So there I was at ‘F–k Up Night” in a beautiful garden shed in the middle of Cambridge. Here, three incredibly candid, wise and, overall, exceedingly successful social entrepreneurs, humbly shared their personal experiences of failure.

With stories that took us into the celebratory fashion world, corporate finance and back to rural England, they all shared a wish that they had been open to certain advice at the time. And a mission for us not to repeat their mistakes.

I came away from that night with an overwhelming sense of inspiration: yes they’d had some major ‘f**k ups’ but at no point were they paralysed by their challenges.

There are so many big issues going on right now – lack of trust in charities as a sector, volatility in the environment, and the economy, well… – but the ‘failure survivors’ won’t be letting that get in the way.

So…in 30 seconds….what ones do I, having spent time in their company, want to really make sure we tackle head on?

Continue reading this article for Craig Dearden-Phillip’s Stepping Out