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Shana Dressler

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What Failing Taught Me About Positioning a Social Venture For Long Term Sustainability

I know what it’s like to fail and walk in one’s personal hall of shame. In 2009 my first nonprofit venture, the Global Giving Circle, failed after its first event, which ironically was an incredible success.

I know what it’s like to fail and walk in one’s personal hall of shame. In 2009 my first nonprofit venture, the Global Giving Circle, failed after its first event, which ironically was an incredible success. The failure could have easily been avoided had I consulted a lawyer before launching. But because I was trying to cut corners I selected a DIY strategy which resulted in a trademark infringement with GlobalGiving.org. I hadn’t done a thorough search before selecting my organization’s name. The name was similar enough to cause “confusion in the market place” and that was that. All it takes is one fatal mistake when building a new venture and it’s “game over.” Better to learn this now. I learned it from the school of hard knocks.

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