Failure Is An Option

“An entertaining and authentic collection of highly engaging anecdotes, hard-won life lessons and unbelievable stories generously shared by experienced Silicon Valley CEO Mike Grossman for the benefit of future leaders. This book imparts wisdom with a humility and reflectiveness that is refreshing, and a sense of humor and candor that makes each message immediately accessible. An easy and enjoyable read with worthwhile and valuable learnings.” – KELLY BAYER ROSMARIN * CEO and Group Managing Director, Australian Unity; Former CEO, Optus *“Mike Grossman has written an unconventional and deeply human book that highlights the messy, unpredictable nature of running a company. His honest reflections on luck, timing, and failure are delivered through a series of personal stories that are as thought-provoking as they are entertaining. If you’re looking for a realistic portrayal of the entrepreneurial journey, this is it.” – KEWSONG LEE * Founder and CEO, BellTower Partners; Former CEO, The Carlyle Group *“Mike Grossman has written an unconventional and deeply human book that highlights the messy, unpredictable nature of running a company. His honest reflections on luck, timing, and failure are delivered through a series of personal stories that are as thought-provoking as they are entertaining. If you’re looking for a realistic portrayal of the entrepreneurial journey, this is it.” – KEWSONG LEE * Founder and CEO, BellTower Partners; Former CEO, The Carlyle Group *“The format is great and the storytelling is terrific. A young executive in either a small or large enterprise could save themselves many years of agony if they read this book and take it to heart. But alas, that’s not how the system works. We go to graduate school, then work in consulting or investment banking and then perhaps try to start something. With a little luck and good timing some find success and then they write books about how smart or clever they were and how they had it all figured out from the start! Failure Is An Option is a breath of fresh air.” – CARLOS RODRIGUEZ * Former CEO and Executive Chair, ADP *“Leadership is not about avoiding failure, it’s about navigating it with humility, integrity, and resilience. Failure Is An Option strips away the mythology of Silicon Valley and replaces it with something far more valuable: truth. Mike Grossman writes with uncommon honesty about the emotional and ethical realities of leadership. I found this book both grounding and generous, a gift to anyone willing to lead when outcomes are uncertain.” – BRAD SMITH * President, Marshall University; Former Chairman and CEO, Intuit *“Failure Is an Option is a refreshing and deeply human look at the courage it takes to lead with heart. It beautifully captures the empathy needed to navigate the startup roller coaster while never losing sight of the people who make the journey possible.” – AMY ERRETT * Founder and CEO, Madison Reed; Former General Partner, Maveron Ventures *“Mike Grossman’s new book, Failure Is an Option, not only reveals the truth about entrepreneurship’s probability of failure but also shares what to do about it. Leadership books, especially autobiographical ones, rarely discuss setbacks in our success oriented culture of self-help press, going back to Benjamin Franklin, Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, Deepak Chopra, and Stephen Covey. Grossman constructively challenges the fantasy of an endless success spiral. Studies of folk heroes across cultures, centuries, and continents demonstrate that failure is not only an option but a necessary stage of punctuating the career trajectory of heroic character. Grossman was never bitter from setbacks. Only a few make it through the cauldron of defeat, but those who are resilient from derailments are better, stronger, and heroic.” – JEFFREY SONNENFELD * Lester Crown Professor of Management Practice, Yale; Founder, Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute; Author of Firing Back *“Mike Grossman’s new book, Failure Is an Option, not only reveals the truth about entrepreneurship’s probability of failure but also shares what to do about it. Leadership books, especially autobiographical ones, rarely discuss setbacks in our success oriented culture of self-help press, going back to Benjamin Franklin, Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, Deepak Chopra, and Stephen Covey. Grossman constructively challenges the fantasy of an endless success spiral. Studies of folk heroes across cultures, centuries, and continents demonstrate that failure is not only an option but a necessary stage of punctuating the career trajectory of heroic character. Grossman was never bitter from setbacks. Only a few make it through the cauldron of defeat, but those who are resilient from derailments are better, stronger, and heroic.” – JEFFREY SONNENFELD * Lester Crown Professor of Management Practice, Yale; Founder, Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute; Author of Firing Back *“Mike Grossman doesn’t just share the victories (though he’s had his share). He walks you through the missteps, the bad luck, and the decision-making amidst uncertainty that define start up leadership. It’s candid, insightful, and quietly reassuring for anyone who’s in the arena and looking around to see if they’re doing it correctly.” – GREG SANDS * Founder and Managing Partner, Costanoa Ventures *“As a former operating executive and now a corporate director, I read a lot of business books. Failure Is An Option is different. It’s a refreshingly honest look at what it actually takes to launch and run a VC-backed startup. Having led six such companies – some successful, some not – author Mike Grossman offers his lessons learned through a series of pithy, candid, and relevant stories – easy to read and hard to forget. This isn’t a glossy success story nor a how-to manual. It’s a candid account of missed calls, hard trade-offs, and good and bad luck that come with building something new. For entrepreneurs, operators, investors, and anyone curious about life inside a startup, Failure Is An Option pulls back the curtain and takes you inside a Silicon Valley CEO’s head and heart. It’s a book you’ll want on your desk whether you’re considering an entrepreneurial journey or are far down that path.” – CHRISTIANA SMITH SHI * Founder, Lovejoy Advisors; Co-Author of Career Forward; Former President of Direct-to-Consumer, Nike; Former Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company *

Mike Grossman

Mike Grossman is a six-time Silicon Valley CEO with nearly thirty years of experience leading early-stage, venture-funded technology companies. Throughout his career, he has successfully raised capital from twelve venture firms, three public corporations, and numerous angel investors, navigating a wide range of scenarios from $400 million acquisitions to challenging “fire-sale” endings.

Prior to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Mike held positions at McKinsey & Company, Johnson & Johnson, and Intuit. His writing is characterized by a blend of sharp humor, humility, and hard-earned perspective on the realities of surviving in the startup world.

Silicon Valley CEO is his first book, and he states it will likely be his last.

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