What people learned about business

What happened

I opened a restaurant without properly validating the location. The street looked busy at lunchtime, but almost nobody walked past after 7pm. We closed 14 months later.

What I learned

Never sign a long-term lease before proving that customers will actually come. Stand on the street and count people at the hours you actually plan to sell.

What happened

We built a small agency together for three years on a handshake. When it started making money we disagreed about ownership. I walked away with nothing and lost the friendship too.

What I learned

Put it in writing while you still like each other. A contract is not distrust, it is the only thing that protects the friendship.

What happened

We were profitable and small. I raised €400,000 because it felt like the next step, then spent two years chasing growth targets that destroyed the thing that was working.

What I learned

Money changes what your company is for. Only raise it when you know exactly what it buys.

What happened

I hired three friends because I trusted them, not because they were right for the roles. When performance became a problem I could not have the hard conversation, so I had it two years too late.

What I learned

Trust is not a job qualification. Hire for the role, and agree upfront how you will handle it if it does not work.

What happened

A customer left an unfair one-star review and I replied with a long, detailed, correct rebuttal. It was screenshotted and shared. The review was forgotten, my reply was not.

What I learned

Being right in public is a business expense. Reply short, kind and boring, or not at all.

What happened

Business went well and I needed triple the space after ten months. The lease had no break clause and the landlord would not negotiate. I paid for an empty unit for years.

What I learned

Negotiate the exit before you celebrate the entrance. Success can break a contract as badly as failure.