The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And sometimes it begins with a step in the wrong direction. Christine Moseley (LinkedIn, Twitter) is the Founder and CEO of Full Harvest, the first B2B marketplace for “imperfect” and surplus produce.

Imagine you’ve started a business, and spent a year and a half giving it everything you’ve got, but have nothing to show for it. In fact, not only is your business failing, but you know it will never succeed. You don’t just have one or two things wrong… the whole business model is off.

That might seem like a really bad place to be. But if you ask Christine, it might actually be a good place to start. Christine learned through trial and error that some ideas aren’t ever going to work. But if you’re willing to pivot, and keep taking action no matter what, eventually you will find your way. 

“The number one thing is just one foot in front of the other as fast as possible and go for it. You’re going to hit walls, you’re going to pivot, you’re going to change, but you just have to get going. And just manage your expectations that it’s never going to be a linear path.”

Full Harvest has since raised millions of dollars, and gained notoriety for its technological and environmental innovation.

Action begets more action, and the key to success is taking consistent decisive action. Christine’s story teaches us that sometimes a step in the wrong direction is necessary to find the right path.

Failure never feels good. But don’t let fear hold you back. The most important this is to just get started, and never stop.