By Jon Quick, CEO, Launchpad
Dearest Reader,
The new season of Bridgerton came out today, and in its honor, please allow me to share a brief tale from the modern industrial age.
Every startup talks about culture. Most of the time, that conversation centers on excellence or hard work. Far fewer talk openly about failure.
Ironically, among elite athletes, there’s a saying: failure doesn’t break culture – it reveals it.
Tying this back to Bridgerton, I think the same is true in relationships. It’s easy to be happy and romantic at luxurious balls or while sauntering down the promenade. Let’s see how it holds up eight years and three kids later – at 2am – when one of them is projectile vomiting. (I love you, Jenn.)
This week, I sent feedback on some website copy asking for carriage returns.
For those Gen Z or younger, a quick explainer: before keyboards and screens, we used typewriters. Pressing “enter” physically returned the carriage – the metal assembly holding the letters – to the start of the page and advanced the paper to the next line.
Our VP of Marketing immediately sprang into action: questioning my sanity and attempting to organize horse and buggies for 50 people moving between two event sites.
And no, she is not Gen Z or a Millennial. She is my age…which is to say, outside both cutoffs.
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, we laughed.
She laughed hardest.
And honestly? I loved the response.
Not the misunderstanding – but the instinct behind it. Immediate action. No defensiveness. No hesitation. And the confidence to own it, fix it, and move on. That combination says more about culture and character than any values slide ever could.
The instinct to act first, take responsibility, and keep going is hard to teach – and incredibly valuable.
The reality is this: great companies aren’t perfect. They’re not defined by getting it right on the first pass. They’re defined by how fast they recover.
Coca-Cola is a world-class company. Coke II was a world-class disaster.
Meta built one of the most consequential platforms in history. Its first major VR push burned billions before the strategy was reset.
Success isn’t about avoiding mistakes. It’s about recognizing them quickly, adapting fast, and making sure you don’t repeat them.
Startups are a grind. The days are long, the stakes are real, and sometimes the only sane response to the chaos is to laugh – briefly – then get back to work.
Mistakes happen.
Own them.
Fix them.
Learn.
Move on.
Forward motion beats perfection. Every time.
I remain, as ever,
Your most humble servant,
— Jon
