Failure Friday: “Our first trade show was canceled with no refund…”
In this week’s Failure Friday segment, we hear from Chris Cavallari, who sells high-quality products with a Maine vibe. In March 2020, he prepared for his first wholesale trade show—and then the world closed down.
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What It's About
When the pandemic causes everyone to go into lockdown, this craftsman straps in and pivots.
Notes from Chris
Episode 1798
I believe we can learn as much from failure as we can from success, if not more. It’s with this principle in mind that I offer you a weekly segment called Failure Friday: a collection of short stories all about mistakes, missteps, disasters, and of course, failure. Just like our Throwback Thursday segment, you’ll hear directly from side hustlers who have struggled to get something off the ground. They’ll tell you a short story of something that went very wrong. The stories will vary, but often it starts with an idea, what they thought would happen and what really happened—and of course, what they learned. Today’s short story features Chris Cavallari from a small workshop on the coast of Maine. We told the successful story of his handcrafted goods business on Episode #1089: Boy Scout Merit Badge Leads to Leatherworking Lifestyle. He actually references that Boy Scout work ethic in the story you’ll hear now. Listen to today's episode to learn more...MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Thanks to Chris for sharing this transparent and truthful story. Check out his website at theacadian.me or follow him on Instagram at @the_acadian_maine.
- Boy Scout Merit Badge Leads to Leatherworking Lifestyle: A leatherworker turns a love for his adoptive state into a viable business, selling handmade luxury pens and leather accessories.
- Failure Friday: “We made a ton of investment … then we decided to close.”: In this week’s Failure Friday segment, we hear from Nate Martin, the founder of America’s original escape room. His business Puzzle Break now has locations worldwide, but an early expansion to San Francisco was a puzzle he couldn’t crack.
- Failure Friday: Pandemic Shuts Down Himalayan Trekking Tours: In this week’s Failure Friday segment, we hear from the founder of a Himalayan trekking co. who finds himself with zero business when Nepal shuts its borders.
