As with every business, we had a starting point and ours was anything but spectacular. For example, while starting UPBRIGHT, we were so scraping the bottom of the barrel that we couldn’t even figure out how to spend our total investment, which was a whopping $90. But there is still one silver lining to our story: our speed and adaptability.
Things were hard and we were met with failure around every corner, but we stayed persistent. Eventually, this push and shove allowed us to build some much needed momentum, which ultimately became our saving grace in the long run.
In this blog, I will discuss UPBRIGHT’s full journey concerning it’s evolution from a nearly bankrupt startup to a fully functioning successful business, including every lesson, principle, and challenge we faced. And let me tell you, the most important hurdle we faced was centered on one core principle: the need for speed.
1️⃣ The First Step: Our Initial Investment of $90
Starting With What We Had
Our startup included not having an office, an extensive network, or anyof the things traditionally important in running a buiness.
It feels good to say we were able to spend the 90 dollars we had as long term investment, but in reality, the money was never really available in the first place showered on us in the start.
One thing was lucid: we needed to take the first step.
After some contemplation, we made it clear that we would be using approximately $50 for something critical: domain and hosting for our site.
It became our first investment—something vital to building an online presence. While this investment was not exciting, it was a start.
The Importance of Starting Small
This small investment in domain and hosting wasn’t aimed at perfection; it was made to take a step forward.
While that step looked smaller than one would expect, it is better to take small steps than not taking steps at all. No one should wait for the perfect moment because there rarely is one.
What we learned is that action is what matters most, and you learn along the way rather than having a finalized answer at the start.
Pushing forward is essential even when solutions to every problem don’t exist.
2️⃣ The First Struggle: Two Months of Learning and Failing
The Hardest Part: The First Two Months
Trying to figure things out was the most challenging part at the start. There wasn’t an easy avenue of earning money either.
Just figuring things out was extremely exhausting. The only income we got was for all the learning and failing we did, which earned us nothing.
In a nutshell, money wasn’t coming in, and the first two months were spending like cash without bounds on an endless loop of trial and error.
In steps “Learning Form Mistakes.” Getting better at something always comes with practice, but in this case, practice always comes with shedding.”
Decisions were made off blunt marketing and strategies which left the team baffled, but finally, brought results. Understanding the board always requires proper market analysis, which determines whether every investment made was profitable.
Learning From Failures
During these crucial months, the goal was defined as identifying failure. On paper failing seems disastrous, but in the world of building businesses, failure actually helps overcome hurdles far beyond we thought existed.
Getting out of one’s comfort zone always spells success down the line, and for us actively being unproductive during this time pushed our enemy metro as far as spending during the experimental phase until some bridge out gadgets guaranteed making the rest of money back on the remainder.
Reinventing narratives until on the first couple of tries we got better at starting failing fast, by this case it means coming up with new methods to achieve effective fast tracking.
3️⃣ The First Win: Earning More Than Our Initial Investment
The Breakthrough Moment
An astonishing development occurred in the third month—we had, in fact, earned more than what we had put in initially. While the amount wasn’t significant, it felt like a win. We were no longer merely struggling, but were actually seeing returns on our investments.
Mind you, this win was not about having large amounts of money coming in; it was purely about proving that we were, in fact, on the right path. Now we had evidence that our idea was validated and, after all our efforts, the fruits of our labor were beginning to emerge.
The Power of Small Wins
We celebrated the initial win as a major milestone and, at the same time, a step towards the bigger goal.
It reinforced the philosophy that if completed, small tasks can indeed lead to increasingly greater rewards.
In essence, success is about building up to it—achieving one goal after another and gradually, through a thought-out process, constructing something that will last. We were, at that point, hopeful thanks to this achievement and were motivated to keep moving forward.
4️⃣ Founders Paid Back: Reinforcing Trust and Commitment
Giving Back to the Founders
One of the first things we did as profit began rolling in was to make sure that the founders received their original share. We made our initial investment payments before trying to take any profits.
This action was crucial in obtaining trust within the founding team. Paying back in this manner showed our commitment towards each other as well as the company. Trust was built as we reinforced our belief in the company’s success by making this investment.
Building Trust with Your Team
Repaying the original investment together isn’t solely for the purpose of finances, rather it is for reinforcing trust to the supporters. Clearly showed devoted efforts towards the business to all stakeholders. The claim also shows steered dedication to the sustained growth of the business.
5️⃣ The Secret Sauce: Hard Work and Speed 🚀
Why Speed is Key
One thing became apparent as we kept constructing UPBRIGHT: speed maintained to be the most valuable asset. We were not willing to allow setbacks to get in our way. We aimed on making forward progress and rapid decision making.
While others were still tossing ideas around, we were out there getting things wrong, iterating, and refining. Being faster allowed us to outperform our rivals and seize opportunities ahead of anyone else.
The 24-Hour Rule
To ensure we maintained our acceleration, we instituted what we refer to as the 24-Hour Rule. Concepts behind the rule are pretty straightforward: everyone should think it in their mind as two boxes. Which must be checked in the least time possible.
No more saying “let us get back to you next week”. That is essentially the point where money and aspirations get buried. If competitors take a week to make a decision, and we can do it in a day, we don’t need to be richer or smarter—we just need to be faster. What separates flourishing businesses from those that grind to a halt is speed and flat out making calls.
Speed Over Perfection
Achieving success isn’t about perfection—it’s about moving before everyone else does. That’s what we learned. Every single day, we worked on moving at a greater pace by making decisions and completing tasks. The more progressed we acted, the more we learned, and in turn, Salesforce had unprecedented success.
6️⃣ Moral of the Story: Stop Overthinking and Start Moving
The most important lesson we learned was how a misplaced focus on perfection hinders success. And action is always better than inaction. In this modern era, the world is fast paced. So if you take too long thinking then there will be opportunities that you will miss.
If you are sick and tired of being stuck in a rut, then take my advice: take small actionable steps every day and be disciplined about it. You will thank yourself six months down the line. Why? Because the you that will emerge will be completely astonishing.
Your future self is desperately waiting for you to take the leap, and best believe, every minute you don’t, you’re wasting time. Start now. 🚀
Speed and Action as the Foundation of Success
Starting a business, especially without any prior capital or funding isn’t a walk in the park. It requires a lot of work and perseverance: the willingness to learn from your mistakes and repeat. Above everything else, it requires speed: take action and adapt quickly. The ability to keep pushing forward and moving even if things look bleak is critical.
At UPBRIGHT, pace indicates whether you succeed or whether things stagnate. By optimizing for speed through taking decisive actions and commitment to goals, we were able to amplify a small investment into something significantly larger.
Always recall this: success is not about perfection. But taking action. Moreover, in the business world, there are no bigger advantages than sheer speed. And being quicker than the competition.
