Failing in Public and Building Relentless Resilience w/ Shawn Walchef

“I failed spectacularly… and I did it publicly.” - What happens when a bet you believe in completely… fails? Shawn Walchef, restaurant owner of Cali BBQ and founder of Cali BBQ Media, shares what went wrong chasing the ghost kitchen model during the pandemic, where the assumptions broke, and how he knew it was time to walk away. This is not just a bad business story. It is about what happens when belief meets reality, and why having the courage to own failure matters more than avoiding it. From five years of making no money in media to building a thriving business, this episode sets the tone for the show: no highlight reels, just the truth about what it takes to keep going. What You’ll Learn: • The biggest miscalculation behind the ghost kitchen strategy • How to know when it’s time to stop chasing a failing idea • How five years of making no money led to a breakthrough in media • The difference between what people post online and the work that actually matters • Why resilience is built in the dark, not in the spotlight Episode Links  Cali BBQ Media: https://content.calibbq.media/  Shawn Walchef on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpwalchef/