Why Coming on 'How I Failed in Business' Might Be the Best Thing You Do for Your Brand This Year

Right, let's address the elephant in the room straight away. When you tell most business owners that there is a podcast called How I Failed in Business and you would like them to come on it and talk about their failures — their first instinct is not usually 'yes, absolutely, where do I sign?'

It is usually something more like: 'Oh. Erm. What sort of failures are we talking about?' Then a pause. Then: 'Would it be recorded?'

We get it. The idea of going on record about the times things went wrong — in business or in life — feels counter-intuitive. Isn't the whole point of personal branding to look like you have got it all figured out? Well, yes. And no. And actually, mostly no. Here is why.

Vulnerability builds trust faster than anything else

Think about the business owners you genuinely trust and admire. The ones you would buy from, refer to a friend, or reach out to when you need help. Are they the ones with the most polished LinkedIn profiles and the most carefully worded case studies? Or are they the ones who have shown you — at some point — a bit of who they really are?

Vulnerability is not weakness. In business, it is one of the most powerful trust signals available to you. When you are willing to say 'here is where I got it wrong, here is what I learned, here is how it changed me' — people believe you. And people who believe you are the ones who buy from you, recommend you, and stick around.

A well-told story about a failure does infinitely more for your credibility than a testimonial. Anyone can publish a five-star review. Not everyone has the confidence and self-awareness to go on a podcast and be honest about the tough stuff.

You reach an entirely new audience — for free

How I Failed in Business has a loyal, growing listenership of business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals who are actively interested in the kinds of conversations we have. When you come on the show, you are introduced to that audience — not as an advertiser, but as a guest, a peer, a fellow human being who has been through something real.

That introduction carries a weight that paid advertising simply cannot replicate. Our listeners are engaged. They are not scrolling past your episode with half their attention on something else. They are listening — often during a commute, a run, or while they are cooking dinner — and when a guest resonates with them, they remember. They follow. They share. They buy.

And here is the practical upside: every episode is a piece of content that lives on forever. Long after the recording date, people will be discovering that episode, pressing play, and being introduced to you and your business for the first time.

It is more fun than you expect

We hear this from almost every guest after the recording. 'That was way more enjoyable than I thought it would be.' And they are always a little surprised.

Part of it is Rob's style as a host — warm, curious, genuinely interested, and very good at helping guests feel comfortable in the conversation. Part of it is the subject matter itself. Talking about failure — with someone who is not going to judge you, in a context where honesty is the whole point — can be surprisingly cathartic.

Several guests have told us it felt more like a conversation with a friend than a formal interview. Others have said it helped them process experiences they had never really talked through properly. One guest told us, deadpan, that it was cheaper than therapy. (We are choosing to take that as a compliment.)

Your story helps someone else

This is the bit that tends to resonate most with the guests who come on. Whatever you have been through — a failed venture, a difficult period, a mistake that cost you dearly — there is almost certainly someone out there who is going through the exact same thing right now. Someone who feels alone in it. Someone who thinks they are the only person who has ever made that particular mess.

Your honesty is their lifeline. Your story is the thing that makes them feel less alone, more capable, more willing to keep going. That is not a small thing. That is the whole point of this show — and it is the reason that, despite the slight gulp that comes with agreeing to come on, most guests are genuinely glad they did.

How to get involved

If you are a business owner with a story to tell — and trust us, if you have been in business for more than about 18 months, you have a story to tell — we would love to hear from you. Getting booked as a guest is straightforward, the conversation is relaxed, and the whole experience is designed to be enjoyable rather than nerve-wracking.

You do not need to be famous. You do not need to have had a dramatic public failure. You just need to be honest, a little bit brave, and willing to share the version of your business journey that does not make it into the press release.

Want to know more?

Get in touch via www.howifailedinbusiness.co.uk or reach out directly to Rob Spence on LinkedIn.