ZOMBIE

Flat-pack furniture for single households survived 7 yr · ZOMBIE

Chang Szu-yu, 51 · 7 yr

“Lesson learned: My revenue chart looks like a heart monitor”

The company is alive. So why am I still doing this?

The company is alive. Growth has stopped. Revenue barely keeps up with costs, and there is no next step in sight. Cash NT$170,140, debt NT$0, 0 employees, 2 customers. You go to the office every day, but you are not sure why. The reason you cannot close and the reason you keep going feel like the same thing.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openChang Szu-yu, 45. You have decided to try starting a company in Taipei. No idea, no product yet. Savings NT$695,389, employed (NT$60,255 a month).
2. 9/2026: what now?Start a business: «Flat-pack furniture for single households» — You are going with «Flat-pack furniture for single households». Still no company, no product. Now find out whether the idea is real.
3. 2026 · year 1 beginsA Quiet Year
4. 10/2026: what now?Interview 20 people — 8 of 20 said they would pay. 3 only said it would be "nice to have".
5. 11/2026: what now?Decide to build it — You decided to build. Validation ends here.
6. 11/27 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
7. 12/2026: what now?Build it with no-code tools — You picked a template. By lunch there was a login screen.
8. 1/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
9. 2/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
10. 2/11 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
11. 3/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
12. 3/16 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
13. 4/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
14. 4/26 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
15. 5/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
16. 6/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
17. 6/6 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
18. 7/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
19. 8/2027: what now?Quit your job — You quit. The next morning, not having to go to work felt strange.
20. 9/2027: what now?Launch — You pressed launch. 70 sign-ups on day one. You refreshed ten times.
21. A Quiet YearNothing much happened. You got up at the same time every day and did the same work. That repetition can build something, or wear a person down.
22. Year 1 closeRevenue NT$0, loss NT$239,124. Your salary put in NT$33,639; cash NT$481,566.
23. 2027 · year 2 beginsChinese Demand Cooled
24. 9/12 · Patent warning letterA certified letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
25. 9/26 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
26. 10/2027: what now?Incorporate — The company is registered. Your business card now says CEO.
27. 10/17 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
28. 11/2027: what now?Spread the word through communities and content — 18 new customers this month. A post drew questions, and the questions turned into sign-ups.
29. 11/9 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
30. 11/24 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
31. Sales is why customers stopped growingDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
32. 12/11 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
33. 1/14 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
34. Financing declinedThe Bank working-capital loan application was declined.
35. 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.
36. 3/15 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
37. The runway is running outTake a bridge round — The investor laughed. "Just pay me back double next round." You did not laugh.
38. 4/4 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
39. 4/18 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
40. 5/8 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
41. 5/28 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
42. Financing approvedBank working-capital loan NT$79,000 · 4.9%/yr · 60 months
43. 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. Bank working-capital loan NT$79,000 approved.
44. 6/4 · Service outageRight after the deploy, login broke. Restored in forty minutes, but customer messages flooded in.
45. 6/17 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
46. The runway is running outTake a bridge round — The investor laughed. "Just pay me back double next round." You did not laugh.
47. 7/17 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
48. 8/6 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. NT$1,488 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is NT$76,667.
49. 8/19 · Demo dayYou presented at demo day. The questions were sharp, but the applause sounded genuine.
50. Financing declinedThe Bank working-capital loan application was declined.
51. 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.
52. 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.
53. Year 2 closeRevenue NT$1,957,329, loss NT$309,271. Cash NT$299,987.
54. 2028 · year 3 beginsGlobal Energy Prices Surged
55. 9/17 · The rush before the long holidayOrders rose ahead of the long holiday. Delivery and stock both became tight at once.
56. 9/21 · Patent warning letterA certified letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
57. AI redrew the marketAI tools changed the industry’s cost and speed. Companies that adopted them move cheap and fast; the rest pay twice for the same customer.
58. The runway is running outTake a job and keep the company on the side — An interviewer asked what you had been doing all this time. The salary started again, and the product became something that happens after 11 p.m.
59. 10/6 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
60. 10/10 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $137 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
61. 11/5 · Selected for a grant programSelected for a government support program. The grant arrives next month; the reporting starts this week.
62. 11/26 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
63. AI redrew the marketIgnore it — You did not buy the tools. Six months later, a competitor offered the same service at half the price.
64. 12/11 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
65. 12/27 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
66. 1/12 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
67. 1/22 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
68. 2/7 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
69. 2/20 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.50%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
70. The “NT$320,000 a month or your money back” coursePay for it — The course was free YouTube videos stitched together. When you asked for the refund the reply was “assignments incomplete,” then nothing. You filed a report. The officer said it was closed: “no contact.”
71. 3/17 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
72. 4/16 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $137 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
73. 5/11 · Demo dayYou presented at demo day. The questions were sharp, but the applause sounded genuine.
74. 5/22 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
75. 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.
76. 6/5 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. NT$1,475 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is NT$64,629.
77. 7/5 · Selected for a grant programSelected for a government support program. The grant arrives next month; the reporting starts this week.
78. 7/14 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
79. 8/10 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
80. 8/16 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.50%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
81. This time you sell the courseWalk away — The agency probably sent the same pitch to another owner the next day. You opened the books again.
82. Global Energy Prices SurgedTension in the Middle East pushed international crude prices up. Ships loaded with oil could not pass, and freight and packaging costs rose with them. A war in the news became a number on next month's cost sheet.
83. Year 3 closeRevenue NT$1,143,388, operating profit NT$180,873. Cash NT$400,759.
84. 2029 · year 4 begins3 A.M., Your Heart Was Racing
85. 9/19 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
86. 10/12 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
87. 10/22 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
88. 11/17 · Service outageAn alert at 3 a.m.: the disk was full. Fixed before morning; nobody noticed.
89. 11/22 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
90. BurnoutTake two weeks off — You did not open the laptop for two weeks. When you came back, Slack and LINE had 412 unread messages. Three were urgent.
