Success (or failure) Starts With a Mantra
By Carrie Cousins
Thank you to Valley Business FRONT for featuring our Vice President, Carrie Cousins, in their December 2025 issue.
Dare to suck.
These three little words were part of a talk from a graphic design consultant early in my career. She doesn’t know it, but every time I’m not sure what to do next or what turn to take, that phrase becomes my mantra.
And it’s been good for business.
What started as a design philosophy – that really just translates to why not try it – has evolved into a guiding concept. What is the potential ceiling of trying something new? What happens when you are not afraid to fail?
The answer is quite simple. You take the leap; you try things you would not have; you think more analytically about what ifs (good and bad).
It’s not something that changes overnight, not for me anyway.
I started my dare to suck journey by expanding design elements and stretching visual compositions. Nothing life changing here, but it got me used to thinking through scenarios. It also helped me getting more used to failure with designs that just didn’t work.
I dare more greatly with job and career changes. I have failed and excelled.
The philosophy is core to business decisions, large and small, that have helped shape how I approach work, growth, and working with people. Small dares everywhere have helped me work outside normal comfort zones, partner with other amazing companies, and meet people that I can’t imagine not knowing.
It happens personally too. My first – and pretty much every – marathon I have run is an experiment in daring to suck. Will I cross the finish line? Will I meet my personal goals?
How does it work in practice?
It starts with a tiny voice inside my head: “Dare to suck. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Think through that worst scenario. Is it really all that bad? (If the answer leads you on a path of catastrophe, this is not the time to take the dare.)
Then flip it – what’s the best that could happen from taking a chance? Business opportunity? New friendships? A better career path moving forward? (That’s when you should listen to that voice and go for it!)
Personally, this mantra has made me think more critically. It’s not just a jump in every time. It’s a strong “what if?” I dare to suck several times a month, from small decisions like trying a new lecture with college students to taking on a new client or reframing a business decision.
As 2025 is barreling toward an end, I can see how this year has been shaped by this thought process.
Dare to suck. You’ll never know what opportunities you might miss if you never take a chance.
Carrie Cousins is the Vice President at LeadPoint Digital in Roanoke. For 15+ years, she has helped businesses tell their stories and get better results online with practical digital marketing strategies. She is also an active leader in AAF, serving on the local and district boards, and is an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech.
