The Good: In around Month 6 was my first profitable month: $2,140 revenue, $890 profit I have 11 repeat customers now, which I did not expect selling [boring niche product/service] Zero employees, zero investors, zero debt — just me and a spreadsheet The Bad: Months 1–4 I made a combined $310. My savings covered rent, not much else I spent $1,600 on a "brand identity" before I had a single customer. Genuinely one of the dumbest things I've done I still don't have a reliable way to get customers. Every sale so far has come from cold outreach I hate doing The Reality: Starting capital: $4,200 (mostly savings, some of it honestly should've been an emergency fund) Current monthly revenue: ~$2,100, trending flat for 3 months Time spent: 50–60 hrs/week, including weekends, for 8 months The honest number: I'm making less than my old salary, and I'm working more. What I'm asking: For those who got past the "flat revenue plateau" what actually broke it for you? More outreach, a different channel, raising prices? Is $890/month profit at month 6 a signal to keep going, or a signal the ceiling is low? Has anyone here successfully raised prices on repeat customers without losing them? How did you frame it? I'll be in the comments. No link, nothing for sale. I just want to hear from people further along than me, because right now I genuinely can't tell if this is "early" or "not working."   submitted by   /u/9rif9 [link]   [comments]