For many years, I believed that hard work alone was enough to succeed in business. I woke up early every morning, opened my shop before most people in the market arrived, and closed late in the evening. Yet no matter how much effort I put in, my business kept sinking deeper into losses.
At first the problem looked small. Sales slowed down for a few weeks, and I thought it was just a normal business cycle. But weeks turned into months. Customers who used to buy from me regularly started passing by my shop without even greeting me. Some even walked into the new shops around me instead.
The situation became worse when I started taking small loans to keep the business running. I borrowed money from friends, relatives, and even mobile lending apps. I kept telling myself that things would improve soon and I would pay everyone back. Unfortunately, the opposite happened.
