Tales of professional failure power networking event series

The only thing missing from the syllabus was failure.

On the first day of teaching a media entrepreneurship course at Red River College Polytechnic a few years ago, Doug Darling presented his students with an overview of the coming semester and asked them if he’d missed anything.

A handful of people spoke up, all with the same suggestion: they wanted to learn how to deal with failure.

That got Darling, co-founder and chief executive at local video production firm Trip Wire Media, thinking about his career blunders.

“I joke that I’ve earned the equivalent of a Harvard education in failure with all the mistakes I’ve made,” he said. “And here I am today.”

Darling will talk about his workplace gaffes Tuesday evening at Théâtre Cercle Molière in St. Boniface as part of a new networking event and speaker series where three invited guests share real stories of professional failures.

The local series, provocatively titled F––kup Nights Winnipeg, launched in April. It’s the local iteration of an event that started in Mexico City in 2012. The concept has since spread to 250-plus cities across more than 70 countries.

Andres Bazin and Jasmine Bhullar organize the Winnipeg events.

The couple, who run a marketing agency called Social Experiment Creative Studio, discovered the concept while living in Toronto before the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, they signed a licensing agreement to bring F––kup Nights to Manitoba’s capital.

For Bazin, the events are an attempt to go deeper than the “picture-perfect highlight reel” many people share on social media. Attendees can connect in person in an environment where it’s not taboo to talk about the times they’ve tripped up.

By talking openly about mistakes, people can learn faster, connect more honestly and become better at their jobs, Bazin said.

“Mistakes are so part of the journey,” he said. “Not every idea you have or decision you make is a home run, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful.”

During the events, each guest speaker gets 10 minutes to tell their story, followed by a short Q & A with the audience. After the talks, attendees can mingle while enjoying drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Teri-Lynn Friesen, co-founder of Fête Ice Cream & Coffee, was intrigued when Bazin approached her about speaking at the first event.

“LinkedIn can get overwhelming,” she said. “Similar to Instagram, I can get overwhelmed by the veneer that everyone puts on, so this evening was kind of the antidote to that.”

The entrepreneur told the 75 attendees about the burnout she experienced in 2025, after six years of working hard to make Fête a success while starting a family at the same time. It was a challenging year that left her depleted and prone to making mistakes, including some she says cost her a couple friendships.

“If you attend, you’re kind of entering a space of vulnerability,” Friesen said. “The speakers are sharing vulnerable parts of their lives and things they’re not necessarily proud of, and I really felt welcomed by the stories people shared with me (afterward). I didn’t feel judged, which was really nice.”

Event sponsors include Futurpreneur, the national non-profit that offers loans and mentorship to Canadians aged 18 through 39 who are starting businesses. Caroline Ksiazek, the organization’s regional director for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, says F––kup Nights normalize messing up.

“When you talk about the things that didn’t go right … it acknowledges the hard work that goes into entrepreneurship rather than just the glamour of succeeding,” she said.

“We’ve all messed up in some way or another, and I think taking ownership of it and being vulnerable makes it easier for other people to learn and to go out and do what it is that they really hope to do.”

In addition to Darling, speakers at Tuesday’s event include Amanda Buhse, co-founder of Coal and Canary candle company, and Philippe Richer, lawyer and principal at TLR Law. Tickets are available via Eventbrite for $39.

Bazin says he and Bhullar plan to host four F––kup Nights annually. Guest speakers won’t be limited to business owners, he added. The inaugural event featured comedian Emmanuel Lomuro, and upcoming events may include musicians and athletes.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca