THINKDROP 9: Break, Rethink, Rebuild
- Pierre Stanghellini
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 18
Why loss isn't a detour.... it's the foundation.
🎤 From Me to You
Failure isn’t a glitch—it’s part of the path. Not something to hide, but something to acknowledge, learn from, and sometimes—even appreciate.
A few years ago, I lost it all. Our offices across 3 countries, built with my brothers over a few years of intense labor, vanished in 6 weeks during COVID.
60 people. Years of momentum. Gone—without warning.
But that collapse revealed something: the real foundation was never the staff count or the global footprint—it was the mindset, the clarity, and the ability to rebuild.
This edition is about seeing failure for what it is: not the opposite of success, but a stage of it. A pressure test. A guidepost. Often, the clearest mirror.
Let’s explore how honest, unstyled loss can sharpen your craft.
P.S: and if you are in the mood for a live interaction, look at the upcoming event happening this Thursday at Soho House, the First Fuckup Night if Hong Kong, with me as Guest Speaker ( information at the bottom of this article )
Pierre Stanghellini.
HARi.wtf founder.
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1. Break: The Collapse That Frees You
When “it’s fine” is what truly limits you.
Breakdowns are often breakthroughs in disguise. When a fragile system fails, it makes room for more honest questions and sharper direction. Too many ventures die slowly by avoiding the honest collapse they need.
Try This: What are you preserving simply because it hasn’t broken yet?
Read more:
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2. Rethink: What Version Two Actually Needs
Rebuild from what works, not what you wish would.
After failure, you don’t start from zero—you start from clarity. Learning isn’t just about growth; it’s about identifying where effort meets truth. The smartest rebuilds are based on stripped-down, tested assumptions—not hopes.
Try This: Name three assumptions from your old model and test which ones still apply.
Read more:
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3. Rebuild: The Architecture of Second Chances
Failure gives clarity. Build with purpose.
When the noise is gone, what remains is the signal. A second build isn’t about correcting mistakes—it’s about realigning with what actually matters. Every setback is also a filter that reveals what was fluff and what’s essential.
Try This: What could you deliver now with less effort, but twice the conviction?
Read more:
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4. Unlearn to Unlock
What got you here will block you there.
Old tools don’t fix new problems. True agility comes from the courage to unlearn, to abandon once-helpful habits that no longer serve your future. Progress often starts with subtraction, not addition.
Try This: Name one habit you maintain “because it used to work.”
What happens if you stop?
Read more:
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5. Speak It: From Shame to Structure
Leaders who own mistakes cultivate trust.
Honesty isn’t weakness—it’s acceleration. When leaders speak their losses early, it sets the tone for truth-telling across the organization. Failure shared becomes insight multiplied.
Try This: Share a real mistake last week and ask your team: “What am I still missing?”
Read more:
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🧭 Conclusion — The Edge of What’s Next
Every founder breaks something—a plan, a product, a belief.
What defines winners isn’t failure—it’s what they build with it.
Treat loss as feedback, not stigma. It becomes a map. A signal. A gift.
We don’t just recover—we build through collapse.
So
break.
Rethink.
Rebuild.
And keep moving.
→ Let’s connect at www.hari.wtf or drop me a line directly at pierre@hari.wtf .
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🎤 Join me Live From the Crash, In Hong Kong this week :
This week at Fuckup Nights Hong Kong, I’m sharing how I went from a 60‑staff team… to zero, and rebuilt, not with shortcuts, but with clarity, humility, and structure.
Event Recap – Fuckup Nights Hong Kong Vol #1
Date & Time: Thursday, June 19, 2025, 18:00–20:00
Location: SOHO House, Hong Kong
Ticketing: Starting from $150
🎟️ Join us →
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About the Creator
Pierre Stanghellini is a creative strategist, systems thinker, and curator of mental rabbit holes. He created Thinkdrop Weekly to feed the brains that don’t want the same old Business advice. If you’re building something bold, beautiful, or strange—this is your corner of the internet.
Connect on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/pierrestanghellini
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About HARi.wtf
HARi.wtf is a creative strategy studio for businesses that hate business-as-usual.
Born in Hong Kong in 2017, we work with restless founders, operators, and teams who’d rather break things thoughtfully than grow them blandly. We don’t do generic decks or bloated strategies—we build clarity, guts, and traction.
From street-level restaurants to global brands, from Asia to Europe, we help shape ideas that move fast when it matters, and slow when it counts.
→ Explore more at hari.wtf
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