Failure sucks. Just ask R. U. Darby, who gave up on his gold mine when he was only three feet from the mother load, only to have someone else make it rich due to his mistake. Darby was not an idiot. Darby was not timid. Darby was not even in deep financial trouble due to buying one too many jet skis during a moonshine-fueled mid-life crisis. No, Darby failed because he was tragically uninformed. His ambition, his promise for success, was blindsided by a lack of knowledge and a failure to gain expert data about his endeavor.

Like many young men, Darby wanted to strike it rich quick. Like many young men who have an uncle with gold fever, Darby had an uncle with gold fever who found some traces of the shining ore a few weeks after he started digging.  Darby and his uncle borrowed money from several family members to purchase the machinery necessary for mining. Shortly after returning with the requisite machinery, the pair found a rich vein of gold. They had it smelted and proved that it was one of the richest mines in Colorado. Darby was excited that he would soon be able to pay off the debt to his relatives, and hopefully have enough money left over to purchase something akin to a 19^th century Macbook Pro.

Unfortunately for Darby and his closeted techie ambitions, something inexplicable happened. The vein of gold suddenly stopped. Not the type to quit halfway, Darby continued to drill deeper and deeper, until it became apparent that he was in fact the quitting two-thirds of the way type. Disappointed in his heinous luck, he sold his machinery to a junk man for just a few hundred dollars. Then, shamed and disgruntled, he returned home. Broken. His dreams shattered upon the harsh reality of his failed entrepreneurial venture.

But the story does not end there, dear readers. As it turns out, the junk man was wily and totally willing to capitalize on Darby’s folly. He hired an engineer, who calculated that there was still gold in the mine, a mere three feet from where Darby had stopped digging. The junk man was ecstatic when further drilling revealed that the engineers’ calculations were correct. The junk man, who had gotten into the venture for just a few hundred dollars spent on old machinery, laughed all the way to the bank with millions (presumably whilst twirling a well-oiled moustache).

So how can you determine if there is the potential for massive profit just beyond the temporary setbacks in your business? As the junk man knew intuitively, the answer is that it requires in-depth knowledge about your company. Time data, for instance, can reveal small problems and prevent them from becoming enormous issues. If you are constantly digging blind, like Darby, you will be unable to take steps appropriate to your situation. Only a comprehensive understanding of all of your problem factors will let you know whether to move your machinery to another mine, sell it for scrap, or uncover a massive gold deposit. Just try your best to avoid the unruly moustache.