BURNOUT

Street-food & lunchbox shop opened · BURNOUT after 4 yr 1 mo

Lea Fischer, 36 · 4 yr 1 mo

“I was the only employee who couldn’t call in sick smh”

When I stopped, everything stopped.

One morning you could not get up. The hospital chart said "moderate depression" and "sleep disorder." The shop stayed shut that day. Nobody else had a key. For the first time, someone told you it was all right to stop.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openLea Fischer, 32. You have decided to try starting a company in Gyeonggi. No idea, no product yet. Savings ₩64,040,000, employed (₩4,090,000 a month).
2. 4/2026: what now?Start a business: «Street-food & lunchbox shop» — You are going with «Street-food & lunchbox shop». Next: a location and people.
3. First, the right to stayBring in a local co-owner — An old acquaintance put his name on the papers. The bank clerk explained everything to him, not to you. You remembered that for a long time.
4. Where to start, and with whatCheap rent down an alley — The rent is low, but customers take time to find you. You chose word of mouth instead of a sign.
5. Who opens the doors with you?Part-timers for the rush hours only — Two students took turns. Both told you their exam weeks in advance. You were grateful.
6. 2026 · year 1 beginsChinese Demand Cooled
7. 4/20 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
8. 4/27 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
9. An insurance agent dropped byOnly the compulsory cover — The bare minimum. The rest is luck.
10. 5/9 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. ₩240,147 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is ₩21,882,747.
11. 5/21 · Hygiene inspection noticeA hygiene inspection notice arrived from the hygiene department. You started with the fridge temperature log.
12. 6/20 · Building repairsThe landlord said the pipes need repair and asked you to cut opening hours for two days.
13. The “₩20,000,000 a month or your money back” courseBlock the ad — You block it and another account posts the same ad. The money is still in your account.
14. 7/9 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
15. 8/29 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
16. 9/8 · Word got aroundA post in a local community said “this place is good.” Customers came in without warning today.
17. 9/17 · Supplier price increaseThe supplier said prices go up 6% from the next order. You need to find another supplier.
18. How to handle the bad reviewsReport them to Naver Map / Kakao Map — Naver Map / Kakao Map removed some reviews. Not all of them. You saved screenshots and waited for the next one.
19. 10/8 · A family emergencySomething came up in the family. You dropped what you were doing and went over.
20. 10/25 · A competitor made a moveA shop in your line opened across the street. A big grand-opening discount banner went up.
21. 11/22 · Equipment stoppedThe fridge stopped during the afternoon rush. You threw out part of the stock and called a repair technician.
22. 12/10 · Card terminal outageThe card terminal died at the busiest hour. You served only customers paying cash.
23. 12/13 · Hygiene inspection noticeWord went round that a shop on your street was fined at inspection. You redid the kitchen cleaning rota.
24. A review farm makes an offerDecline — You deleted the message. That week one customer left a good review on their own. One.
25. 1/29 · The rush before the long holidayOrders rose ahead of the long holiday. Delivery and stock both became tight at once.
26. 2/6 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. ₩240,147 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is ₩20,618,243.
27. 3/22 · The bank asked for documentsYour bank contact changed. The new one asked for the past year’s statements again.
28. The group booking never cameStart taking deposits — Booking texts now spell out the penalty. Group enquiries dipped a little.
29. Chinese Demand CooledA prolonged slump in Chinese domestic demand and real estate lowered Asia's export outlook. Clients who bought raw materials cut orders, and domestic consumption turned cautious as well.
30. Year 1 closeRevenue ₩187,094,441, operating profit ₩40,135,275. Cash ₩28,828,421.
31. 2027 · year 2 beginsSupplier Fraud
32. 4/9 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $128 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
33. 4/29 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
34. 5/12 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 3%. You redid your prices.
35. 5/29 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe KRW/USD rate rose to 1,440. Imported flour and cooking oil follow it up.
36. 6/8 · Records requested by the tax officetax office requested records for card payment sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
