SURVIVOR

Marketplace household-goods seller survived 7 yr · SURVIVOR

Jung Seung-woo, 46 · 7 yr

“My revenue chart looks like a heart monitor 🙃”

Not success, but still here. Year 7.

7 years in, the store still takes orders. The store pays well, and 594 customers keep coming back. After ads and fees, $316,694 a year is left. You do not call it success. You just say you are still here.

How it went

1. 2026 · preparing to openJung Seung-woo, 40. You have decided to try starting a company in Austin. No idea, no product yet. Savings $60,691, employed ($4,334 a month).
2. 12/2026: what now?Start a business: «Marketplace household-goods seller» — You are going with «Marketplace household-goods seller». Next: who works with you.
3. First, the right to stayGet an investor visa — It took three months, and two extra trips for one missing form. The day the residence card arrived, you finally felt like a business owner here.
4. Who starts it with you?Do it alone for now — Opening week, you ate lunch standing up. Week two, you forgot to eat.
5. 2026 · year 1 beginsUS Rates Rose Again
6. 12/14 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
7. 12/20 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
8. 1/5 · Oil reached the cost baseBrent rose to $124 a barrel. Quotes for packaging and freight are not what they were last month. You redid the cost sheet.
9. 2/22 · A family emergencyThe school called about your child. You left the work in other hands and rushed over.
10. How to handle the bad reviewsA careful reply and a return coupon — A customer read the reply and came back. "I came because of the review," they said. That line stayed longer than the bad reviews.
11. 3/25 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 4%. You redid your prices.
12. 4/7 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
13. 5/18 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
14. 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.
15. 6/20 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
16. 7/15 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
17. 8/9 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
18. Priorities for the next three monthsTake care of people — You took a whole day off and left the phone in a drawer. The next day the work weighed a little less.
19. 9/10 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
20. 9/21 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 6%. You redid your prices.
21. 10/3 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
22. 11/11 · A family emergencySomething came up in the family. You dropped what you were doing and went over.
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 $589,423, operating profit $118,907. Cash $117,380.
25. 2027 · year 2 beginsMarketplace fees rise · Rates Rose
26. 12/13 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
27. 1/19 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
28. Demand is outrunning the teamHire one employee — You hired the person who laughed most in the interview. Customers learned their name before you did.
29. 3/5 · Equipment stoppedThe technician said a repair would cost nearly as much as a new one. You bought new.
30. 3/17 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
31. 4/24 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
32. 5/14 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 8%. You redid your prices.
33. Raise the service standardDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
34. 6/23 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
35. 7/11 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
36. 7/25 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
37. 8/18 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.8%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
38. AI redrew the marketIgnore it — You did not buy the tools. Six months later, a competitor offered the same service at half the price.
39. 9/20 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
40. 10/17 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
41. 11/8 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
42. 11/12 · The rush before the long holidayOrders rose ahead of the long holiday. Delivery and stock both became tight at once.
43. Staffing up before peak seasonDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
44. Marketplace fees riseAmazon raised its seller fee by two points. Orders held steady, but less is left on each one. Without the platform there are no customers; inside it there is no margin.
45. Rates RoseMarket rates rose. Variable-rate loans cost more, and so does any new borrowing. More people stood at bank counters tapping calculators.
46. Year 2 closeRevenue $702,817, operating profit $71,379. Cash $128,600.
47. 2028 · year 3 beginsA Quiet Year
48. 12/11 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 7%. You redid your prices.
49. 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.
50. 1/18 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
51. 2/3 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
52. Demand is outrunning the teamDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
53. 3/11 · A family emergencySomething came up in the family. You dropped what you were doing and went over.
54. 4/10 · Down sickA sore throat and a fever. You got through the day in a mask.
55. 5/17 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.7%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
56. Do you raise prices?Raise prices 10% — The day you changed the price tags, one regular said, "That is a big jump." He came back the next week. Another did not.
57. 6/4 · Supplier price increaseThe supplier said prices go up 9% from the next order. You need to find another supplier.
58. 6/14 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
59. 7/20 · Your mentorYour mentor sent a link to an article. “This sounded like you.”
60. 7/29 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
61. 8/30 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
62. The competitor cut pricesCut prices with them — The first week after the cut, customers came back. The second week, the competitor cut deeper. Nobody knows where this ends.
63. 9/27 · An employee quitAn employee said this month would be their last. The warehouse nearby pays more an hour.
64. A gap opened in the rotaDefer for free — For now the people left will cover it. The day got longer by one person.
65. 10/20 · A family emergencyAn urgent call from a sibling. You were away for half a day.
66. 11/20 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
67. How to hire the first employeeTough it out alone — You worked open to close alone. Three months later, you slept for ten minutes in front of the register.
68. 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.
69. Year 3 closeRevenue $924,371, operating profit $187,228. Cash $246,806.
70. 2029 · year 4 beginsChinese Demand Cooled
71. 12/3 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
72. 12/19 · Equipment stoppedThe technician said a repair would cost nearly as much as a new one. You bought new.
73. 1/11 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
74. 1/25 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
75. 2/27 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 8%. You redid your prices.
76. Demand is outrunning the teamHire one employee — There were a few mistakes in the first week. From the second week you had time to rest.
77. 3/17 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
