CLOSED

Noodle & soup shop opened · CLOSED after 1 yr 8 mo

Liam Miller, 40 · 1 yr 8 mo

“It rained the day the sign came down”

I closed after 1 year and 8 months. What remained was $121,186 in debt and 56 regulars.

On the last day, you sat in front of the register. Cash $2,070, debt $121,186, 0 employees, 556 customers. You did the last count alone and pulled down the shutter. The business failed, but that time did not disappear.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openLiam Miller, 39. You have decided to try starting a company in Chicago. No idea, no product yet. Savings $38,240, employed ($3,258 a month).
2. Debt from day onePersonal debt: $577 a month for 104 months. It comes out regardless of the company.
3. 6/2026: what now?Start a business: «Noodle & soup shop» — You are going with «Noodle & soup shop». Next: a location and people.
4. Where to start, and with whatGround floor with foot traffic — It is a good spot. People walking by see the sign. The money going out every month got heavier.
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. 6/9 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
8. 6/15 · Word got aroundA post in a local community said “this place is good.” Customers came in without warning today.
9. An insurance agent dropped byOnly the compulsory cover — The bare minimum. The rest is luck.
10. You are short of moneyHold on — Instead of the bank you called suppliers and asked for a month’s grace. Two said yes, one said no.
11. 7/19 · Card terminal outageThe card terminal died at the busiest hour. You served only customers paying cash.
12. Cash ran outLet an employee go — You paid the last paycheck and severance. The next day the place was one person quieter. You hated the silence.
13. 8/6 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 6%. You redid your prices.
14. 8/13 · Hygiene inspection noticeA hygiene inspection notice arrived from the health department. You started with the fridge temperature log.
15. 8/15 · A loan payment bouncedThe loan payment did not go through. One text from the bank, and your credit grade dropped a notch.
16. Cash ran outTake a credit loan — The rate is 20%. You can breathe, but the interest comes back every month. The repayment schedule in the banking app starts to look like a calendar.
17. 9/23 · A competitor made a moveA nearby competitor started heavy social ads. Search for your shop and their ad comes up first.
18. 10/13 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. $1,655 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is $104,911.
19. 10/27 · 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.
20. 11/25 · More regularsThe same customer came three times this week. “I don’t go anywhere else,” they said.
21. 11/29 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
22. You are short of moneyHold on — You closed the loan papers. Instead you cancelled subscriptions, cut what you could do without and pushed the next payment date. Holding on is also a decision.
23. 12/24 · Minimum wage announcementA minimum wage increase was announced. Payroll and prices have to be recalculated.
24. 12/30 · Word got aroundA post in a local community said “this place is good.” Customers came in without warning today.
25. 1/5 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.26%. The bank is taking another look at your loan terms.
26. 2/19 · Card terminal outageThe card terminal died at the busiest hour. You served only customers paying cash.
27. You are short of moneyHold on — Instead of a loan you opened the household budget. No more eating out; repairs that could wait, waited. Holding on needed a plan too.
28. 3/16 · A family emergencySomething came up in the family. You dropped what you were doing and went over.
29. Cash ran outAsk the landlord to wait — The landlord said, "This once." Ask again next month and the answer will be different.
30. 4/3 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. $1,655 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is $100,940.
31. Cash ran outTake a credit loan — The rate is 20%. You can breathe, but the interest comes back every month. The repayment schedule in the banking app starts to look like a calendar.
32. 5/16 · Street festivalA festival opened nearby. Foot traffic doubled.
33. 5/28 · Hygiene inspection noticeGetting ready for an inspection, you re-labelled every date sticker. It took two hours after closing.
34. How to handle the bad reviewsSend a cease-and-desist letter — The accounts that received the cease-and-desist letter went quiet. It felt less like winning than like spending money and time on a fight.
35. 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.
36. Year 1 closeRevenue $59,017, loss $9,471. Cash $27,928.
37. 2027 · year 2 beginsA Competitor Opened Right Outside
38. 6/11 · More regularsYou now know more than ten customers by name, and you catch yourself asking, “The usual?”
39. 6/21 · The bank asked for documentsThe loan extension paperwork arrived: financial statements and copies of the sales tax returns, please.
40. 6/30 · Loan rate came downThe variable-rate loan followed the central bank down. Monthly payments fell by $14.
41. 7/24 · Word got aroundA post in a local community said “this place is good.” Customers came in without warning today.
42. 8/4 · 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.
43. 8/30 · Equipment stoppedThe technician said a repair would cost nearly as much as a new one. You bought new.
44. You are short of moneyHold on — Instead of the bank you called suppliers and asked for a month’s grace. Two said yes, one said no.
45. 9/5 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
46. 10/12 · Loan payment dayLoan payment day. $2,285 in principal and interest left the account. The balance is $124,872.
47. 10/27 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
48. 11/4 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
49. 11/9 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
50. You are short of moneyHold on — You closed the loan papers. Instead you cancelled subscriptions, cut what you could do without and pushed the next payment date. Holding on is also a decision.
51. 12/7 · Supplier price increaseThe supplier said prices go up 6% from the next order. You need to find another supplier.
52. 12/8 · More regularsThe same customer came three times this week. “I don’t go anywhere else,” they said.
53. 1/15 · Hygiene inspection noticeA hygiene inspection notice arrived from the health department. You started with the fridge temperature log.
54. Cash ran outClose the shop — On the last day you closed the books. The faces of a few regulars came to mind first.

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