From Cornflakes to Billy Joel, how simple mistakes led to big success

Were it not for a huge mistake ‘Piano Man’ from Billy Joel wouldn’t exist. The details of how it came to be is one of several intriguing stories in ‘My Best Mistake’ – the new book from the host of CBC Radio’s ‘Under the Influence‘, Terry O’Reilly.

The ‘Piano Man’ origins center on Billy Joel and a contract error.

The artist signed a bad record contract with someone living in Los Angeles, while Joel was living in New York. Joel quietly went to Los Angeles and hired a lawyer to try and get the money he was owed. He didn’t want the record executive to know he was there, so he got a job at a bar under a pseudonym. Joel wrote the song “Piano Man” inspired by the bar’s clientele.

Another mistake turned success was the birth of the popular breakfast cereal Cornflakes. The Kellog’s brothers ran a spa that helped people with nutrition, calisthenics, and their overall health. One day, they left some wheat in the oven and it overcooked. The brother’s did not want to waste it, so they decided to roll it to try and save it. Instead, it turned into flakes. They served the flakes to their patients and they loved it. Soon after, they decided to make the mistake invention into Cornflakes.

My Best Mistake has 24 stories about accepting failure and looking for hidden gifts in mistakes.

You can get My Best Mistake here.