ZOMBIE

Document automation for tax offices survived 7 yr · ZOMBIE

Ethan Rodriguez, 50 · 7 yr

“Honest review: Hard, but I’d do it again. It’s mine.”

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 $334,448, debt $0, 0 employees, 10 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 openEthan Rodriguez, 44. You have decided to try starting a company in Austin. No idea, no product yet. Savings $99,753, employed ($7,807 a month).
2. 5/2026: 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 beginsUS Rates Rose Again
4. 5/5 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.90%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
5. 6/2026: what now?Interview 20 people — 5 of 20 said they would pay. 4 only said it would be "nice to have".
6. 6/23 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
7. 7/2026: what now?Decide to build it — You decided to build. Validation ends here.
8. 7/24 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
9. 8/2026: what now?Build it yourself — You settled on how to build it.
10. 8/11 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
11. 9/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
12. 10/2026: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
13. 10/6 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
14. 11/2026: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
15. 12/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
16. 12/5 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
17. 1/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
18. 2/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
19. 3/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
20. 3/22 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
21. 4/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
22. 5/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
23. US Rates Rose AgainSignals of Fed tightening strengthened the dollar, and this country's funding rates followed. When the USD rate jumped, costing got complicated again for anyone buying imported ingredients or parts.
24. Year 1 closeRevenue $0, loss $9,157. Your salary put in $39,819; cash $130,087.
25. 2027 · year 2 beginsRates Rose
26. 6/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
27. 6/5 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
28. 7/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
29. 7/9 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
30. 7/21 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
31. 8/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
32. 8/7 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
33. 9/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
34. 10/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
35. 11/2027: what now?Launch — You pressed launch. 0 sign-ups on day one. You refreshed ten times.
36. 11/20 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
37. 12/2027: what now?Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
38. 12/27 · Service outageAn alert at 3 a.m.: the disk was full. Fixed before morning; nobody noticed.
39. 12/29 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
40. 1/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
41. 1/22 · Patent warning letterA cease-and-desist letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
42. AI redrew the marketAdopt fully — You learned the new tools. The same work took half the time, and the quote got smaller. It cost a few nights of learning.
43. 2/16 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
44. 3/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
45. 3/8 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
46. 3/19 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
47. 4/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
48. The “$20,000 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.
49. Rates RoseMarket rates rose. Variable-rate loans cost more, and so does any new borrowing. More people stood at bank counters tapping calculators.
50. Year 2 closeRevenue $5,999, loss $12,103. Your salary put in $39,819; cash $147,514.
51. 2028 · year 3 beginsThe Tech Investment Cycle Came Back
52. 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.
53. 6/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
54. 6/11 · Server bill spikeThe free cloud credits ran out. From this month the bill is the real number.
55. 6/24 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
56. 7/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
57. 7/16 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
58. 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.
59. 8/8 · Service outageAn alert at 3 a.m.: the disk was full. Fixed before morning; nobody noticed.
60. 8/15 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
61. 9/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
62. 9/18 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
63. 10/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
64. 10/24 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.64%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
65. Do you pivot?Full pivot — Half the existing customers left. The new customers have not arrived. The only thing left in the meeting room was the question of whether this was right.
66. 11/7 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
67. 11/29 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
68. 12/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
69. 12/21 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
70. 1/2029: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
71. 1/10 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
72. The competitor made it freeFocus on differentiated features — You built a feature the large company would struggle to copy. Customers stayed for that one feature.
73. 2/11 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
74. 2/15 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
75. 3/2029: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
76. 4/2029: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
77. 4/16 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
78. 4/22 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
79. “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.
80. The Tech Investment Cycle Came BackSpending on AI infrastructure and software increased, and chip and IT export figures improved. Even with recession talk everywhere, only technology budgets were moving in another direction.
81. Year 3 closeRevenue $15,475, loss $13,074. Your salary put in $39,819; cash $154,385.
82. 2029 · year 4 beginsInvestor Meeting · Global Energy Prices Surged
83. 6/2029: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
84. 6/7 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.79%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
85. 6/27 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
