You know what’s funny? Starting a business is actually the easy part. The hard part? Showing up day after day when nothing’s working. When customers aren’t coming. When your bank account is screaming at you.
I learned this the hard way in 2023 when my first coffee shop went under. I’m not going to sugarcoat it—that failure hurt. But it also taught me something important: most people don’t fail because they’re not good enough. They fail because they stop trying.
Here’s what kept me going, even when I wanted to quit.
Stop Waiting to “Feel Like It”
In the beginning, I only worked when I felt motivated. Felt inspired? Great, I’d work all day. Felt tired or discouraged? The shop basically ran itself into the ground.
That doesn’t work.
Now I treat my business like brushing my teeth. I don’t wake up and think, “Hmm, do I feel like brushing my teeth today?” I just do it. Same with work. Some days I’m excited. Other days I’m dragging. But I show up anyway. Discipline beats motivation every single time.
Actually Talk to Your Customers
Here’s an embarrassing confession: when I first opened, I never asked customers what they wanted. Someone ordered coffee? I made it my way and handed it over. Done.
Turns out, people don’t like that.
When I reopened as The Press Day Coffee, I changed everything. Now I ask questions:
- How strong do you like your coffee?
- Want it with fresh milk?
- Hot or iced today?
Simple stuff, right? But customers notice. They feel seen. They come back.
I even started preparing orders in advance for my regulars. When Mrs. Kanha walks in at 7 AM, her beans are already ground, and her cup is ready. She’s in and out in two minutes, and she tells everyone about my shop. These small things? They’re actually the big things.
Forget the Instagram Version of Success
My first shop failed because I was trying to look successful instead of actually being successful. I bought expensive equipment I couldn’t afford. Set prices as high as the fancy cafés downtown. Spent more time making the shop look pretty than learning how to make good coffee.
And you know what? Nobody came.
The second time around, I did the opposite. I focused on making one really good cup of coffee at a time. I worked on my service. I talked to people. The fancy stuff could wait. Slow progress is still progress. And honestly? It’s the only kind that lasts.
Rest When You’re Tired (But Don’t Quit)
When my first shop was failing, I was exhausted all the time. Not just physically tired—emotionally drained. I felt like a failure. Looking back, I was trying to power through everything without ever stopping to think.
Bad idea.
Now I take breaks. When something goes wrong, I step back. I try to calm down. I ask myself: What’s actually the problem here? Not what feels like the problem, but what’s really going on?
Usually, the answer is simpler than I think. And I can fix it. Taking a break isn’t quitting. Sometimes you need to rest so you can keep going.
Why I’m Telling You This
The Press Day Coffee is still small. I’m not rich. I’m not running a chain of cafés across Cambodia. But I’m still here. And that’s something.
If you’re in the middle of something hard right now—a business, a project, a goal that feels impossible—I want you to know this: you don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You just have to keep showing up. Even on the days when you really, really don’t want to. Because that’s what commitment actually is. Not feeling inspired every day. Just deciding that you’re not done yet.
And then proving it, one day at a time.
