Fail Forward, Fail Fast: Leveraging Design Thinking in My First Year of Business

Entrepreneurship can be messy, uncertain, and riddled with self-doubt—especially for those who don’t see themselves reflected in traditional business models. In my first few months as a small business owner, I often felt like I was fumbling through a process that wasn’t built for me. So, instead of forcing myself into someone else’s blueprint, I turned to design thinking to chart my own path.

In this session, I’ll share my story and explore how applying design thinking principles—prototyping, iteration, and human-centered problem-solving—helped me move through imposter syndrome, let go of perfectionism, and experiment with ideas one micro-step at a time. Failure wasn’t always graceful, but the process was organic—and it helped me build a sustainable business rooted in my values, strengths, and curiosity.

Attendees will finish the session with a practical framework for using design thinking to Start before you feel ready, Embrace progress over perfection and Treat failure as data.