Founder notes: choices, confusion and meaning
Originally written in Chinese. Translated with AI, reviewed by Gary. Read the Chinese original →
Building a business is a long journey full of uncertainty. If I had known how hard it would be, I might not have chosen this path.
My reason for starting was actually very simple: to make money. But as time went on, I found myself slowly getting lost in endless work and challenges. The meaning of it all became blurry, and the pressure and confusion kept making me reflect.
Why did I start a business in the first place?
From first intentions to confusion: the conflicts of real business
In the early days the goal seemed clear: work hard, make money, reach financial freedom, and give my family a life without worries. But as the company grew, I found the pressure of simply surviving was far greater than I'd imagined. The hardship started to shake me: if I don't need much money to live, why keep going down this road?
The road isn't as simple as it looks. Day after day of high pressure and unpredictable challenges left me lost. I realised that without a deeper drive, money alone might not be enough to keep me going.
Like life, a business's meaning is something we give it
Sartre said, "Existence precedes essence." Our lives have no preset meaning; only through our choices and actions can we give them their own value. Building a business is the same.
At first I thought it was about wealth. But after countless ups and downs, I gradually realised: the meaning of building a business isn't how much money we make, but how we keep searching for and shaping ourselves along the way. It may be a challenge to ourselves, or a desire to create something better.
Meaning isn't waiting for us to find it. It shows up in every choice and every action.
The meaning of choice: the process matters more than the result
On this journey we make choices every day. Sometimes it's expanding into a market or adjusting a product line; sometimes it's dropping a project and accepting a loss. Every choice is a game of probability, like the comparison between a coin and a dice:
- A coin flip wins 50% of the time;
- A dice roll wins only 1 time in 6.
Rationally, we'd choose the coin, because the odds are better. But what if things don't go our way: the dice wins and the coin loses? Does that mean our choice was wrong?
Whether a choice was good can't simply be judged by its result. Sometimes the "right" choice brings a bad outcome, and the "wrong" one brings an unexpected reward.
Choosing and being chosen: on randomness and cause and effect
On this road we can make choices, but the results are often ruled by randomness. As 老喻 (Lao Yu) put it, being chosen is governed by randomness, and that is the greatest fairness in the universe. Even when you make the right decision, randomness can still put you in a bad spot.
But that isn't randomness punishing you, because randomness can bring setbacks as easily as unexpected gifts. Behind every choice comes the challenge of "being chosen", and we have to face and accept those unpredictable results.
We are often bound by cause-and-effect thinking, always hoping every action produces a clear result. But the real world doesn't always work that way. An obsession with cause and effect is often a wish for an immediate reward.
Growing through adversity: uncertainty is where opportunity comes from
We always hope every action has a clear result, but reality isn't like that. Building a business is more like chess: a master doesn't rush to give check on every move, but builds an advantage through long-term positioning. Some choices show no return in the short term, yet they come into play at a critical moment in the future.
We like to think success comes from planning and hard work, but in reality, uncertainty is the greatest fairness.
What matters is how we keep moving forward through it.
Wearing yourself down in hard times: making peace with yourself
In hard times, the toughest thing to overcome isn't the external challenge but wearing yourself down inside. As our company grew, we ran into inventory problems, marketing that stopped working, even funding that got stuck. Each time, I'd sink into deep regret and self-blame. Was the original decision wrong? Did my mistakes drag down the whole team? I'd even start blaming myself, feeling nothing could be saved.
Going back over past mistakes only wears you down, until it feels like every option is wrong and the road ahead is blocked.
Recently I was lucky enough to talk with 文彬哥, who told me the only thing that can keep us going is belief in the future. Only when a founder believes "this road can work" can they lead the team forward. Even with no reward in sight, that belief is still a light in the dark.
I gradually realised the meaning of building a business may not lie in finding a clear answer, but in the process of constantly searching and adjusting. Every setback is something gained, preparation for a future breakthrough.
The meaning of a business: the question itself is the answer
So what is the meaning of building a business? Sartre tells us meaning isn't preset; it gradually emerges through each action. In the same way, the meaning of a business isn't fixed. It shows up through constant choosing and exploring. When we're stuck and ask "what is the point of all this?", the question itself has already started giving the journey meaning.
Building a business isn't about reaching a destination. It's about the process of searching and moving forward.
Keep walking, keep looking for answers
On this road we'll feel tired, lost, even desperate. But confusion and challenges aren't the end of the journey; they are where the search for answers begins. As Karl Jaspers is often quoted as saying, the great questions of philosophy aren't about finding answers but about continuing to ask. In business and in life, what matters most isn't finding a ready-made answer, but creating meaning for ourselves as we keep exploring.
Building a business is a long journey of dancing with randomness. Every choice, success or failure, is part of how we grow. The meaning may not show itself today, but as we keep going, it will quietly emerge.
Closing: a journey of constant searching
These are my founder notes. There isn't only one way to build a business, and there's no standard answer. Every choice is part of the journey, and every challenge is a chance to give it meaning. The meaning of building a business isn't designed in advance. It slowly emerges as we keep going and keep searching.
May we all find our own answers along the way.