The Illusion of Overnight Success
Starting a business is exhilarating. There’s a rush of energy, an overwhelming sense of purpose, and a firm belief that what you’re building will change the world. When we launched FAVORIOT, that excitement fueled us. We poured countless hours into developing our product, refining its features, and dreaming of when it would hit the market and create a ripple effect.
I imagined a scenario where people would immediately recognize our innovation, show us praise, and, most importantly, place orders. It was a beautiful vision.
But reality had other plans.
The product launch was met with an eerie silence. There was no flood of inquiries, no immediate purchase orders—just a deafening void. It was as if we had shouted into an empty room, expecting applause but hearing only echoes of our voices.
I remember sitting in my office, staring at my phone, waiting for it to ring. Did we make the right decision? Was there even a market for what we had built? These questions haunted me. I had read about this phase before—the quiet period after launch where entrepreneurs either push through or give up.
For me, giving up was never an option.
The Harsh Reality: No One Cares Until You Make Them Care
Early on, the biggest lesson I learned was that having a great product isn’t enough. People needed to know about it. Marketing, which I had once seen as a secondary task, suddenly became our lifeline.
I had to shift my mindset from being just a product developer to becoming a marketer, a salesman, and sometimes even a storyteller. I repeatedly asked myself: How do we make people care?
We started reaching out, setting up demos, and pitching to potential clients. Slowly, the response trickled in. Companies showed interest. They asked for presentations. They nodded in agreement, smiled, and said, “This looks promising.”
But promises don’t pay the bills.
For a while, it felt like we were stuck in an endless loop of meetings that never turned into real business. Then came the first request for a quotation. I remember the excitement. Finally! This is it! I thought. We prepared the quotation, sent it over, and waited.
And waited.
Nothing happened.
I had assumed that a quotation would naturally lead to a purchase order. But in reality, sending a quote was just another step in a much longer process. It wasn’t a commitment—it was merely an indication of interest. And interest, I realized, didn’t always translate to action.
The First Purchase Order: A Moment of Validation
Then, one day, it happened. We received our first purchase order (PO).
I still remember the overwhelming sense of relief. It wasn’t just about the money. It was validation. Someone believed in what we had built enough to pay for it.
That moment changed everything. If one customer believed in us, surely more would follow. And they did—slowly but surely.
But business success isn’t just about making a sale. It’s about ensuring that sale turns into cash in your bank account. And that’s where another harsh reality set in.
Chasing Payments: The Least Glamorous Part of Business
You’d think that the hardest part is over once a client agrees to buy. That’s what I believed—until I had to chase down payments.
Sending invoices, following up, reminding, and sometimes even begging for payment became a routine. It was frustrating. We had delivered the product, and the clients were using it. So why were payments delayed?
I quickly learned that delayed payments are part of the business game. Cash flow is king; sometimes, even if you’re owed money, it doesn’t mean you’ll receive it on time.
The Trap of Empty Promises
In the early days, I was easily swayed by big promises. Potential clients would tell me, “This is exactly what we need! We can roll this out across multiple projects.”
It all sounded so promising. Some even asked for discounts or free Proof of Concept (PoC) trials, dangling the possibility of future large-scale deployments.
I wanted to believe them. But more often than not, those promises led nowhere.
Eventually, I learned a simple rule: No purchase order, no deal.
If someone truly values your product, they’ll invest in it. Otherwise, it’s just talk.
Beware of the Middlemen and Brokers
Another lesson came in the form of self-proclaimed “brokers.” These individuals claimed to have the right connections to land us big contracts. “Just trust us,” they would say. “We’ll make sure you get into the right hands.”
It was tempting. They spoke about million-dollar deals, high-profile clients, and game-changing opportunities. But over time, I realized that real business doesn’t work that way.
Genuine clients don’t need middlemen. They buy because they see value in your offer, not because someone else convinced them to.
Success is More Than Just Selling
Looking back, these experiences shaped me as an entrepreneur. Building a business isn’t just about creating a product—it’s about navigating relationships, earning trust, and filtering out distractions.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of what could be. But real success comes when you turn those possibilities into tangible results. And at the end of the day, the only thing that truly matters is this:
Do your customers see value in what you offer? And are they willing to pay for it?
That’s the accurate measure of success.
Dr. Mazlan Abbas 