Figured I’d talk about that mess last year when I tried starting my own thing. Got laid off first. Pretty much screwed. Sent out maybe, what, two hundred resumes? Nobody bit. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Panic mode, for real. Bills piling up, fridge getting emptier. Wife looked stressed. Had to do something.
Just Started Messing Around
Didn’t even know what to sell. Seriously. Looked around my shed. Saw a bunch of old bike parts. Thought maybe I could make something custom. Fixed up my nephew’s busted BMX bike handlebars first. Looked awful. Took forever. Like, hours just for one bar. But hey, I made it work. Took a picture. Terrible lighting. Posted it anyway.
Next day? Got one comment: “Ugly as hell, mate.” Almost quit right there. But then some local guy messaged, “How much for one?”. Charged him fifty bucks. Took me four hours. Basically worked for peanuts. Lost money probably. Felt stupid.
Learning By Screwing Up
Kept at it. Slowly got faster. Made a page online. Just free stuff:
- Took pics with my phone on a white sheet
- Wrote dumb descriptions like “Cool handlebars!”
- Asked friends to share. Three did. One aunt complained it crashed her phone.
Sold two more sets. Better pics now. Used natural light outside. Made five hundred bucks total that month. Barely covered groceries. You’d think profits would be exciting. Nope. Mostly just tired fingers.
Stumbling Into Actual Business
Got lucky. My wife’s cousin knew this guy who owned a cafe. Needed a custom bike rack out front. Said he’d pay five grand if it looked decent. Panicked. Borrowed tools from my neighbor. Worked sixteen-hour days for two weeks straight. Hands bleeding twice. Looked okay? Installed it myself.
Cafe owner smiled. Paid cash. Biggest check I’d ever held.
- Put half back into materials
- Bought decent sandpaper finally
- Paid internet bill six months ahead
Where It’s At Now
Still not fancy. Just me and a part-time kid packing orders. Garage is workshop. Kitchen table is “office.”
Hard lessons:
- Nobody cares about your perfect “business plan.”
- Your first customers will find you through weird luck
- Expect people to trash your work online. Happens
- Profit comes slow. Grinding slow
So yeah. Started with desperation. Just build one thing. Show one person. Repeat until too tired. Then repeat more. Don’t quit after the first idiot calls it ugly.