78. 4/6 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
79. 5/18 · An employee quitAn employee said this month would be their last. The warehouse nearby pays more an hour.
80. Someone else has quitMake an urgent replacement hire — You hired the person who laughed most in the interview. Customers learned their name before you did.
81. 6/13 · A family emergencyThe school called about your child. You left the work in other hands and rushed over.
82. 6/23 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
83. 7/10 · Your mentorLunch with an old mentor. “Forget the numbers. Are you sleeping?”
84. 7/28 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
85. 8/3 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
86. 8/22 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
87. 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.
88. 9/5 · Supplier price increaseThe delivery driver said a freight charge starts next week. In effect, a 7% rise.
89. 10/7 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
90. 11/19 · An employee quitAn employee said this month would be their last. The warehouse nearby pays more an hour.
91. One pair of hands short at the rushDefer for free — On short days you closed early. A few customers who came at that hour went elsewhere.
92. 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.
93. Year 4 closeRevenue $793,581, operating profit $119,797. Cash $285,945.
94. 2030 · year 5 beginsSupplier Fraud
95. 12/20 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
96. 1/11 · Minimum wage announcementA minimum wage increase was announced. Payroll and prices have to be recalculated.
97. 2/5 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
98. 2/12 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
99. How to handle the fraudGo find them yourself — The door was locked. You stood in front of it for thirty minutes. On the way back, you knew nothing had been solved.
100. 3/13 · FamilyAt dinner nobody brought up work. You understood that was a kindness.
101. 3/22 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
102. 4/26 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.6%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
103. 5/4 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 4%. You redid your prices.
104. Hiring againDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
105. 6/8 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
106. 7/4 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
107. 7/24 · A family emergencySomething came up in the family. You dropped what you were doing and went over.
108. 8/10 · HeatwaveA heat warning. The air conditioning ran all day. The electricity bill is on your mind.
109. 8/16 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
110. Demand is outrunning the teamHire one employee — The recruiting fee was spent, but no suitable candidate was found.
111. 9/6 · Down sickYou came down with something. You took medicine and pushed through, but could not concentrate.
112. 9/22 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
113. 11/10 · Supplier price increaseThe delivery driver said a freight charge starts next week. In effect, a 6% rise.
114. The first cushionKeep it as a reserve — You opened a separate account. Every time you checked the balance, your shoulders dropped a little.
115. Supplier FraudYou sent the deposit, and the goods never arrived. The contact number no longer exists, and the contract has no business registration number. "I trusted them" is not evidence in court.
116. Year 5 closeRevenue $659,892, operating profit $137,730. Cash $338,791.
117. 2031 · year 6 beginsThe Tech Investment Cycle Came Back
118. 12/21 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
119. 12/22 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
120. 1/17 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
121. 1/28 · FamilyYour family packed you lunch. The note said, “Eat properly.”
122. 2/24 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
123. 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.
124. 3/23 · Overseas orders came backGlobal growth rose to 3.5%. An overseas partner was the first to ask about next quarter’s volume.
125. 5/6 · Supplier price increaseThe delivery driver said a freight charge starts next week. In effect, a 5% rise.
126. 5/29 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
127. Hiring againDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
128. 6/3 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
129. 7/18 · A signal from your bodyYour chest felt tight, so you went to the emergency room. The result was “overwork.”
130. 8/26 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
131. Demand is outrunning the teamDefer for free — You spent nothing and will reconsider at another opportunity.
132. 9/24 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
133. 10/20 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
134. 10/27 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
135. Priorities for the next three monthsCut costs — You ended a lease on equipment nobody used. The monthly outgoings felt a little lighter.
136. 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.
137. Year 6 closeRevenue $690,334, operating profit $148,503. Cash $408,310.
138. 2032 · year 7 beginsReview Bombing
139. 12/11 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
140. 1/6 · Supplier price increaseThe delivery driver said a freight charge starts next week. In effect, a 4% rise.
141. 2/20 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
142. 3/4 · A price warA seller with the same product cut the price by 10%. Your listing slipped a place in search.
143. 5/20 · Down sickDay three of a cold that will not lift. No time to see a doctor.
144. Hiring againHire one employee — A new colleague joined. Work is shared, but payroll and onboarding are now recurring responsibilities.
145. 6/11 · Your mentorAn old mentor called. “What scares you most right now?” they asked.
146. 7/9 · Supplier price increaseA new price list came from the supplier: your most-used items are up 3%. You redid your prices.
147. 7/11 · Equipment stoppedA key machine broke. Three days for the part to arrive; you did it by hand until then.
148. 8/5 · Reviews piled upThree one-star reviews with the same wording appeared in one day. You could not tell whether they were customers or a competitor.
149. 8/27 · FamilyYou talked with your family for a long time. Someone said, “You come before the money.”
150. Demand is outrunning the teamHire one employee — There were a few mistakes in the first week. From the second week you had time to rest.
151. 9/6 · Records requested by the tax officeIRS requested records for credit card sales and cash sales. You opened the books again.
152. 9/16 · An employee quitAn employee said this month would be their last. The warehouse nearby pays more an hour.
153. Someone else has quitMake an urgent replacement hire — There were a few mistakes in the first week. From the second week you had time to rest.
154. 10/23 · Repeat buyersMore customers placed a second and a third order. One wrote in the note: “Counting on you again.”
155. 11/26 · A family emergencySomething came up in the family. You dropped what you were doing and went over.
156. Year seven: what now?Keep the store you have — You decided to keep the store you have. It is not a big success, but you can keep taking orders and sending boxes.

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