NEVER SHIPPED

Document automation for tax offices never shipped · NEVER SHIPPED after 1 yr 6 mo

Lee Chien-hung, 58 · 1 yr 6 mo

“Built for 1 and a half years. Shipped nothing. Beautiful product though.”

What you built was a folder.

You spent NT$586,903 and 1 year and 6 months. Progress never reached 100%. The last commit message reads 'fix later'. A folder remains; a release does not. Cash -NT$72,122, debt NT$0, 0 employees, 0 customers.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openLee Chien-hung, 57. You have decided to try starting a company in Taipei. No idea, no product yet. Savings NT$514,781, no job.
2. 2/2026: what now?Start a business: «Document automation for tax offices» — You are going with «Document automation for tax offices». Still no company, no product. Now find out whether the idea is real.
3. 2026 · year 1 beginsChinese Demand Cooled · US Rates Rose Again
4. 3/2026: what now?Interview 20 people — 11 of 20 said they would pay. 2 only said it would be "nice to have".
5. 3/21 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
6. 4/2026: what now?Decide to build it — You decided to build. Validation ends here.
7. 4/16 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
8. 4/18 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
9. 5/2026: what now?Learn to code as you build — You settled on how to build it.
10. 6/2026: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
11. 7/2026: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
12. 7/11 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.85%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
13. 8/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
14. 8/21 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
15. 9/2026: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
16. 9/28 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe TWD/USD rate rose to 33.12. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
17. 10/2026: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
18. 11/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
19. 12/2026: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
20. 12/8 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
21. 12/26 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
22. 1/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
23. 1/13 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
24. 2/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
25. 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.
26. US Rates Rose AgainSignals of Fed tightening strengthened the dollar, and this country's funding rates followed. When the TWD/USD rate jumped, costing got complicated again for anyone buying imported ingredients or parts.
27. Year 1 closeRevenue NT$0, loss NT$170,803. Cash NT$135,706.
28. 2027 · year 2 beginsConsumption Froze
29. 2/12 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 1.5%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
30. 3/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
31. 4/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
32. 4/14 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
33. 5/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
34. 6/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
35. 7/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.

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