[mmartinson]

>> there are plenty of super-talented, capable people whose companies didn't work out through no fault of their own

There are also plenty of super-talented, capable people whose companies didn't work out through considerable fault of their own.

As I'm sure you know, building a company is hard, risky, and the wrong decisions paired with the wrong luck can kill you. Even if you are a failure at business, your skills and experience can still be of tremendous value to another company.

[swombat]

I know it’s meant as an image, but it’s an unhelpful image I think.

No, wrong decisions/luck in a startup setting can’t kill you. They can just make your startup fail. You’ll be absolutely fine.

[james_s_tayler]

I don't mean to be morbid, but sometimes people do kill themselves as a result of their business not working out.

[braythwayt]

A have been told that I am talented and capable.

I can tell you, I have often failed through fault of my own.

Some would say that failing through fault of your own makes you talented, capable, and in possession of hard-won experience that people who never fail will never obtain... Until they fail spectacularly.

This isn't a TED talk, I don't know what the answer is, other than if you're looking for a job, it's your job to put your actual lived experience in the best possible (but not misleading) light, and it's ok to have some humility about the mistakes you know you made.

Some people would rather hire those who claim to have never tasted of the bitter cup of defeat, others will value your battle scars.

Remember, you only need to find one of the latter kinds of employers, and the best way to prove that you have what it takes to succeed is to sift through however many of the former it takes to find the latter.

Good luck!