#164 Business difficulties (27/07/2025)

I recently had a chat with a female friend who has been running her own business for about six months. She said she realized that there is a big difference between "working for someone" and "starting a business". Before, although there were many unexpected things, at least different people were responsible for different things, and not everything could go wrong. Instead, you had to handle everything yourself. But she said that now that she is starting a business, she can work 24 hours a day without stopping, and problems can pop up from who knows where and need to be dealt with immediately.

While I don't think it's quite like working 24 hours a day, the latter part of the statement—that there are always more problems every day—is true. It takes a long time to gradually solve these problems one by one and finally start to stabilize. I still have various problems to solve, but it's significantly less than in the beginning, because you're always working on them and solving them one by one. Of course, there will definitely be many times when it feels difficult and tiring, and you might want to give up, but if you persevere, you'll get through it.

However, once you pass one level, there's another. The challenges won't end so quickly, just like life, where you have to overcome one level after another.

Over the past six months, a recurring reminder has been that I cannot continue at the current scale in the long run. Sometimes, everyone has moments when they feel that, considering all aspects, they've already achieved what they want to do, so it's best to continue as is, without expansion or further progress, just keeping things roughly the same – but this is something that will never happen. It's like saying, "I'll find the right time to prepare before I start," there will never be a right time, just as it's never possible to "keep things at the same level" – it just never happens. But the most difficult decision is what to do next. About a year ago, I mentioned a senior colleague who planned to expand into overseas markets. When we met recently, he seemed quite worried because overseas markets are truly difficult, leaving him somewhat uncertain about his next move. Another senior business owner, focused on the local market, has significantly expanded their business in recent years, but is also facing the challenges of a sluggish Hong Kong retail market, having already opened numerous shops, which presents its own set of difficulties. Yet another senior business owner has decided to "stay put" and refrain from further expansion in the current market, focusing instead on maintaining existing operations and adjusting cost structures… Everyone has their own worries and difficulties. What is the best approach? Only after a period of time will one truly understand.

I still firmly believe that the experience of those who came before can only provide you with a "rough" outline, indicating what is permissible and what is not. These basics are certainly essential and cannot be wrong; if they are, then of course it is unacceptable. However, the best and most suitable method for you often has to be discovered through your own experience; no one can teach you that. Therefore, you must humbly learn from the experiences of others, without disbelieving or assuming that they are ignorant or have less experience than you. At the same time, you must also be discerning enough to try your own path.