How to Overcome Blogging Failure: Tips from Author Barry Moltz

May 13th, 2008 by Easton Ellsworth

Barry J. Moltz knows how to fail – and how to bounce back from failure. He’s even written a book on the subject, called Bounce!

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I heard about Bounce! from a friend a few months ago and got a copy. I read it. I recommend it.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Barry some questions by email about blogger failure. If you’re ever struggling with a blog-related problem, I want you to remember Barry’s answers. They can help you become a more visionary – and more successful – blogger.

Easton: What can struggling bloggers learn from your book?

Barry: I talk about that it is okay to have great visions – wanting to be in the top 100 or 1,000 blogs in the country. But in order to get there, I believe we actually need to downsize our dreams and set patient interim goals. If traffic is what you are after, first try to get 100 people a day to your site, then 200, then try to become in the top 1,000,000 blogs etc. Most overnight successes take years.

Easton: What is the number one thing a blogger can do to overcome a blog-related setback?

Barry: Bounce! Grieve for 24 hours. Have a great pity party! Then let go of whatever the setback was, learn if you can from it, but then bounce! so you can take another action to get you to another success. This type of resiliency will give you the confidence to succeed in the long run.

Easton: How can entrepreneurs decide what to say at their blogs regarding their failures?

Barry: Be honest. We can all relate. But don’t whine or feel sorry for yourself. When I am introduced as a speaker in front of a large audience, my bio starts – “Barry has been starting businesses for 15 years with a great amount of success and failure.”. We all fail – people say failure is not an option – well, it actually is a very good one – and a likely outcome. If you can be honest, you will be able to give up the shame that comes with it and let it go!

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Thanks to Barry Moltz for letting me pick his great mind. I hope his words help you remain resilient in the face of any blogging failure you may experience.

A few final points from me on blogging failure:

Boy, have I failed as a blogger. Many, many times. I’ve also been blessed to be able to succeed after a lot of my failures. Through it all, I’ve learned that perseverance and (as Barry mentioned) resilience have limitless power to overcome the snafus and hiccups and shocks that come with professional blogging.

There is no such thing as a successful blogger who has never also been a failing blogger at some point.

So stick with it. And if you ever need help, I’m right here.

How have you overcome blogging failures in the past? What do you think of Barry’s advice?

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