37. How to handle the fraudLet it go — You called the money tuition. From the next contract on, you check the business number and the account name first.
38. 7/8 · An employee quitAn employee said this month would be their last. The big store down the road pays more an hour.
39. A gap opened in the rotaMake an urgent replacement hire — A new colleague joined. Work is shared, but payroll and onboarding are now recurring responsibilities.
40. 8/11 · Card terminal outageThe card terminal died at the busiest hour. You served only customers paying cash.
41. 9/19 · The bank asked for documentsThe bank asked for revenue evidence and the business plan again. One line said they would review whether the existing limit can be maintained.
42. Fischer says they are leavingLet them go — Fischer left. You had not known the flat could be this quiet.
43. Keep going like this?Hold on with what you have — You decided not to change. Instead you went over what you do, line by line.
44. 10/12 · A competitor made a moveA shop in your line opened across the street. A big grand-opening discount banner went up.
45. 11/14 · Equipment stoppedThe technician said a repair would cost nearly as much as a new one. You bought new.
46. 12/4 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
47. 12/15 · Street festivalA festival opened nearby. Foot traffic doubled.
48. Your body wants to stop firstHand it to your employee — The employee took over opening and closing. You were nervous at first. A week later, they were better at it than you.
49. 1/28 · Records requested by the tax officetax office requested records for card payment sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
50. 2/10 · The rush before the long holidayOrders rose ahead of the long holiday. Delivery and stock both became tight at once.
51. 2/15 · Supplier price increaseThe delivery driver said a freight charge starts next week. In effect, a 8% rise.
52. 3/3 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe KRW/USD rate rose to 1,440. Imported flour and cooking oil follow it up.
53. 3/7 · Hygiene inspection noticeA hygiene inspection notice arrived from the hygiene department. You started with the fridge temperature log.
54. Demand is outrunning the teamDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
55. Supplier FraudYou sent the deposit, and the goods never arrived. The contact number no longer exists, and the contract has no business registration number. "I trusted them" is not evidence in court.
56. Year 2 closeRevenue ₩191,630,186, operating profit ₩39,150,319. Cash ₩7,172,502.
57. 2028 · year 3 beginsAn Employee Quit
58. 4/22 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
59. The lease is upSign on those terms — You signed. The regulars, none the wiser, came in as usual.
60. 5/14 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
61. 5/18 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
62. 5/26 · Income tax paidYou paid ₩4,984,406 of tax on last year’s profit. The year is over; the bill arrived today.
63. Someone else has quitDefer for free — No ad went up. You took over closing yourself.
64. 6/12 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
65. “We just need your name on it”Send them away — They left a card: “Call if you change your mind.” There was no company name on it.
66. 7/13 · More regularsA regular brought a coworker. “I’ve told everyone about this place.”
67. 8/6 · Minimum wage announcementA minimum wage increase was announced. Payroll and prices have to be recalculated.
68. 9/23 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
69. Hiring againDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
70. 10/11 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. ₩240,986 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is ₩17,596,775.
71. 10/26 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
72. 11/9 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
73. 12/12 · A competitor made a moveA nearby competitor started heavy social ads. Search for your shop and their ad comes up first.
74. Do you raise prices?Raise prices 10% — The day you changed the price tags, one regular said, "That is a big jump." He came back the next week. Another did not.
75. 1/24 · Building repairsWork started on the building’s facade. Scaffolding went up in front and hid your sign.
76. 1/30 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
77. 2/13 · Card terminal outageThe card terminal died at the busiest hour. You served only customers paying cash.
78. 3/20 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe KRW/USD rate rose to 1,404. Imported flour and cooking oil follow it up.
79. Financing declinedThe Bank working-capital loan application was declined.
80. You are short of moneyBank credit line — You walked into the bank with documents and proof of income. They said your trading history is short. Now you wait for underwriting. But underwriting declined it. Credit and cash flow need another look.
