Just days later, the world shut down. The pandemic wiped out my diary overnight. No-one was hiring speakers. No-one was booking magicians. In a single moment, everything I had worked for disappeared.

It could have been the end of the road. Instead, it became the beginning of my journey with magical resilience: The ability to move from panic to possibility through curiosity and courage.

Setbacks happen, but they don’t have to define you

Startup life is exhilarating but, let’s be honest, it’s also brutal. Tight deadlines, funding pressures, fierce competition, and the challenge of scaling can push even the most confident founder into ‘fight or flight’ mode.

Panic is natural but, here’s the problem: it narrows your vision – locking you into ‘survival’ mode and blinding you to the very possibilities that could save you.

The trick isn’t to avoid panic altogether. It’s to recognise it, pause and reframe it as a signal. Slow down, breathe and look for the opportunity hiding in the chaos.

The magician’s mindset

When people meet me and I say: “I’m a magician,” I’ve noticed something fascinating… They immediately light up. There’s an unspoken trust – an expectation that something extraordinary is about to happen.

And when something like a borrowed phone or set of keys disappears in a performance? The audience doesn’t panic. They don’t storm the stage demanding their phone or keys back. They lean in. They’re curious. They trust that something magical is about to unfold.

But in business, when something disappears – a client backs out, funding falls through or a product launch fails – our instinct is different. We panic. We see loss instead of possibility.

What if founders could choose the magician’s mindset? Just like when we experience magic, what if instead of fear, we responded to setbacks with excitement and curiosity? What if we trusted the detour – knowing that something extraordinary might be waiting just around the corner?

That’s magical resilience: Approaching challenges the way an audience approaches a trick. Not with dread, but with anticipation that something remarkable could emerge.

My pandemic detour

Back in 2020, I had every reason to panic when my bookings “magically” dried up. Everything I had worked for vanished overnight. I remember sitting at my dining table, head in my hands, asking: “What have I done?”

But then, another question followed: “What happens next?”

That single mindset shift from panic to curiosity changed everything. New opportunities appeared – projects I hadn’t even imagined before, which led me to work with incredible people and, eventually, travel the world inspiring others.

And in the middle of that setback, life gave me more than I’d planned for: I got married, became a dad and built a business far more resilient than I could have dreamt.

Looking back, I realise none of it was part of “the plan”… But that’s the magic! The unknown isn’t just where things go wrong, it’s where extraordinary things can happen – if you stay curious.

Panic to possibility: Practical moves

So, how can founders apply magical resilience in their own startup journeys? Here are four small, but powerful, shifts:

• Pause and breathe: Calm your body to reset your mind
• Reframe the story: Instead of “This is a disaster”, try “This is a detour”
• Focus on controllables: Such as your energy, your effort and your next step
• Ask for help: Mentors, peers and your team often see opportunities you can’t

These aren’t tricks; they’re resilience habits. The more you practise them, the more natural it becomes to move from panic to possibility.

The possibility perspective

Setbacks aren’t signs that you’re failing. They’re part of the journey every founder must walk. Panic may knock on the door, but you don’t have to let it stay.

As my mentor Jack Canfield once told me: “What’s in the way is the way.”

When you choose to respond with the magician’s mindset – trusting the detour, staying curious and leaning into possibility – the future opens in ways you never imagined.

So, the next time a setback shows up in your startup journey, remember: Possibility is only ever one curious question away.

For more startup news, check out the other articles on the website, and subscribe to the magazine for free. Listen to The Cereal Entrepreneur podcast for more interviews with entrepreneurs and big-hitters in the startup ecosystem.