What We Learned in the First 10 Months with No Pay

A transparent look at the early grind and how belief and sacrifice paid off

When people talk about “starting from scratch,” they often gloss over the hard parts.

For us - Joe, Tom, and later Loren - “scratch” meant ten months without a single payday.

No salaries. No safety net. Just a belief that if we worked smart and stayed relentless, it would pay off.

This is what those ten months taught us, and why we wouldn’t trade that chapter for anything.

1. Belief Is a Currency Before the Money Comes In

Before the spreadsheets, build costs, and investor decks, there was belief. In ourselves. In each other. In what we were trying to build.

We had no fancy offices, no pipeline of guaranteed deals. But we did have the discipline from sport, the grit from trade, and the mindset to figure it out.

That belief kept us in the game when common sense said to quit.

2. Living Lean Builds a Business Muscle

We weren’t splashing out on designer laptops or hiring before we could afford it.

We were using beat-up vans, recycling lead lists, and surviving on the cheapest food we could find.

It taught us how to stretch resources, negotiate like every penny mattered (because it did), and keep overheads lean - habits that still benefit the business today.

3. Action > Perfect Planning

Did we have a roadmap? Not really. Were we winging it at times? 100%.

But we showed up every single day.

We built momentum through volume, viewing dozens of properties a week, pitching to investors, tweaking Facebook ads, failing fast and learning faster.

We could’ve sat and “got everything in order.” But we chose movement instead, and it worked.

4. Relationships Come Before Revenue

One of the biggest lessons from that phase? People come before paydays.

We couldn’t fund deals ourselves, so we had to earn trust quickly.

We told the truth, even when it wasn’t flattering. We showed up to every call prepared. We treated small investors with the same respect as big ones.

That reputation opened the doors we couldn’t afford to kick down.

5. The Sacrifice Pays Off, But Only If You Learn From It

Ten months without income isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s confronting.

It tests your self-worth, your commitment, your ability to see past the short term.

But if you use that time to sharpen your mindset, build resilience, and document your lessons - it becomes a launchpad, not a liability.

We emerged from that chapter battle-tested, bonded, and with a much clearer sense of who we were as a company.

Why We Still Talk About That Phase

We don’t romanticise the zero-income grind. It was brutal.

But we’re grateful for it.

Because when deals started closing and money began to flow, we didn’t just celebrate, we knew how to manage it.

We knew what it had cost to get here. And we never wanted to lose that hunger.

🚀 Takeaway for Developers & Investors

If you're early in your journey - trust us, it gets better.

If you're further along - don’t forget what built your foundations.

And if you’re an investor - know this: when we say we understand sacrifice, risk, and resilience, it’s not theory. It’s lived.

That’s why we treat your capital with the same respect we gave every pound in those first ten months.

💬 Contact us

We know how to deliver results because we’ve earned every lesson the hard way.

If you’re serious about partnering with people who treat your investment like their own, get in touch.

We’d love to talk. Contact us today!