CLOSED

Plus-size fashion store opened · CLOSED after 6 yr 5 mo

Wang Wan-ting, 39 · 6 yr 5 mo

“6+ years as a plus-size fashion store owner: Glad I failed in a simulator first”

I closed after 6 years and 5 months. No debt remained, just 14 customers.

On the last day, you posted the shutdown notice and turned off the servers. Cash NT$17,772, debt NT$0, 0 employees, 14 customers. 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 openWang Wan-ting, 33. You have decided to try starting a company in Taipei. No idea, no product yet. Savings NT$691,436, no job.
2. Debt from day onePersonal debt: NT$5,852 a month for 79 months. It comes out regardless of the company.
3. 3/2026: what now?Start a business: «Plus-size fashion store» — You are going with «Plus-size fashion store». Still no company, no product. Now find out whether the idea is real.
4. 2026 · year 1 beginsChinese Demand Cooled
5. 3/30 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
6. 4/2026: what now?Interview 20 people — 3 of 20 said they would pay. 6 only said it would be "nice to have".
7. 5/2026: what now?Decide to build it — You decided to build. Validation ends here.
8. 5/24 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
9. 6/2026: what now?Build it yourself — You settled on how to build it.
10. 7/2026: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
11. 8/2026: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
12. 9/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
13. 9/13 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
14. 10/2026: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
15. 10/9 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.39%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
16. 11/2026: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
17. 11/17 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
18. 12/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
19. 1/2027: what now?Launch — You pressed launch. 96 sign-ups on day one. You refreshed ten times.
20. 1/7 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
21. 1/11 · The tax went unpaidOn the due date the account was empty. NT$990 went into arrears with a late penalty. It has to be paid as soon as money comes in.
22. 2/2027: what now?Take a job and run it on the side — You rewrote your CV. The interviewer found the startup story interesting.
23. 2/27 · The rush before the long holidayOrders rose ahead of the long holiday. Delivery and stock both became tight at once.
24. A text offering moneyDon’t borrow — You deleted the text. This month’s bills need another way.
25. “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.
26. 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.
27. Year 1 closeRevenue NT$180,223, loss NT$186,087. Cash NT$26,785.
28. 2027 · year 2 beginsFake Investor · US Rates Rose Again
29. 3/23 · Patent warning letterA certified letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
30. 3/25 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $128 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
31. 4/2027: what now?Spread the word through communities and content — 14 new customers this month. Among the new names were people last month’s customers had sent.
32. 4/14 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe TWD/USD rate rose to 34.39. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
33. 4/26 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
34. 5/8 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
35. AI redrew the marketIgnore it — You did not buy the tools. Six months later, a competitor offered the same service at half the price.
36. 6/10 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
37. 6/29 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
38. 7/15 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
39. 7/16 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 2.5%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
40. 8/25 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
41. The “NT$320,000 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.
42. 9/10 · The rush before the long holidayOrders rose ahead of the long holiday. Delivery and stock both became tight at once.
43. 9/13 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 7.11%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
44. 10/15 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe TWD/USD rate rose to 34.39. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
45. 11/14 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $128 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
46. Do you pivot?Push through — You did not pivot. You believed the market was wrong. Six months later, the market still had not answered.
47. 12/12 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
48. 1/14 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 2.5%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
49. 1/23 · Service outageAn alert at 3 a.m.: the disk was full. Fixed before morning; nobody noticed.
50. 2/21 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
51. The competitor made it freePropose a partnership — You partnered with the competitor. They used your feature, and you got their customers. Dependence is convenient and dangerous.
52. Fake InvestorA man who said he would invest presented a contract at a law office. Before sending the principal, though, he asks for a consulting fee of NT$47,000 first. Real investors do not take money first.
53. 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.
54. Year 2 closeRevenue NT$949,491, operating profit NT$270,193. Cash NT$236,707.
55. 2028 · year 3 beginsA Quiet Year
56. 3/8 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
57. 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.
58. 4/14 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
59. 5/23 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
60. 5/26 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
61. How to split equity with a cofounder40% to a technical cofounder — He took 40% and joined. The product moved faster in his hands, and you ran the company with the other 60%. The numbers were clear. The feelings were not.
62. 6/21 · Clash with the cofounderYou argued hard with your cofounder about the product direction. Neither of you backed down.
63. 7/7 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
64. 7/16 · Service outageRight after the deploy, login broke. Restored in forty minutes, but customer messages flooded in.
65. 8/13 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe TWD/USD rate rose to 34.94. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
66. 8/30 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $120 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
67. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You spent on ads and sales. Inquiries went up. The close rate was lower than you expected.
68. 9/25 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
69. 9/29 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 2.4%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
70. 10/30 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
71. 11/22 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
72. 12/17 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
73. 12/30 · Clash with the cofounderYou argued hard with your cofounder about the product direction. Neither of you backed down.
74. 1/22 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
75. 2/9 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
76. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You got back in touch with past customers one by one. A few more customers came, though not as many as the money spent.
77. A Quiet YearNothing much happened. You got up at the same time every day and did the same work. That repetition can build something, or wear a person down.
78. Year 3 closeRevenue NT$675,519, operating profit NT$157,568. Cash NT$457,285.
79. 2029 · year 4 beginsThe Currency Calmed Down
