You thought it’d be easy.
Your very first business…
A year in, you expected seven figures cash flow, quitting your job, and working from a laptop in Bali.
But here you are… questioning everything.
Ads aren’t working, clients are ghosting, and your bank account looks like a sick joke.
You thought you were smart but the universe thought otherwise…
What happened?
This isn’t another biz-op ad (even though it sounds like one). It’s the raw, expert-vetted truth.
Where it all goes wrong…
The part of the journey nobody posts about. The phase where business isn’t fun anymore. Where the wins are tiny, the losses feel massive, and every day is just a battle to keep going.
The Trenches.
If you’re here right now… good.
Because the trench isn’t a detour.
It’s the road.
The ugly secret of success is that EVERY entrepreneur you admire has been here.
The ones who made tens of millions? They spent 5-7 years in the grind before their first big break.
The ones who seem like they "figured it out fast"? They either suffered in silence or paid their dues somewhere else first.
But the 99% of businesses that fail every year?...
The stat that everybody points to as a reason NOT to start a business…
Most of them just failed the trench. They quit right before the momentum kicked in.
Why?
Because they thought they were failing.
Because they set delusional timelines.
Because they assume slow progress = no progress.
But here’s what nobody tells you in the beginning:
If you’re struggling, you’re not behind. You’re right on schedule.
Your first $1,000 day is coming.
Your first $100K month is waiting.
Your big break is closer than you think.
^As long as you survive the trench.
But most people don’t.
Will you?
So THIS is the reason most people fail?
Why do most people quit in the trench? Because they mistake struggle for failure. They assume if things aren’t working fast, they’re not meant for this.
But here’s the truth:
Struggle doesn’t mean you’re failing, it means you’re in the process.
Most people don’t realize this. They hit obstacles and assume they’re doing something wrong. They let fear and self-doubt win before time can do its job.
And so, they quit… not because they weren’t capable, but because they misunderstood the process.
Do you expect to become fluent in Spanish after only a month of learning?
Survival Guide of the Trenches
So how do you survive the trench?
Because make no mistake, you will go through it.
The real question is:
Will you make it to the other side, or will you join the majority who quit?
Here are the rules I formed with the help of several mentors and my own experience:
1. Be Dumber (or Humble)
If you knew how bad the trench would be before you started… you wouldn’t even start.
So now that you know about the Trench… be dumb, run at it full speed. Embrace how little you know and absorb as much as possible.
“Smart people” get offended when they meet the trench because it proves they didn’t know everything.
And if “smart people” actually saw how much it took to get to the other side… they would all throw in the towel. (Not you though)
2. Learn from Every Mistake
You will lose money.
You will launch things that flop.
That’s not failure, that’s tuition.
Every loss is tuition. If you don’t learn from it, you wasted it.
3. Don’t Quit
The only real failure is quitting before time has a chance to work in your favor.
Every month that passes, fewer and fewer people stay in the game.
Success isn’t just about skill.
If you embrace the bad months, push through the slow periods, and keep going when others quit? You’re already ahead of 99% of people.
Make this your new identity, it’s never been easier to become top 1%.
4. Find Others Who Have Made It
The worst part about the trench? It’s lonely.
Everyone around you is either doubting you or quitting.
And you look dumb for years because nothing has really worked yet.
That’s why you need to surround yourself with people who have already made it through.
When you see proof that others have survived, it becomes impossible to believe that you can’t.
How I met the Trenches
I got lucky.
My first win in business was an e-commerce store that took off while I was still in college.
I didn’t grind for years, I didn’t struggle to get my first sale. The product just worked. Sales were coming in, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I had cracked the code.
I had money. More than I’d ever seen. More than I knew what to do with.
And that was the problem.
I thought I was a genius. I thought I had it all figured out. So I did what most people do when they win too fast. I got careless, and my head got bigger.
-
I spent it without thinking.
-
I assumed the money train would never stop.
-
I ignored things like taxes, scaling, and sustainability.
