Back to a job

Class & attendance SaaS for academies opened · Back to a job after 3 yr 3 mo

Choi Ji-yu, 46 · 3 yr 3 mo

“Spent my whole job interview talking about my failed startup 😭”

Payday came back. My own decisions did not.

After 3 years and 3 months you wound down your Class & attendance SaaS for academies and rewrote your CV. The interviewer found your “founder experience” interesting; the salary was lower than you hoped. Cash ₩10,295,193, debt ₩0, 0 employees, 6 customers. On the first payday, money simply arriving in the account felt strange. You still stop scrolling whenever a product like yours launches.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openChoi Ji-yu, 43. You have decided to try starting a company in Daegu. No idea, no product yet. Savings ₩68,620,000, employed (₩3,560,000 a month).
2. Debt from day onePersonal debt: ₩320,000 a month for 40 months. It comes out regardless of the company.
3. 4/2026: what now?Start a business: «Class & attendance SaaS for academies» — You are going with «Class & attendance SaaS for academies». Still no company, no product. Now find out whether the idea is real.
4. 2026 · year 1 beginsUS Rates Rose Again
5. 4/24 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe KRW/USD rate rose to 1,388. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
6. 5/2026: what now?Interview 20 people — 5 of 20 said they would pay. 4 only said it would be "nice to have".
7. 5/21 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.53%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
8. 6/2026: what now?Decide to build it — You decided to build. Validation ends here.
9. 7/2026: what now?Build it yourself — You settled on how to build it.
10. 7/12 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
11. 7/26 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
12. 8/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
13. 9/2026: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
14. 10/2026: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
15. 10/6 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
16. 11/2026: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
17. 11/14 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
18. 12/2026: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
19. 1/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
20. 1/21 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe KRW/USD rate rose to 1,388. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
21. 2/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
22. 2/22 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.53%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
23. 3/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
24. 4/2027: what now?Apply: Pre-Startup Package (K-Startup) — You passed the paperwork stage but were not selected. Now you wait for the next call.
25. US Rates Rose AgainSignals of Fed tightening strengthened the dollar, and this country's funding rates followed. When the KRW/USD rate jumped, costing got complicated again for anyone buying imported ingredients or parts.
26. Year 1 closeRevenue ₩0, loss ₩7,680,000. Cash ₩59,040,000.
27. 2027 · year 2 beginsThe Currency Calmed Down
28. 4/3 · A competitor movedA big company bolted a similar feature onto its product, free. More customers now ask, “How are you different?”
29. 4/27 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
30. 5/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
31. 6/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
32. 6/17 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
33. 7/2027: what now?Keep building — What you built today, you fixed tomorrow. Progress still went up.
34. 7/16 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
35. 8/2027: what now?Keep building — You crossed three lines off the list. Two new ones appeared.
36. 8/4 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
37. 9/2027: what now?Keep building — Another month the same way. Progress crept up.
38. 9/11 · Funding costs rose againThe US 10-year yield rose to 5.76%. Investors recalculated valuations, and the bank asked for more collateral.
39. 10/2027: what now?Launch — You pressed launch. 1 sign-ups on day one. You refreshed ten times.
40. 10/30 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
41. 11/2027: what now?Spread the word through communities and content — No new customers this month. The channel has to change.
42. 11/24 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
43. 11/27 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe KRW/USD rate rose to 1,365. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
44. 12/2027: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
45. 12/12 · Service outageAn alert at 3 a.m.: the disk was full. Fixed before morning; nobody noticed.
46. 12/16 · Global growth forecasts fellWith the IMF and World Bank forecasts diverging, global growth came down to 2.3%. Replies to overseas inquiries got slower.
47. AI redrew the marketAdopt partially — You handed over a couple of repetitive jobs. A small change, but the weekly overtime shrank one hour at a time.
48. 1/10 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
49. 2/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
50. 2/5 · Demo dayYou presented at demo day. The questions were sharp, but the applause sounded genuine.
51. 3/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
52. 3/17 · A competitor movedA competitor shipped the feature you were preparing, first. Their price is lower.
53. The “₩20,000,000 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.
54. The Currency Calmed DownThe dollar's strength eased and the KRW/USD rate came down. Imported material costs fell a little, and anyone paying overseas suppliers could breathe again.
55. Year 2 closeRevenue ₩2,199,180, loss ₩12,721,595. Cash ₩40,718,405.
56. 2028 · year 3 beginsConsumption Froze
57. 4/13 · Server bill spikeTraffic grew, and the server bill came in far above what you expected.
58. 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.
59. 5/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
60. 5/8 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
61. 6/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
62. 6/3 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
63. 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.
64. 7/3 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
65. 7/25 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe KRW/USD rate rose to 1,375. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
66. 8/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 2 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
67. 8/21 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
68. 9/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
69. 9/22 · Personal data requestA customer asked for disclosure and deletion of their personal data. You checked the procedure again.
70. 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.
71. 10/18 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
72. 10/19 · Security vulnerabilityAn outside researcher reported a vulnerability. You have to check whether personal data leaked.
73. 11/2028: what now?Keep going — Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
74. 11/12 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
75. 11/18 · Covered in an articleAn industry outlet wrote about the product. Sign-up inquiries rose a little.
76. 12/2028: what now?Incorporate — The company is registered. Your business card now says CEO.
77. 12/24 · An investor showed interestAn investor asked for a meeting next week. “I want a closer look at who is building this,” they said.
78. 12/27 · A competitor movedA company solving the same problem announced a funding round. Nobody in the comments mentioned you.
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. 1/4 · The exchange rate pushed up import billsThe KRW/USD rate rose to 1,375. Servers and subscriptions billed in dollars cost more.
81. 2/2029: what now?Spread the word through communities and content — 1 new customers this month. Few enough to know each one by name.
82. 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.
83. 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.
84. Consumption FrozeMore people cut card spending and nights out. The streets are quiet even at weekends. A recession reaches the takings before it reaches the news.
85. Year 3 closeRevenue ₩11,467,174, loss ₩12,271,173. Cash ₩15,077,232.
86. 2029 · year 4 beginsChinese Demand Cooled · Fake Investor
87. 4/8 · Server bill spikeTraffic grew, and the server bill came in far above what you expected.
88. 4/28 · Service outageThe payment processor went down for two hours. Not your fault, but you wrote the apology.
89. 5/2029: what now?Fix retention — You asked five departed customers why. The answer was trust, not features.
90. 5/6 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
91. 5/23 · Demo dayYou presented at demo day. The questions were sharp, but the applause sounded genuine.
92. 6/2029: what now?Keep going — Fix retention — You asked five departed customers why. The answer was trust, not features.
93. 6/17 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
94. Keep going like this?Wind it down and take a job — You added one line, “founder”, to your CV. On your first day, nobody asked you to decide anything.

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