The Story Behind Favoriot - Part 18: What They Don't Tell You About?Success

Starting a business is both exhilarating and intimidating. When we began with FAVORIOT, the energy was contagious. We were laser-focused on developing our product, pushing hard to get it to market, and dreaming about the wave of interest we expected.?

The energy in those early days was intense. We believed the world would notice as soon as we released the product, and the orders would come flooding in.?

But reality, as I quickly learned, doesn’t quite work that way.

The silence after launching the product was deafening. There was no fanfare, buzz, or, most disheartening, customers. We were shouting into a void, and nobody was listening.?

I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Did we make the right decision? Is there even a market for what we’ve built?” This question haunted many entrepreneurs early on, but I knew we had to keep pushing.?

Giving up wasn’t an option, and the only way forward was through persistence.

In those moments, it became clear that having a great product wasn’t enough. We needed people to know about it. Marketing, awareness, and promotion were no longer side tasks; they became the lifeblood of our survival.?

I constantly thought, “How do we get the word out? How do we make people care?”?

I had to become not just a product developer but a marketer, a salesman, and, at times, a storyteller.

Soon, we started getting requests for demos and presentations. It was a small but significant win. At least someone was interested.?

I would go into those meetings with excitement and nerves, presenting our product like it was the best thing since sliced bread. People were polite, nodded in agreement, and seemed impressed—but no one pulled out their chequebook.?

Then came the first request for a quotation. I thought to myself, “Finally! This is it; we’re on the verge of making a sale.”?

But again, silence followed. The quotation was sent, and the waiting game began.?

It was a rollercoaster of emotions. You would think that a purchase order (PO) would soon follow after a quotation, but it didn’t always work that way.

When the first purchase order eventually came through, it was like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I can still vividly recall that moment. “We did it! Someone believes in us enough to buy our product!”?

It wasn’t just about the money; it was validation that we were on the right track. With that first PO, we gained a renewed sense of confidence in the product and ourselves. We began to believe in scaling.?

If one customer believed in us, surely more would?follow.

As more purchase orders trickled in, our focus shifted from development and marketing to invoicing and?—?perhaps the least glamorous part of the process?—?chasing payments.?

It became part of the daily grind, issuing invoices, following up, and sometimes even begging for payment. It’s one of those realities of running a business that no one tells you about.?

You assume that once a customer buys your product, the hardest part is over, but getting paid can sometimes be just as challenging.

Along the way, I learned a few hard lessons.?

One of the most valuable things was not believing in empty promises. Early on, you meet many potential clients who love your product. They’ll tell you it’s exactly what they’ve been looking for, that it will be a huge success, and that they have big plans for it. They’ll dangle the carrot of future projects and massive scaling opportunities, and in return, they’ll ask for a discount or even a free proof of concept (PoC).?

In the beginning, it’s tempting to agree. After all, who doesn’t want to believe that their product is about to hit the big time? But more often than not, those promises never materialise.?

I learned to ask myself, “Where’s the purchase order? Until I see that PO, it’s all just talk.”

Another pitfall I encountered was dealing with self-proclaimed “brokers.” These people didn’t represent any company but claimed to have the “big cable,” as we say in Malaysia?—?the connections to get us into significant tenders and projects.?

They spoke of million-ringgit deals and massive opportunities if only we’d trust them. It was all so enticing.?

But over time, I realised that a valid business deal doesn’t rely on middlemen or promises. An actual transaction happens when you convince a customer of the value of your product, earn their trust, and buy with their own money.

Looking back, these experiences shaped me as an entrepreneur. I learned that building a startup isn’t just about creating a product; it’s about building relationships, earning trust, and navigating the complexities of the business world with a healthy dose of scepticism.?

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of what could be, but real success comes when you can turn those possibilities into tangible results.?

And at the end of the day, the only thing that truly matters is that your customers see the value in what you’re offering and are willing to pay for it.