Segment: I Started With 100 Orders, No System - Popularity Without Structure Nearly Broke Me

Summary

Konnected Minds Podcast
Host: Derrick Abaitey
Episode Segment: "I Started With 100 Orders, No System – Popularity Without Structure Nearly Broke Me"
Date: April 8, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the raw realities of starting a business that scales too quickly, focusing on the chaos of early success without the right systems or support structure. The guest (Speaker A) and Derrick Abaitey (Speaker B) discuss the pitfalls of overnight popularity in business, the emotional toll of letting customers down, the learning curve of entrepreneurship, and the essential role of delegation and customer service. The episode is abundant with honest personal stories, practical advice, and encouragement for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially young women.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Customer Service and Delegation as Survival Tools

• Speaker A reveals that retaining customers, not just attracting them, is crucial for long-term success.
• Fast replies and genuine apologies for delays build trust and rapport with buyers.
• Delegating tasks enabled smoother operations and personal sanity.
  • "That's how I've done it. Like, I have delegated tasks to people so that everything can be run smoothly." (00:15)

2. The Burden of Sudden Popularity

• Unlike typical growth trajectories, A started their business with a flood of orders and no system.
• The chaos led to constant anxiety and fear of disappointing customers, especially when handling issues like delayed deliveries or missed orders.
  • "I never started as the average business person. I started with plenty orders…like, I was all over the place." (01:08)
  • "Now I'm sending you a 100 order. Your face the first time. Where is my left and right?...I have to beg 20 people. Like, it was too much." (01:45)

3. Realities of Early Mistakes and Emotional Fallout

• Speaker A shares a story about a failed skincare product, African black soap, which led to the closure of a business due to a customer injuring their skin by misusing it.
• Lack of foundational business knowledge contributed to a series of small, damaging mistakes—like overselling due to no website management and inability to track stock.
  • "I knew nothing about business. It was just loss, loss, loss, loss, loss. Like not lost financially, but like probably lose like some customers. Delivery, packaging, overselling." (02:46)

4. Stock Management and Production Logistics

• Using Instagram as the sole sales platform led to confusion, overselling, and supply not matching demand.
• Some products take weeks to prepare, meaning customers faced long waits and frequent apologies.
  • "I'm taking orders. Oh, I want a set. I've taken, I've taken. Now it's time to pack...now I have to come and beg you down. Sorry. And one month is a long time." (03:31)

5. Delegation as a Game Changer

• Hiring someone to handle customer messages radically improved workflow and reduced personal stress.
• The division of labor allowed Speaker A to focus on production and school, and later improved the customer experience.
  • "Delegation has been the best thing ever." (04:03)
  • "I hired somebody to be replying to my Instagram DM...now, if there's pressure, me, I don't see the pressure again." (06:29)

6. Emotional Coping and Resilience

• The guest discusses a dislike for disappointing people and how important it was to be accountable—even to the level of “begging” customers for understanding.
  • "As a business person, you have to learn how to kiss ass. Yes, you be kissing your customers. Your clients. You are not in the person buying your products DM. So you have to. I beg you." (04:27)
• Trust built with customers, including showing her face and being transparent, helped avoid negative blowback.
  • "The trust I had built with my followers as like this already before. So it's like, there's no way she'll scam us. So that was what helped me." (05:29)

7. Perseverance and Motivation

• Both host and guest share stories of near-failures and emphasize never giving up, drawing strength from the need to survive and provide.
  • "I closed down my skincare business. I thought about it...But this thing is getting me good money…so the motivation [remained] that we have to do this." (05:44)
  • Derrick shares his own Amazon anecdote of taking massive orders he couldn't fulfill, leading to losing his account—but never considering giving up.
    • "I came back on Monday and we had over 200 orders...I lost the account. But the thought never came in together...Thought never comes in to give up." (07:36)

8. Message to Young Women

• Speaker A offers a message directly to young girls seeking inspiration:
  • "People get opportunities all the time, but it is what you can make out of the opportunity that is going to make you or break you. Don't think any opportunity is too small for you to make something out of it…No matter the opportunity you get, try your best to put some value to it." (08:57)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Speaker A:

  • "I never started as the average business person. I started with plenty orders…like I was all over the place." (01:08)
  • "Delegation has been the best thing ever." (04:03)
  • "As a business person, you have to learn how to kiss ass. Yes, you be kissing your customers." (04:27)
  • "People get opportunities all the time, but it is what you can make out of the opportunity that is going to make you or break you." (08:57)

• Derrick Abaitey:

