Focus on aesthetics over function
Gorgeous UI. Zero utility. Users impressed... then gone.
What looks good isn’t always useful.
#buildinpublic
April 22, 2025 at 11:45 AM
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2 likes
February 17, 2024 at 5:07 PM
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Rule #31 on #howtofail
Feel overwhelmed? Keep it to yourself
Struggle alone. Pretend you’re fine.
Isolation doesn’t make you stronger — it makes you stuck.
#buildinpublic
Feel overwhelmed? Keep it to yourself
Struggle alone. Pretend you’re fine.
Isolation doesn’t make you stronger — it makes you stuck.
#buildinpublic
May 8, 2025 at 6:21 AM
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5 likes
Rule #34 on #howtofail
Work in a niche you know nothing about
Skip research. Fake expertise. Ignore industry trends.
Pray no one notices.
#buildinpublic
Work in a niche you know nothing about
Skip research. Fake expertise. Ignore industry trends.
Pray no one notices.
#buildinpublic
May 10, 2025 at 3:58 PM
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4 likes
Rule #5 on #howtofail
Pick the wrong co-founder
Bonus points if you’ve never worked together, barely know each other, or just thought “hey, they seem chill.”
Ignore red flags. Misaligned goals? Different work ethics? Who cares — it’s all about vibes, right?
#buildinpublic
Pick the wrong co-founder
Bonus points if you’ve never worked together, barely know each other, or just thought “hey, they seem chill.”
Ignore red flags. Misaligned goals? Different work ethics? Who cares — it’s all about vibes, right?
#buildinpublic
April 15, 2025 at 5:56 AM
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6 likes
Rule #30 on #howtofail
If one project flops, start a new one
Repeat until you’re drowning in half-finished ideas.
Success isn’t about quantity.
It’s about focus.
#buildinpublic
If one project flops, start a new one
Repeat until you’re drowning in half-finished ideas.
Success isn’t about quantity.
It’s about focus.
#buildinpublic
May 7, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Everybody can reply
2 likes
Rule #11 on #howtofail
Ignore your competitors completely
You’re “focused on your own thing,” right?
Until their launch buries yours.
#buildinpublic
Ignore your competitors completely
You’re “focused on your own thing,” right?
Until their launch buries yours.
#buildinpublic
April 17, 2025 at 10:33 AM
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3 likes
Rule #26 on #howtofail
Start building before validating your idea
Spend months on development.
Assume everyone needs it.
Ignore feedback.
What’s built without validation doesn’t sell
#buildinpublic
Start building before validating your idea
Spend months on development.
Assume everyone needs it.
Ignore feedback.
What’s built without validation doesn’t sell
#buildinpublic
May 4, 2025 at 7:33 AM
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4 likes
Rule #18 on #howtofail
Collect endless feedback. Change nothing
Nod. Thank them. Ignore it all.
Call it “staying true to the vision.”
#buildinpublic
Collect endless feedback. Change nothing
Nod. Thank them. Ignore it all.
Call it “staying true to the vision.”
#buildinpublic
April 25, 2025 at 5:46 AM
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4 likes
Rule #32 on #howtofail
Be "too busy" for opportunities
Delay, avoid, or just pretend you didn’t see it.
Why put in the effort when you can let success slip away on its own?
#buildinpublic
Be "too busy" for opportunities
Delay, avoid, or just pretend you didn’t see it.
Why put in the effort when you can let success slip away on its own?
#buildinpublic
May 9, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Everybody can reply
3 likes