Why Some of the Most Successful Ideas in History Started With Rejection Some of the most successful ideas in history started with rejection.

By Lewis Howes Edited by Dan Bova

This story originally appeared on Lewis Howes

Shutterstock

Some of the most successful ideas in history started with rejection. However, we don't often hear about these rocky starts of mega-successes. We mostly see the glamour, flashy money, press and smiles.

But the truth is, so many entrepreneurs, thought leaders, authors, inventors and founders faced a lot of rejection before their big ideas caught on. And if they hadn't kept going in the face of all of that, some of the best ideas today wouldn't exist.

I'm sharing a simple story of one example of this today in 5 Minute Friday as a reminder to all of us to keep going with what inspires us in Episode 543.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play or TuneIn.

Lewis Howes

New York Times Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, Coach

Lewis Howes is a New York Times bestselling author of The School of Greatness and The Mask of Masculinity. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur, high performance business coach and keynote speaker. A former professional football player and two-sport All-American, he is a current USA Men’s National Handball Team athlete. He hosts a top 100 iTunes ranked Apple podcast, The School of Greatness. Howes was recognized by the White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. Details magazine called him one of “5 Internet Guru’s that can Make You Rich.”  Howes has been featured on Ellen, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The New York Times, People, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health and other major media outlets.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'Pre-Boarding Scam': Customers Furious at Southwest Airlines After 20 Passengers Ask For Wheelchair Assistance to Board

A viral tweet is slamming the airline's wheelchair policy for boarding and disembarking.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Leadership

My Business Hit $1 Million — Then a $46,000 Mistake Exposed the Biggest Bottleneck to Explosive Growth

How a costly mistake forced me to confront the real barrier to scaling and the changes that unlocked explosive growth beyond $1 million.

Business News

Anthropic Is Now One of the Most Valuable Startups of All Time: 'Exponential Growth'

In a new funding round earlier this week, AI startup Anthropic raised $13 billion at a $183 billion valuation.

Growing a Business

My Profitable Company Is Worthless to Investors — Here's Why That Works in My Favor

My business is profitable, stable and 25 years strong — but it has no transferable value. Here's why some successful companies just aren't built to sell and why that's not always a problem.