CLOSED

Automatic video dubbing & translation AI opened · CLOSED after 1 yr 7 mo

Ethan Nguyen, 34 · 1 yr 7 mo

“The idea wasn’t the problem. I was.”

I closed after 1 year and 7 months. No debt remained, just 1 customer.

On the last day, you posted the shutdown notice and turned off the servers. Cash $6,025, debt $0, 0 employees, 1 customer. You settled the last bills and closed the laptop. The business failed, but that time did not disappear.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openEthan Nguyen, 33. You have decided to try starting a company in Bay Area. No idea, no product yet. Savings $66,307, employed ($3,336 a month).
2. 7/2026: what now?Start a business: «Automatic video dubbing & translation AI» — You are going with «Automatic video dubbing & translation AI». Still no company, no product. Now find out whether the idea is real.
3. 2026 · year 1 beginsChinese Demand Cooled
4. 7/7 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
5. 7/14 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
6. 8/2026: what now?Interview 20 people — 4 of 20 said they would pay. 6 only said it would be "nice to have".
7. 8/4 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.31%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
8. 9/2026: what now?Decide to build it — You decided to build. Validation ends here.
9. 10/2026: what now?Build it yourself — You settled on how to build it.
10. 11/2026: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
11. 12/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
12. 1/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
13. 1/5 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
14. 2/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
15. 2/19 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
16. 3/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
17. 3/25 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
18. 4/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
19. 4/18 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.31%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
20. 5/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
21. 6/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
22. 6/10 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
23. 7/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
24. 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.
25. Year 1 closeRevenue $0, loss $23,478. Cash $39,173.
26. 2027 · year 2 beginsGlobal Energy Prices Surged
27. 8/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
28. 9/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
29. 9/13 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
30. 9/20 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
31. 10/2027: what now?Quit your job — You quit. The next morning, not having to go to work felt strange.
32. 11/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
33. 11/14 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
34. 12/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
35. 1/2028: what now?Launch — You pressed launch. 1 sign-ups on day one. You refreshed ten times.
36. 1/16 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
37. 1/21 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 1.8%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
38. 2/2028: what now?Shut it down — You decided to stop here.

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