“I was running out of options. I had failed enough twice in my career and I didn’t know what to do,” CEO and founder beama UK-based social startup, as we recline in bright orange armchairs located near the center of their relaxed, open office.

The vibrant space located in the trendy, artsy town of Hoxton, in central London, reflects the boundless energy, dedication and enthusiasm of the startup’s 130 employees, many of whom are Generation Z and millennials.

Wearing jeans and a Beam T-shirt, Alex Stephany, a warm and humble person, is no stranger to failure. He is an investor, advisor, and founder of several companies, including JustPark and Beam, and won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2022. He attributes his most valuable lessons in life and career success to failure…miserably.

I’m interested to know the story. Next, I looked at his LinkedIn profile and realized that he had graduated suma cum laude in English at Oxford, her career path at the start of her studies and after graduation was unusual. He was definitely not the person I expected from a tech leader.

When Stephany was 19 years old, she got her first serious job as an English teacher abroad, in China.

“I wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives and I thought, ‘I think I could be an English teacher.’ One thing I can definitely do is speak English and, hopefully, write English too,” I joked modestly. “But I thought maybe this method could be useful. This is a great opportunity for me; “I’m interested in the kind of work I do to solve world problems.”

After graduating, the technology entrepreneur decided to pursue a career in law. “It seemed like a good choice because I wanted to pay off my student debt and, because I work in international law, it allowed me to learn more about the world, so it ticked both boxes for me,” said the CEO.

Stephany started working at British multinational law firm Clifford Chance, where he advised clients such as JP Morgan and Barclays.

This fairy tale career came to an abrupt halt; He completed a two-year stint there before being given an ultimatum to leave. At that time he started a new job as a management consultant at a Big Four accounting firm, only lasting six months before being fired.

In his own words, “I was quite aware

I tell you right away that he is not a good lawyer and he is not very suitable for that type of work. So they refused to give me a contract; This happened during one of the worst times, during the credit crisis of 2008, when it was difficult to find another job, and was a difficult time in my life. “I was 26 years old and I felt very scared about the future, because here I was, I got this prestigious job, but I failed at it.”

“I was unemployed for a while, then I got a job at a consulting company, and that company also fired me,” said Stephany.

Resting her chin on her hand, Stephany mused, “Actually, what happened was quite good for me. It gave me a new perspective on my career.”

“I was told that medical students become doctors and engineering students become engineers, so I limited myself to this narrative and thought that to work in technology you had to be a software developer or engineer. Now, of course, we now know that you don’t need to know anything about coding to work in tech, but I don’t think that was the case back then,” says the Beam founder.

Coincidentally, when Stephany was at the lowest point in her life, Google had just set up its new office in London and introduced her to the world of smartphones and technology.

“Out of desperation and failure, I turned to technology. I started using smartphones and realized that this was an exciting frontier that would open up a new world and change everything; I thought there might be a place in this new world for me. Instead of applying for jobs as a consultant, I changed my strategy and started applying for various positions in the technology field,” he said.

The story continues: “Eventually, I accepted the position of director of operations at a fairly small company called My Home Parkat (which later became JustPark, where he was promoted to CEO). There were just the two of us, the founder and me. And because I struggled so much in my career, at that time I had a strong desire to prove myself. I don’t want to fail again. That’s why I think it’s so important for people to fail at things, because it feeds you, it teaches you about yourself, and it’s an important part of your growth.”

Embrace professional failure

Stephany has a rather unique but empowering way of looking at failure. According to him, failure actually pushes you towards success and makes you more mature as your career grows.

“I was in a very bad moment and I continue to have bad moments, even as director of operations. You may have a great job title, but that doesn’t mean you can do the job. I have to work hard and learn from others. “It was a lot of hard work, I had to solve difficult problems, and I had to find a way to work sustainably,” he explains.

You don’t have to be great at everything.

“No one is great at everything,” the tech entrepreneur continued. “You just have to lean into what gives you energy, and if you do, you’ll get better at it. If you’ve experienced a disaster before, that’s not a reason to be negative, it just reduces the problem you can solve. .

“It’s about having an open mind and finding things that excite and energize you. Try different things to see what suits you, in a spirit of curiosity, enthusiasm and passion.”

Fall in love with the problem, not the solution

Your career goal is to have a better impact on people’s lives, enabling the creation of a better environment and contributing to the greater good for everyone. If you’re passionate about pursuing a career that has a positive impact on others, Stephany advises: “A lot of people are obsessed with solutions, but often those solutions are wrong and not a good idea. You have to focus on solving the problem.” This approach to planning the next stage of your career will ensure satisfaction and fulfillment.

Be smart with your resources

“Everyone works with limited resources, especially at the start of their career. That’s actually an opportunity for creativity, says the CEO. He explains: “For example, you want to start a business and your resources are limited because you have a day job , so you only have a limited amount of time to dedicate to this new idea. That’s an advantage because it forces you to focus on what’s important.”

“Think, what am I trying to do here and how can I use my time wisely?”

Perhaps we can all take a leaf from Stephany’s book and embrace the concept of professional failure, remembering that perception is everything. Getting laid off, unemployed, losing money, or having a tarnished reputation can be the catalyst for the next big chapter in your career, if you’re willing to learn from it and use these lessons as fuel.

Note published in US Forbes.