Startup Success book

So I get a marketing newsletter today and it has an ad/referral to a new book about Startup Success. The author has been CEO of 2 companies -- neither of which has been a success. One filed for bankruptcy and one has burned through millions in investment money with little to show for it. In fact, he was removed from his position at the second company. So how would you explain success to a start-up?

This isn't the only exec like that. A Tampa telco hired a someone to be prez back in 2002 or so. He BK'ed the first company and closed the telco. I have seen it time and time again, execs in telco get to fail but land at a new position elsewhere.

I understand the whole Tom Peters concept of fail fast, but he is talking about taking risk, failing, learning, trying again - without closing the doors. I can also understand that it may in fact be a learning experience to close the doors -- once, not twice. And write a book about what you learned from the failures, but not success, unless success means making it to CEO twice.