  • "There was a time I put a product on Amazon…I had not even calculated how much money I was going to make from it. I came back on Monday and we had over 200 orders…the Amazon account got cancelled anyway because I could not meet the demand." (07:36)
  • "But the thought never came in together…Thought never comes in to give up." (08:27)

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Important Timestamps

• [00:15] — Customer service & delegation as retention strategies
• [01:08] — Struggles of starting with high demand and no system
• [02:29] — Skin care product mistake and shutting down a business
• [03:31] — Instagram order chaos and supply/demand mismatch
• [04:03] — Delegation as a turning point
• [04:27] — The importance of humility and customer care
• [05:29] — Building trust with followers
• [05:44] — Motivation and resilience after business setbacks
• [07:36] — Derrick’s Amazon order story and lessons on not giving up
• [08:57] — Message to young women about opportunities

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Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, practical, and supportive—blending honest personal stories with actionable lessons for entrepreneurs. There’s an undercurrent of empathy and encouragement, particularly for young women interested in business.

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Summary Takeaways

• Rapid popularity without structure is hazardous in business; building systems and delegating early is critical.
• Resilience and customer care are essential to surviving business mistakes and setbacks.
• Don’t let initial chaos or fear of failure stop you; every small opportunity can be transformed with the right mindset and effort.
• Authenticity and trust-building with customers can be your greatest assets, especially in the face of difficulty.

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Transcript

[A]

At the end of the day, we can. We have conversations. Oh, this and this and this and that. I think this and this and this and that. By the end of the day, you know, your strength, me, my own needs to be there to get the bias. But how to retain the bias or to keep them coming back can be through customer service. It can be fast replies, like how they apologize to you when we delay. There are people that will do that. You see that? So that's how I've done it. Like, I have delegated tasks to people so that everything can be run smoothly.

[B]

What are some of the challenges you faced in the business?

[A]

Oh, when I was starting out, was the responding to people. Yes. And then what to do when there's an issue, like there's a delay in delivery. Because sometimes it's not me, sometimes the delivery service, they can keep the package. Yeah, some. Sometimes it can be me because maybe I missed an order or something. But I never started as the average business person. I started with plenty orders. You see, you know that there are some business people that started with selling just one a day and two a day and God willing, their business blew up in some years time and everything.

[B]

For two years in my business, I was not making any money.

[A]

Exactly. So I feel like you can navigate more than me at that point. Because you see, you, you, you took time to build your structure, to understand yourself, to understand your flaws. It's like being popular. You know, some people just become popular, boom, like that, and now they don't know what to do with themselves. Okay. Yes. So that's what their business do. It can, boom. Like this, like, not me. How do I tell this person I'm sorry that husband, like, you know, like, it was hard for me. It was so hard for me. And my worry every time was so good. I hope the way I spoke to this person, this person will come back again. I hope this, this little guy killed me. Oh, this. Like, like I was all over the place. Because I never started with one or say one order. Now you know that. Okay. If I package it, if it's just one order and this delivery service disappoints you, you don't know not to go there again. Now me, I'm sending you 100 order. Your face the first time. Where is my left and right? Like, now you've embarrassed me. 20 people straight. I have to beg 20 people. Like, it was too much. It was too much for me in the early days was when I hired somebody to start responding to me, to my. My messages on instagram. Like early, like one year into the business. I was like, no, I'm done. Is it I stopped this or like I stopped this business because I started, I did a little bit of skincare at a point because I used to do my own skincare product. Right. And then it was African black soup. Now African black soap, when you use it on your face, you don't leave it on your face for 15 minutes, it will burn you.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yes. You need to use to was face in a circular motion for one minute. And that's what I was doing. And then I sold it to somebody and the person said, hi, your product has bent my skin. I, I left it for 15 minutes. I said, you left the product for 15 minutes. Business shut down. I was done with it because I can't live with the thoughts that somebody used my products and then they hate their, their face and I just shut down the business. But at this point, at this point in my life, because I've delegated people and everything, they would have found like the right response to give the person and then we'll find like a solution and everything. But at, I knew nothing about business. It was just loss, loss, loss, loss, loss. Like not lost financially, but like probably lose like some customers. Delivery, packaging, overselling. Because I didn't have a website at that time, so maybe I probably oversell without even noticing. I really struggled when I, when I was starting, I struggled to. Some people will be a blessing, but to me at that point, if I didn't take time.

[B]

So, right, you opened the orders. There's a lot of orders, but there's not enough stock.