86. 7/2029: what now?Incorporate — The company is registered. Your business card now says CEO.
87. Priorities for the next three monthsImprove quality — You fixed the small annoyances one by one. Customers did not mention the change, but they came back.
88. 8/25 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
89. 9/2029: what now?Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
90. 9/9 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
91. 10/2029: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
92. 10/6 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
93. 11/8 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
94. 12/2029: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
95. 12/18 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
96. 1/2030: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
97. 1/6 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
98. 1/14 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
99. Priorities for the next three monthsImprove quality — You rewrote the notices around the questions people ask most. The same questions dropped off noticeably.
100. 2/5 · Patent warning letterA cease-and-desist letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
101. 2/19 · Service outageRight after the deploy, login broke. Restored in forty minutes, but customer messages flooded in.
102. 3/2030: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
103. 4/10 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
104. 4/14 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
105. Investor MeetingAn investor who said they were interested booked a meeting. The questions were sharp. "Why this market, why now?" You gave the answer you had prepared for 30 minutes, and the investor nodded.
106. 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.
107. Year 4 closeRevenue $53,329, operating profit $12,586. Cash $200,262.
108. 2030 · year 5 beginsPatent Dispute
109. 5/4 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.88%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
110. 6/15 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
111. 6/19 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 4.3%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
112. 7/18 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
113. Priorities for the next three monthsImprove quality — You reread the complaint log from the start and fixed the most common one this month.
114. 8/20 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
115. 10/21 · Server bill spikeTraffic grew, and the server bill came in far above what you expected.
116. 10/23 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
117. 11/12 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.88%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
118. 1/5 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
119. Your biggest customer is leavingLet them go and focus on the rest — You sent the last invoice. Next month the revenue chart fell off a cliff.
120. 2/4 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
121. 3/5 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
122. 4/12 · Service outageRight after the deploy, login broke. Restored in forty minutes, but customer messages flooded in.
123. 4/22 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
124. Priorities for the next three monthsImprove quality — You fixed the small annoyances one by one. Customers did not mention the change, but they came back.
125. Patent DisputeA company you had never heard of claimed patent infringement and sent a cease-and-desist letter. The settlement demand is $7,826. Litigation would take two years.
126. Year 5 closeRevenue $104,644, operating profit $17,455. Cash $247,495.
127. 2031 · year 6 beginsYou Found a Mentor
128. 5/10 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
129. 6/14 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
130. 7/4 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.8%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
131. 8/20 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
132. 9/7 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
133. 9/19 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
134. 10/6 · Service outageRight after the deploy, login broke. Restored in forty minutes, but customer messages flooded in.
135. Priorities for the next three monthsImprove quality — You rewrote the notices around the questions people ask most. The same questions dropped off noticeably.
136. 11/12 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
137. 11/21 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
138. 12/3 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
139. 12/15 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
140. 2/15 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.8%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
141. 2/25 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
142. Priorities for the next three monthsImprove quality — You reread the complaint log from the start and fixed the most common one this month.
143. You Found a MentorAn industry senior offered to buy coffee. He told you, "I went under back then because I did not know this." Advice is free, but listening takes humility.
144. Year 6 closeRevenue $100,343, operating profit $13,189. Cash $296,229.
145. 2032 · year 7 beginsChinese Demand Cooled · A Competitor Copied You
146. 5/27 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 2.3%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
147. 6/13 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
148. 7/7 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
149. 7/19 · Service outageAn alert at 3 a.m.: the disk was full. Fixed before morning; nobody noticed.
150. 8/14 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
151. 8/30 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
152. 8/5 · PandemicThe government announced opening-hour limits and a ban on gatherings. The streets emptied.
153. 9/16 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
154. 10/4 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
155. Priorities for the next three monthsImprove quality — You fixed the small annoyances one by one. Customers did not mention the change, but they came back.
156. 11/11 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
157. 1/16 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
158. 2/11 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
159. 3/3 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 2.3%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
160. 3/15 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
161. 4/12 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
162. 4/23 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
163. 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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