#216 Business Breakups (26/07/2026)

Recently, due to the need to improve product quality, I had to sever a rather large business relationship with a long-standing business partner. I started working with them regularly shortly after I launched Re Pillow (around 2021). Actually, for the past three years, we've had quite a lot of dealings with them every month. Of course, the fact that we continued to cooperate for so long means they consistently met our requirements, we got along well, our ideas and goals were aligned, and they were an honest, trustworthy person. However, I can't deny that over the past few years, there have been some issues we encountered that they simply couldn't resolve. Of course, these issues weren't so extreme as to be unacceptable, and they certainly weren't for lack of effort on their part, or lack of effort from both of us to try and find solutions. Otherwise, we would have cut ties much earlier or sought help from others. But I must admit, the situation was indeed not ideal. I know it seems like I've been talking a lot about "Avon Foam" these past few months, and I've even noticed it sounds like we're dating? Talking about them every day. But undeniably, Avon Foam has entered my world in the past six months and changed a lot of things within my Re Pillow… Their appearance has solved many problems I couldn't solve on my own, and also made it possible to do things I wanted to do but couldn't due to financial and environmental constraints. For someone like me, who really wants to do new things but is limited by scale and money, it's a huge help. Honestly, it's a big deal. In fact, it might even be a bigger opportunity than Disney reaching out to us for collaboration last year, because Avon Foam is a company in the same industry, for the same Hong Kong market. Their willingness to cooperate means that many problems I encounter in the textile and bedding industry, which I can't solve, they've already encountered, solved, and paved the way for, saving me a lot of detours.

I've gone off-topic, let's get back to thislong-standing business partner. Actually, the problems they couldn't solve, Avon Foam can. Of course, sometimes when discussing business, emotions also come into play. So, leaving them to some extent was a blow to them. Therefore, I genuinely asked them again if they really couldn't solve the issues, and we had an open and honest discussion. But in the end, it was indeed unsolvable, and these problems weren't new or just appeared yesterday. Ultimately, we reached an end. That said, ending part of the cooperation doesn't mean there will be no cooperation at all every month, it just means a large portion has been shifted to Avon Foam... Here, I wish everyone well.

It feels like I'm talking about a breakup, but undeniably, in the end, I'm not responsible for myself, nor for Avon Foam, nor for any particular business partner. Ultimately, I need to be responsible for all customers, because I have to make a good product. Customers use it well, are satisfied with it, in all aspects including the product itself, durability, style, purchasing experience, website fluidity, after-sales service, cost-effectiveness, quality, and so on. I have to do well in all these areas to have a future. If I only think about myself, about which partner or colleague I want to keep happy, and the resulting product is not good, even if your colleague or partner thinks you are great and praises you every day, the business won't last in the long run.

I always believe that, in the end, we must be responsible for our customers. Do our best and solve problems.