#051 Realizing my insignificance in the business world (21/05/2023)

according to:

This week I've been feeling a bit down, so this is a bit disorganized and rather negative. I know not many people might want to read it. But I'll still write it down because I want to be truthful and record the events and feelings of each week honestly. After all, this is what a weekly journal is all about, and it will only be meaningful to look back on it later.

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Thank you everyone for joining us for another week of journaling. I connect with you all online every week. This is my 51st entry, almost a week into the week. I just reread my first journal entry (you can click here: https://repillow.co/blogs/weekly/001-5-6-2022 ). Back then, I was much less worried and felt quite naive. A year has passed, and I've come to understand how ruthless the business world is, how insignificant I am in it, and how difficult it is to transcend my own limited perspective.

Separation a year before and after

Back then, I didn't understand how the business world worked. I thought that as long as I had the drive and the will, I could eventually challenge the existing competitors in the market. But it wasn't that easy. Some things were true: I found that large companies had a lot of institutional resistance ( e.g., they wanted to avoid doing anything that might damage the company's reputation, avoid making innovative or strange products, it was difficult to promote new things, and most people were lazy, etc.), but at the same time, the reality was that large companies had a scale that I didn't have, and when making a product, I didn't encounter as many restrictions.

Over the past year, the most striking issues have been my own limitations and the difficulty of stabilizing in the market.

I tried telling myself: It's okay, I can do it. But the truth is, it's not okay. The reason it's not okay is that I understand consumers are very simple. They don't care how hard you work; they only care about the final result — how much money they spend on a product of what kind . And sometimes they may not understand why you put effort into doing certain things well. Conversely, I've seen small companies unable to achieve the low prices of mass production by large companies. Some people feel the products aren't worth the price, even thinking that small companies are "making a killing" or "ripping people off" because their products are more expensive than those of other large companies …etc . I used to want to stand up for these small companies and refute them, but in the end, I gave up. Sometimes, there are many grievances that you can only swallow. Everyone is only looking at things from their own perspective, and that's okay.

So, in projects like Re Quilt 2 , if there's a lack of money or resources, don't blame others! Quietly spend more time resolving every detail, putting in more time and effort than larger companies. They use 10 people to do it, I do it alone. At most, I'll work harder and vent my emotions by writing these weekly journals, but I won't hire more people, as the increased costs will be passed on to consumers. I can average out my output and compare it with theirs. I can produce products at the same price point, or even better. Of course, it will take more mental and physical strain, but I can accomplish something, and that's always worthwhile.

Amazon and Ford 's determination

Jeff Bezos of Amazon once said, " Amazon is willing to be misunderstood for a long period of time . " Similarly, Henry Ford of Ford Motor Company had the same determination to popularize automobiles . When all the other car manufacturers in the industry believed that cars were only for the wealthy to replace horseback riding, Henry Ford believed that he could make cars accessible to the general public, not just for the rich. He worked hard to find ways to reduce production time and costs, making cars affordable for more people, but his efforts were rejected by the entire industry. Nobody paid attention to him. I was willing to put in the same effort for Re Pillow Co. You have to work hard quietly behind the scenes. Time tells you , slowly someone will appreciate it. But you need enough time; you can't give up.

Conclusion and the "little joys" in life

I've been having a lot of work troubles lately, and things don't seem to be going smoothly at all. For the past few months, I've been constantly solving problems every day (of course, on the bright side, this means I'm paving a path, preparing myself for a better future). Encountering setbacks every day inevitably makes me feel discouraged at times. Recently, a part-time colleague at the company's store, perhaps noticing my low spirits, recommended a book to me:

This book uses a story to wrap and weave together a series of lessons. Although the story is a bit "childish" and even somewhat comedic, its content is excellent, and the lessons are realistic and grounded in evidence. After reading this book, I felt much better, and I'm truly grateful to that colleague. Sometimes, in the most unhappy moments, you need something like this. I am so grateful to have people like these around me.