91. 12/17 · Demo dayYou presented at demo day. The questions were sharp, but the applause sounded genuine.
92. 1/10 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
93. 1/13 · The bank asked for documentsThe loan extension paperwork arrived: financial statements and copies of the business tax returns, please.
94. 2/25 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
95. 2/26 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $149 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
96. Do you pivot?Push through — You did not pivot. You believed the market was wrong. Six months later, the market still had not answered.
97. 3/16 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
98. 4/12 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. NT$1,471 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is NT$52,094.
99. 4/28 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
100. 5/12 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
101. The competitor made it freePropose a partnership — You partnered with the competitor. They used your feature, and you got their customers. Dependence is convenient and dangerous.
102. 6/10 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
103. 7/22 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
104. 8/5 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $149 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
105. 8/12 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
106. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You got back in touch with past customers one by one. A few more customers came, though not as many as the money spent.
107. 3 A.M., Your Heart Was RacingYou were alone in the office. Your chest was tight and your hands shook. The hospital said "stress." You thought you had to go in again tomorrow.
108. Year 4 closeRevenue NT$630,977, operating profit NT$126,844. Cash NT$590,017.
109. 2030 · year 5 beginsConsumption Froze
110. 9/15 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
111. 9/24 · Rate hike newsThe news said the policy rate went up. You reread the terms on the existing loan.
112. 10/24 · 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.
113. 11/3 · Patent warning letterA certified letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
114. 11/6 · Selected for a grant programSelected for a government support program. The grant arrives next month; the reporting starts this week.
115. Taiwan e-invoice dutyPut it off — You paid the fine. The system can wait until next quarter, you decided.
116. 12/20 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
117. 12/28 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. NT$1,480 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is NT$41,742.
118. 1/28 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
119. 2/11 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
120. 2/17 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
121. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You raised the search-ad budget. Clicks went up; only some of them bought.
122. 3/23 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
123. 4/18 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
124. 5/10 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
125. 5/17 · Rate hike newsThe news said the policy rate went up. You reread the terms on the existing loan.
126. “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.
127. 6/3 · Demo dayYou presented at demo day. The questions were sharp, but the applause sounded genuine.
128. 6/29 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.9%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
129. 7/27 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
130. 8/26 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
131. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You spent on ads and sales. Inquiries went up. The close rate was lower than you expected.
132. Consumption FrozeMore people cut card spending and nights out. The streets are quiet even at weekends. A recession reaches the takings before it reaches the news.
133. Year 5 closeRevenue NT$413,292, loss NT$9,841. Your salary put in NT$36,818; cash NT$578,150.
134. 2031 · year 6 beginsRates Rose · A Big Company Launched It for Free
135. 9/4 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. NT$1,480 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is NT$29,744.
136. 9/14 · The bank asked for documentsThe loan extension paperwork arrived: financial statements and copies of the business tax returns, please.
137. 10/26 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
138. 11/26 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
139. 12/17 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
140. 1/5 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $141 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
141. 1/16 · Demo dayYou presented at demo day. The questions were sharp, but the applause sounded genuine.
142. 2/19 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
143. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You got back in touch with past customers one by one. A few more customers came, though not as many as the money spent.
144. 3/9 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
145. 3/10 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
146. 4/19 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. NT$1,480 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is NT$20,107.
147. 5/6 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
148. 5/10 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.7%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
149. 6/19 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
150. 7/25 · Server bill spikeTraffic grew, and the server bill came in far above what you expected.
151. 7/26 · Selected for a grant programSelected for a government support program. The grant arrives next month; the reporting starts this week.
152. 8/6 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
153. 8/15 · Service outageAn alert at 3 a.m.: the disk was full. Fixed before morning; nobody noticed.
154. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You raised the search-ad budget. Clicks went up; only some of them bought.
155. Rates RoseMarket rates rose. Variable-rate loans cost more, and so does any new borrowing. More people stood at bank counters tapping calculators.
156. A Big Company Launched It for FreeA large company started giving away a similar feature for free. Sales says to cut the price; engineering says your product is better. Customers are listening to neither.
157. Year 6 closeRevenue NT$189,227, loss NT$162,338. Your salary put in NT$36,818; cash NT$431,402.
158. 2032 · year 7 beginsA Competitor Copied You
159. 9/3 · 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.
160. 10/25 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
161. 11/24 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
162. Your payment processor froze payoutsSwitch processors — The new checkout went live. One renewal in ten failed.
163. 12/22 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. NT$1,479 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is NT$8,754.
164. 12/23 · Patent warning letterA certified letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
165. 1/30 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
166. 2/12 · Selected for a grant programSelected for a government support program. The grant arrives next month; the reporting starts this week.
167. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You spent on ads and sales. Inquiries went up. The close rate was lower than you expected.
168. 3/14 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
169. 4/6 · The bank asked for documentsThe loan extension paperwork arrived: financial statements and copies of the business tax returns, please.
170. 4/9 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 4.5%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
171. 5/18 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
172. 5/29 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $120 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
173. 6/5 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
174. 6/19 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
175. 7/18 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
176. 7/29 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
177. 8/7 · Demo dayYou presented at demo day. The questions were sharp, but the applause sounded genuine.
178. 8/10 · Selected for a grant programSelected for a government support program. The grant arrives next month; the reporting starts this week.
179. Year seven: what now?Focus on profitability — You stopped hiring and cut costs. Growth slowed, and the company began to breathe on its own.

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