[A]

Yes. No, they, they, yeah, like in different, in different points. At different points. Because I was just using Instagram. Right, Right. So I'm taking orders. Oh, I want a set. I've taken, I've taken. Now it's time to pack. And now. Yes. And then the oil is not some oil that you can do 24 hours. Right. I need like a month for it to sit, get like the hips and everything. So it's like now I have to come and beg you down. Sorry. And one month is a long time. And that time, although I could make hundred, it was too small for me.

[B]

Because of the order.

[A]

Yes. So the balance. And I was, it was just me, I was just the only person calling people who do label, looking for packaging bottles, like, so delegation has been the best thing ever.

[B]

I mean, like, so how, how do you naturally deal with pressure? Like this type of pressure?

[A]

Yeah, like I'm, I, I, I'm so Sad. I don't like disappointing people. So I'll be like, I'll be so. Thing about me is we have to find a. A solution. Like, we'll find. I'll find a solution. Like, I'll beg you. Oh, I'm sorry. This and this and that. Like, please. But I feel bad that we even had to get to that point. Well, as a business person, I don't know if I can use these words here, but you have to learn how to kiss us. Yes. You be kissing your customers. Your clients. You are not in the person buying your products dm. So you have to. I beg you. Oh, I didn't know. Like, the pressure I was thinking, like, I'm two days. I'm surprised that nobody called me out at that point in my life. And it's like, God bless you people for what you did for me. Because I don't know, maybe it was just consideration. It was consideration that I am not a scam. If anything, I'm still not a scam. So they know they'll receive it. It will keep locked, but they will still receive it. So I think it's showing my face and people knowing the face behind the person that there's no way this person will scam. Yes. You see, and the trust I had built with my followers as like this already before. So it's like, there's no way she'll scam us. So that was what helped me.

[B]

Did you not think of giving up?

[A]

I said, I closed down my skincare business. I thought about it and did some. But later I was like, nah, let me relax, let me relax. But this thing is getting me good money. I was in uni and the thought of me being able to afford certain things kept the motivation there that we have to do this. So the time that I when I was able to sort out everybody's orders, that was when I took time to go to school as well. So when I went to school and I asked, oh, where you put buy these bottles? Where do you do this label? Where do you do this? Where do you do that? So then I start like paying for all these things for it to come for it, for me to see that I don't go and collect a client's money and say, oh, it's coming next you go, I stopped pre order. No, the item has to be here. Then I'll tell you that it's here now, so come for it. Because you don't know which supplier will embarrass you. Because some of the things who are coming from Abroad and all of that. So that's how come I stayed like. So it got better. Then I hired somebody to be replying to my Instagram dm. So even if there's pressure me, I don't see the pressure again. You, you are handling the pressure. So to me, we are all good. Maybe you give me a report at the end of the weekend. I'll be like, oh, so this is what you went through. Oh, sorry. But really work well under pressure. I would give up. So it was. That's when I decided I hired somebody. And then she was replying to the messages and all of that and they're focusing on production and school and everything. And then things started like going smoothly for me.

[B]

You're a very interesting business person in the sense that a lot of the people I've spoken with who run businesses, they, they pressure is what most them. Because it's. It's inevitable that if you're running the business there will be pressure.

[A]

Yeah, right. Yeah.

[B]

But you seem to be on the other side.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like everything you're doing is just very seamless.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Let me stop you here for a minute. So if it's your first time watching Connected Mind or you have been here before but still have not subscribed, do us a favor because majority of the people that watch our videos have not subscribed. This doesn't help us grow beyond what we expect. So help us by hitting the subscribe button. Thank you. Now, let's get back to the conversation. There was a time I put a product on Amazon. This is when the business was struggling. So I put a product on Amazon at a lower price than the lowest price on Amazon. I had not even calculated how much money I was going to make from it. I came back on Monday and we had over 200 orders. The Amazon account got cancelled anyway because I could not meet the demand. Very similar thing. The stock was not in. People were not even bringing me the stock and I didn't have enough money to go and buy because it was terrible.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I lost the account.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But the thought never came in together. I mean, I've done several businesses, well over 10 businesses, some of them failed. Thought never comes in to give up.

[A]

To give. Yeah. It's a good thing.

[B]

Like it's always. Yeah, well, I mean, how else am I going to survive? I have to do business kind of thing.

[A]

My own is I go to provide you.

[B]

What message do you have for the young girl watching you who is looking for inspiration in life?

[A]

Yeah. I'm going to tell you that people get opportunities all the time, but it is what you can make out of the opportunity that is going to make you or break you. Don't think any opportunity is too small for you to make something out of it. People make the most out of the smallest one. So no matter the opportunity you get, try your best to put some value to it. That's what's going to keep you connected.

[B]

Minds Podcast.