Growing up during the internet boom, I thought making money online was easy. I worked at a startup that made a lot of money selling on eBay, and I believed that this level of success would always come easily. I was generous to a fault, constantly giving money, time, and help to people I thought were my friends. But I learned the hard way that many of them were just using me. When I finally tried to make money on my own, I hit a wall—and that’s when the truth hit me even harder.
That experience woke me up. I realized that I had been naïve, and that I needed to start building something real for myself. That’s what led me to go back to school and get an education. It’s never too late. I also became more cautious with my generosity. I now focus on balanced relationships where time, advice, and support are given and received fairly.
The hardest part about this change was realizing that personal growth doesn’t happen overnight. Change takes time, and it takes an incredible amount of willpower to resist old habits. I had to be patient with myself, and I had to learn to stay consistent even when I didn’t see instant results.
But through all of this, I discovered something powerful about myself—I’m incredibly creative. I realized there are opportunities everywhere; you just have to take the time to learn your craft and recognize them. That kind of vision and resourcefulness was something I never appreciated in myself before failure forced me to dig deeper.
Before, I thought success meant freedom—having the ability to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Now, I define success differently. It means being happy, healthy, and financially stable. Freedom is still important, but it isn’t the end goal. It’s just one part of a much bigger, more meaningful picture.
This experience also shifted how I view people. I used to believe everyone was as well-intentioned as I was. But I’ve learned that not everyone is good-hearted, and not everyone who stays close is truly in your corner. That said, I’ve also come to admire people who start over—because starting over takes guts, and if they don’t give up, they’ll eventually succeed.
I had a major moment of clarity when I realized that not having money was actually a blessing. If I had stayed wealthy and naïve, I would have continued to give away everything to people who didn’t truly care about me. Losing it all showed me who was real and who wasn’t—and that’s a gift in disguise.
Now my goals are different. I no longer chase riches or status. I want good friends, peace of mind, and enough money to live a happy, comfortable life. I don’t need to be the richest man on earth—I just want a meaningful life with real people in it.
To anyone going through failure right now: there is always a way out. It might not feel like it, but there’s always something you can change, something you can learn, and something you can improve. What looks like a dead end might just be a sign to shift your direction, not stop your journey.
If I had to sum up the biggest lesson I’ve learned, it would be this: Don’t ever give up. If you keep trying different things, eventually one of them will work—and that could change your life.
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7 Business tips for entrepreneurs
- It is easy perspective
Everything is easy after it is hard. If you approach a challenge with the mindset that it is hard, it will be hard. If you come to a challenge with the attitude that it is easy, it will be easy. Let me elaborate. If you think something is hard, you will give up quicker and move on to something more manageable. That is the way our mind works. In all explanations, nothing is impossible till it becomes possible. It’s always better to approach a challenge from an it is easy perspective than a hard perspective. - A real businessman explores every opportunity
When I worked in a small store, the store received many telemarketing calls. I naturally would hang up on telemarketers. However, the store owner would listen to the telemarketers and tell them the truth. At the end of the call, he would say, “Not at this time. Call me in six months.” Or” I’m already buying this product from this supplier. Why should I switch?” When he hung up the phone, I asked him why he talked to them, and he said, “A real businessman explores every opportunity. He has the busiest store on the street, full of products and tools most shops never looked into, and hung up the phone. - Don’t let your friends ruin it perhaps the hardest business life lesson I learned. When I was running my successful phone book website. I let my friends ruin it simply because they saw the money the company was generating but didn’t see the vision of the company. Friends give the best support, not the best advice. I learned that the hard way. Find professionals for business advice.
- Follow your passion, not the money
This is one of the most essential pieces of advice. If you follow the money, you will get burnt out and be outcompeted by the person that does it because it is their passion. Find some way to make money with your passion or as close to it as possible for example, let’s say your passion is writing mountain bikes. How about teaching a class or even an online course teaching kids how to ride mountain bikes? - Do something completely different
If you want to make, okay, money do what everyone else is doing. Follow trends, marketing ideas, and creatives. If you want to make a massive amount of money, do something that nobody else is doing and create trends and leave a trail - Innovate, not invent
There are no mistakes in business. There are only opportunities to learn and grow. Every time you make a mistake that causes a loss of business. Learn from it and make sure it never happens again. That is how innovation happens and makes your business improve and become an excellent, structured, growing business over time. - Always do the right thing
In business and life, you have to do the right thing. For example, paying your taxes and keeping your promises. It will work out better in the long run and keep you honest and hard-working. When facing an obstacle between taking a shortcut and doing things the right way, always do the right thing.
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