80. 3/8 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe TWD/USD rate rose to 34.93. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
81. 4/4 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
82. 4/6 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
83. 5/8 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
84. An acquisition offer came inSell only part of the equity — You sold 10% of the equity. The company stayed the same, and the account got a little thicker. You put the money into the product.
85. 6/21 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 7.51%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
86. 6/25 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
87. 7/8 · Patent warning letterA certified letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
88. 8/30 · Server bill spikeThe free cloud credits ran out. From this month the bill is the real number.
89. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You raised the search-ad budget. Clicks went up; only some of them bought.
90. 9/27 · Clash with the cofounderYou argued hard with your cofounder about the product direction. Neither of you backed down.
91. 10/6 · The rush before the long holidayOrders rose ahead of the long holiday. Delivery and stock both became tight at once.
92. 10/28 · Service outageRight after the deploy, login broke. Restored in forty minutes, but customer messages flooded in.
93. 11/6 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
94. 11/11 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
95. 12/19 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
96. 12/26 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 7.51%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
97. 1/15 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
98. 2/16 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
99. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You spent on ads and sales. Inquiries went up. The close rate was lower than you expected.
100. The Currency Calmed DownThe dollar's strength eased and the TWD/USD rate came down. Imported material costs fell a little, and anyone paying overseas suppliers could breathe again.
101. Year 4 closeRevenue NT$525,988, operating profit NT$48,484. Cash NT$760,047.
102. 2030 · year 5 beginsA Big Company Launched It for Free
103. 3/7 · Patent warning letterA certified letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
104. 4/12 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
105. 4/16 · Server bill spikeThe free cloud credits ran out. From this month the bill is the real number.
106. 5/15 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
107. 5/26 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe TWD/USD rate rose to 35.02. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
108. 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.
109. 6/25 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
110. 6/28 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
111. 7/14 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.6%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
112. 8/21 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
113. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You got back in touch with past customers one by one. A few more customers came, though not as many as the money spent.
114. 9/7 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
115. 9/29 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
116. 10/4 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
117. 10/7 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
118. 11/19 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
119. 12/12 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
120. 12/27 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
121. 1/12 · Server bill spikeThe free cloud credits ran out. From this month the bill is the real number.
122. 2/23 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.6%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
123. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You raised the search-ad budget. Clicks went up; only some of them bought.
124. A Big Company Launched It for FreeA large company started giving away a similar feature for free. Sales says to cut the price; engineering says your product is better. Customers are listening to neither.
125. Year 5 closeRevenue NT$335,917, loss NT$80,725. Cash NT$569,414.
126. 2031 · year 6 beginsSecurity Incident · The Tech Investment Cycle Came Back
127. 3/16 · Service outageAn alert at 3 a.m.: the disk was full. Fixed before morning; nobody noticed.
128. 3/29 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe TWD/USD rate rose to 35.75. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
129. 4/6 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
130. 5/25 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
131. 5/27 · Clash with the cofounderYou argued hard with your cofounder about the product direction. Neither of you backed down.
132. Taiwan e-invoice dutyPut it off — You paid the fine. The system can wait until next quarter, you decided.
133. 6/4 · Churn roseCancellations this week were double the usual. Many customers abandoned the payment page.
134. 6/16 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
135. 7/9 · Server bill spikeA test server you forgot to switch off had been running all month.
136. 7/21 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
137. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You spent on ads and sales. Inquiries went up. The close rate was lower than you expected.
138. 9/23 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
139. 9/28 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
140. 10/16 · Patent warning letterA certified letter arrived claiming possible patent infringement. A lawyer needs to review it.
141. 11/4 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
142. 12/14 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 6.39%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
143. 1/6 · Server bill spikeThe free cloud credits ran out. From this month the bill is the real number.
144. 1/13 · Service outageRight after the deploy, login broke. Restored in forty minutes, but customer messages flooded in.
145. 2/4 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
146. 2/26 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
147. Priorities for the next three monthsGrow revenue — You got back in touch with past customers one by one. A few more customers came, though not as many as the money spent.
148. Security IncidentA report came in that customer data had been exposed. The cause was an API built in a hurry three years ago. Trust takes three years to build and three hours to lose.
149. 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.
150. Year 6 closeRevenue NT$240,055, loss NT$167,202. Cash NT$197,309.
151. 2032 · year 7 beginsA Competitor Copied You
152. 3/15 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
153. 4/18 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
154. 5/3 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
155. 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.
156. 6/10 · Clash with the cofounderYou argued hard with your cofounder about the product direction. Neither of you backed down.
157. 6/12 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe TWD/USD rate rose to 34.85. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
158. 7/18 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
159. 7/7 · A baby arrivedYou and Pin-jui welcomed a baby. Up three times a night. Living costs went up by NT$6,326 a month.
160. 7/24 · An outbreakAn outbreak is in the news every day. People are staying home.
161. The baby is hereHire help — The helper arrived. Four hours of unbroken sleep, finally.
162. The runway is running outShut it down — You cancelled the last subscriptions and turned off the servers. When the laptop closed, the room went quiet.

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