81. An Employee QuitThe employee who had worked the longest left a resignation letter on the desk. The reason: "There is nothing left for me to learn here." Before you get angry, you think that may be true.
82. Year 3 closeRevenue ₩153,681,561, operating profit ₩47,475,754. Cash ₩3,668,908.
83. 2029 · year 4 beginsTax Audit Notice
84. 4/5 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. ₩243,317 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is ₩16,643,637.
85. 4/11 · A family emergencyAn urgent call from a sibling. You were away for half a day.
86. 5/7 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
87. 5/22 · More regularsThe same customer came three times this week. “I don’t go anywhere else,” they said.
88. 5/28 · The tax went unpaidOn the due date the account was empty. ₩4,002,317 went into arrears with a late penalty. It has to be paid as soon as money comes in.
89. Tax in arrearsHold off for now — The notice went into a drawer. Next month you will have to open it again.
90. 6/22 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
91. 6/28 · Rate hike newsThe news said the policy rate went up. You reread the terms on the existing loan.
92. Financing declinedThe Bank working-capital loan application was declined.
93. You are short of moneyBank credit line — You walked into the bank with documents and proof of income. They said your trading history is short. Now you wait for underwriting. But underwriting declined it. Credit and cash flow need another look.
94. 7/9 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
95. 7/17 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
96. Tax in arrearsApply for instalments — Approved. ₩675,977 a month from now on.
97. Cash ran outTake a credit loan — The rate is 14.0%. You can breathe, but the interest comes back every month. The repayment schedule in the banking app starts to look like a calendar.
98. 8/7 · Building repairsThe landlord said the pipes need repair and asked you to cut opening hours for two days.
99. 9/22 · Hygiene inspection noticeWord went round that a shop on your street was fined at inspection. You redid the kitchen cleaning rota.
100. Demand is outrunning the teamDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
101. 10/7 · A competitor made a moveA nearby competitor started heavy social ads. Search for your shop and their ad comes up first.
102. 10/30 · The bank asked for documentsThe loan extension paperwork arrived: financial statements and copies of the VAT returns, please.
103. 11/9 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
104. 12/22 · Supplier price increaseThe delivery driver said a freight charge starts next week. In effect, a 9% rise.
105. 12/30 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
106. Financing declinedThe Bank working-capital loan application was declined.
107. You are short of moneyBank credit line — You walked into the bank with documents and proof of income. They said your trading history is short. Now you wait for underwriting. But underwriting declined it. Credit and cash flow need another look.
108. 1/26 · The rush before the long holidayOrders rose ahead of the long holiday. Delivery and stock both became tight at once.
109. 2/13 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. ₩805,517 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is ₩43,698,240.
110. 2/22 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
111. 3/27 · A family emergencyThe school called about your child. You left the work in other hands and rushed over.
112. Financing declinedThe Bank working-capital loan application was declined.
113. You are short of moneyBank credit line — You walked into the bank with documents and proof of income. They said your trading history is short. Now you wait for underwriting. But underwriting declined it. Credit and cash flow need another look.
114. Tax Audit Noticetax office sent a request for records. You have to reconcile every card payment sale and cash sale since opening against the bank statements. The difference between people who kept their books in order and people who did not shows up here.
115. Year 4 closeRevenue ₩139,855,490, operating profit ₩39,829,969. Cash ₩5,364,050.
116. 2030 · year 5 beginsLoan Facility Review · A Competitor Opened Right Outside
117. 4/21 · Hygiene inspection noticeWord went round that a shop on your street was fined at inspection. You redid the kitchen cleaning rota.
118. The lease is upNegotiate the rent down — The landlord would not budge. In the end you signed at 4.5%.
119. Cash ran outTake a credit loan — The rate is 14.0%. You can breathe, but the interest comes back every month. The repayment schedule in the banking app starts to look like a calendar.

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