Then, reality hit.
The business crashed. Hard.
And for the first time, I realized something: success taught me nothing.
I didn’t actually learn how to build a business. I just rode the wave of a lucky product.
But I still had money left, and in my mind, that meant I still had time.
So I doubled down. I took courses, learned how to run Facebook ads, started new stores, even dabbled in real estate by leasing apartments. I was convinced that with enough effort, I could rebuild.
I was wrong again haha.
One by one, every single attempt failed.
The businesses weren’t profitable. My cash reserves were burning fast. I was making moves but I wasn’t making money.
And then, I hit rock bottom.
I Woke Up At Home Depot
At some point, you have to face reality. I needed money. Not hypothetical money from a future business. Not “I’m working on something big” money. Real money, just to survive.
So I did what I never thought I would do.
I got a job at Home Depot.
Not exactly where I pictured myself after running a six-figure business in my early 20s.
But there I was, clocking in, unloading trucks, stocking shelves, learning the real meaning of starting over.
Disclaimer: nothing against Home Depot. It was a great place to work during this period. I just never expected to end up working there.
But here’s the part that matters:
I could have quit.
I could have said, You know what? Business isn’t for me.
I could have gone back to engineering and taken the “safe” route.
But I didn’t.
Because by this point, I learned something critical:
The struggle isn’t proof that you’re failing… it’s proof that you’re in the process.
I wasn’t failing.
I was in the trench.
I was trying to grow a NEW business while at Home Depot.
And as long as I didn’t quit, I knew I’d make it out.
(The real question is… will you?)
I left Home Depot a year ago, at the time of writing… All my homies made it out of Home Depot. And I am still pushing in business.
Look around.
Think about all the people who started a business at the same time as you.
The ones who were hyped up.
The ones who swore they were all in.
The ones who talked big about quitting their jobs, making millions, and living free.
Where are they now?
How many of them are still standing?
The longer you survive, the rarer you become.
This is the hidden truth about success:
It’s not about being the smartest.
It’s not about having the perfect business idea.
It’s not even about working the hardest.
It’s about staying in the game long enough for time to work in your favor.
The Trench Is Your Initiation
If you’re in the trench right now…
good.
You’re where you need to be.
But you don’t have to go through it alone.
That’s why this is my favorite thing to talk about.
If I can help others get through the Trenches… I know I’m helping people the same way my first real mentor helped me.
If you’ve been through the trenches and want to share your story to help a brother or sister who was in your shoes, I’ve been looking for you.
I started a show called Trench Tapes where I document myself moving through the trenches and also interview others who made it through….
There is a problem with the show though…
I vowed not to release any tapes of my own until 2027 (I started recording in 2022)
So the only content I can post is interviews with others.
But as of February, 2025… I haven’t had any guests yet.
So if you’d like to be number one (or 2 or 3 or …), send a message! (Here’s my Linkedin)
If you’re still grinding and need proof that this phase is normal? Stay tuned and subscribe to the show. (Trench Tapes Show)
Because the trench doesn’t kill dreams.
Quitting does.
Stay in the game.
Survive the trench.
And you’ll come out on the other side stronger than 99% of people.
I’ll end this with a quote I found when I was 12 and still spout to this day:
“Pain is Temporary
Greatness is FOREVER”
Keep going, and you’ll always know I’m right there with you. 💪
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Cody Roman is a direct response marketer and copywriter, specializing in scaling businesses through strategic marketing initiatives. He is the founder of Cody Roman Copy, where he focuses on creating compelling Video Sales Letters (VSLs), advertorials, email campaigns, and comprehensive sales funnels. His expertise spans various industries, including pain relief products, health supplements, real estate investments, SEO services, and consumer electronics. Before establishing his marketing firm, Cody gained experience as an eCommerce business owner and served as a leasing agent at Birgo Realty. He also held a position as a process engineering intern at BILSTEIN of America, Inc. He is active on social media, sharing insights on marketing and human behavior.
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