I spent days in the heat with water no one bought until I figured out location and timing mattered more than effort. Moving to tourist spots during peak heat turned failures into sellouts. I learned success isn't about working harder, it's about reading what the market actually needs.
I posted generic content that barely moved the needle until I started telling each store's real story. Authenticity drove engagement and loyalty where polish didn't. People connect with real humans behind businesses, not perfection.
I burned out personalizing every outreach until I built systems using templates as frameworks, not scripts. Finding that rhythm made me a top performer. Sustainable performance comes from processes that amplify human connection, not replace it.
I chased wrong accounts with bad messaging until I treated every conversation as product research. Real market feedback refined our ICP and value prop. In early-stage sales, your job is finding the truth about who needs what you're building.
I drowned in tutorials building reports that kept breaking until I focused on solving one problem at a time. Building working tools iteratively unlocked everything. Technical skills aren't about mastery, they're about solving real problems with just enough knowledge to move forward.
I'm bussing tables at SET Steak to keep the lights on while building WinnyLabs and running experiments on buildbymichaelta.com between shifts. Steady income means I can learn MES/MNQ futures and build GTM products without being desperate for the next client check. The move isn't going all in on one thing, it's stacking revenue streams so you can build what matters without your back against the wall.