CLOSED

Marketplace household-goods seller opened · CLOSED after 1 yr 5 mo

Tyler Wilson, 38 · 1 yr 5 mo

“Worst month: lost $3.6K. I still remember that month.”

I closed after 1 year and 5 months. What remained was $48,952 in debt and 13 regulars.

On the last day, you posted a closing notice on the store’s front page. Cash $6,951, debt $48,952, 0 employees, 129 customers. You packed the last order, sent it off and closed the laptop. The business failed, but that time did not disappear.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openTyler Wilson, 37. You have decided to try starting a company in Midwest. No idea, no product yet. Savings $74,279, no job.
2. 7/2026: what now?Start a business: «Marketplace household-goods seller» — You are going with «Marketplace household-goods seller». Next: who works with you.
3. Who starts it with you?Part-timers for the busy days only — Two students took turns. Both told you their exam weeks in advance. You were grateful.
4. 2026 · year 1 beginsUS Rates Rose Again
5. 7/29 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
6. 8/8 · Word got aroundA post in a local community said “this place is good.” Customers came in without warning today.
7. 8/16 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $132 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
8. 9/11 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
9. 9/26 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
10. 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.
11. 10/27 · Supplier price increaseThe supplier said prices go up 5% from the next order. You need to find another supplier.
12. 11/12 · Equipment stoppedThe technician said a repair would cost nearly as much as a new one. You bought new.
13. 11/15 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
14. 12/9 · Minimum wage announcementA minimum wage increase was announced. Payroll and prices have to be recalculated.
15. Financing approvedsmall business SBA 7(a) loan $50,000 · 6.5%/yr · 84 months
16. You are short of moneyApply for the SBA 7(a) loan — You rewrote the business plan. The officer at SBA (Small Business Administration) spent longer on cash flow and repayment than on revenue. The answer arrives by post. small business SBA 7(a) loan $50,000 approved.
17. 1/12 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
18. 2/13 · A family emergencyAn urgent call from a sibling. You were away for half a day.
19. 3/6 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $132 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
20. 3/26 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
21. “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.
22. 4/9 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
23. 5/5 · An employee quitAn employee said this month would be their last. The warehouse nearby pays more an hour.
24. A gap opened in the rotaMake an urgent replacement hire — You hired the person who laughed most in the interview. Customers learned their name before you did.
25. 6/12 · Supplier price increaseThe delivery driver said a freight charge starts next week. In effect, a 9% rise.
26. 6/29 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. Year 1 closeRevenue $35,101, loss $39,704. Cash $33,895.
30. 2027 · year 2 beginsAn Employee Quit · Global Energy Prices Surged
31. 7/6 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
32. 7/20 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
33. Someone else has quitMake an urgent replacement hire — The recruiting fee was spent, but no suitable candidate was found.
34. 8/26 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
35. 8/30 · Equipment stoppedThe technician said a repair would cost nearly as much as a new one. You bought new.
36. 8/25 · A baby arrivedYou and Ava welcomed a baby. Up three times a night. Living costs went up by $587 a month.
37. The baby is hereGo straight back to work — Behind you, as you left for work, the baby was crying.
38. 9/7 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $144 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
39. 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.
40. 10/18 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 1.0%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
41. 11/7 · The bank asked for documentsYour bank contact changed. The new one asked for the past year’s statements again.
42. 11/13 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.88%. The bank is taking another look at your loan terms.
43. 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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