Seeing Failures As Stepping Stones To Success

Entrepreneur Jitin “Miki” Ahuja ’97, MBA ’02, calls himself a late bloomer. He grew up in Bowie near the University of Maryland and stayed in his comfort zone during his freshman year. Then the campus ecosystem pulled him in. He joined a business fraternity and several clubs, played intramural sports and made lifelong friends while earning three undergraduate degrees. Following management consulting work at PwC, he returned to Maryland for two graduate degrees, making him a quintuple Terp. “I had one personality coming into Maryland and a different personality coming out — for the better,” he says. The transformation included a new appreciation for taking risks and making mistakes. “More importantly, if you become successful without first experiencing failure, then it also makes it difficult to handle success the right way,” he says. “So make as many mistakes as you want. Just make sure you blame yourself and not others.” The philosophy has guided Ahuja through the launch of several ventures, with the most recent being an online marketing company called SpaceJet Media. Needless to say, the failures or lessons from prior ventures served as stepping stone to success. Ahuja, who relied on need-based grants as a student, now gives back with financial assistance for business majors from Prince George’s County. “Maryland helped me become who I am,” he says. “That’s why I give.”