How Small Steps Impact Big Results?

Are you starting a new business, sport, or hobby but quickly giving up because the results seem too distant? In this article, I’ll show you how such an approach killed several of my projects that had the potential for success.

Projects That Didn’t Succeed

Below are a few projects that didn’t succeed simply because I expected significant results too quickly and became discouraged from further development. All of the projects below had their users and were gradually growing.

• Jemy w Tarnowie – a blog with restaurant reviews from Tarnów (Poland)  and its surroundings. The idea generated significant interest, and I even had a few barter collaborations. At the time, I was in high school, so the opportunity to enjoy free kebabs or pizza was fantastic for me. Unfortunately, I moved to Krakow for my studies, and the motivation to continue developing the blog slowly died. Today, you’ll find a local competitor to Uber Eats at that address, but it’s not my project.
• AGDBLOG –  a technology portal focusing on home appliance reviews: This included smart homes, TVs, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigerators, routers, and much more. During the project’s launch, there were numerous technology blogs/portals on the internet, primarily focusing on smartphones, tablets, and computers. Reliable reviews of appliances like refrigerators were scarce. AGDBLOG gradually gained readers, and I even managed to establish the first partnerships with manufacturers (through PR agencies) via barter agreements. During one such collaboration, I received smart home equipment worth over 800 PLN, which I later sold. I was a student at the time, so that budget was a big deal for me. Despite the project’s growth, I compared myself to major portals like Spider’s Web and quickly concluded that it required too much effort for too little financial profit. I started creating content less frequently until I eventually closed the portal.
• OUTDOORLAB – similar to AGDBLOG but focusing on field testing equipment: The idea was to review devices that were becoming increasingly weather-resistant, such as waterproof power banks, SSDs, and smartphones. The second category of equipment included smartwatches and wearables, electronic devices for physically active individuals. Many reviews by traditional technology media focused on specifications without actual field testing. OUTDOORLAB aimed to change that. It started well, but as with AGDBLOG, the vision of making money from this project seemed distant, and I quickly lost motivation to create content.
• Bicycle Stories – along with a friend, we wanted to document our cycling adventures online. We had cool stickers that we left in the places we “conquered,” a blog, and a publicly accessible map with live tracking of our location in the plans. In the end, we went on two small trips, and then our partnership fell apart, and I didn’t want to continue the project on my own. 
• Learning Programming – I first became interested in programming at the age of 18. I made ten attempts – different languages, different technologies, different projects. However, I always gave up very quickly.

Patience Is Key

Today, I know that patience is the key to success. When I start something new, negative thoughts often creep into my mind, but I try to ignore them. I break down a big goal into three levels and then into steps to be achieved in a quarter, a month, a week, and a day. I simply push forward and don’t dwell on whether something makes sense, whether it will bring in a lot of money, or whether I’m wasting my time, and so on. My journaling app, Felice, is a significant help in this regard.