FF–001
Commerce & ProductsFully free
The seven-sale spike that triggered a $10,000 reorder
One unusually good sales day turned into a 1,000-unit reorder before the seller understood what had caused the spike.
Browse the losses.
Real loss cases, edited and structured into practical post-mortems. Origin and access are always labeled.
FF–002
Commerce & ProductsFully free
The $140 sample that could have prevented a $1,600 loss
A first-time seller skipped a physical sample, then discovered the production finish did not match the listing photographs.
FF–003
SubscriptionsFully free
A £9,000 subscription box for customers who preferred shopping for themselves
The service outsourced gadget selection for the same enthusiasts who enjoyed researching and choosing gadgets themselves.
FF–004
SubscriptionsFully free
£7,000 tied up in books that subscribers did not need
Each subscription test required buying more books, turning weak recurring demand into cash trapped on a shelf.
FF–005
Commerce & ProductsFully free
Hiring a four-person team before one person's process was repeatable
A few successful campaigns looked like a system—until four people were hired to execute a process that still lived in the founder's head.
FF–006
Software & TechnologyFully free
Two years building an AR product before asking whether anyone needed it
Company setup and feature output looked like progress while the buyer and painful problem remained hypothetical.
FF–007
Media & PartnershipsFully free
A $25,000 founder loss hidden inside two sheets of notebook paper
Money, labor, and intellectual property went into a company whose ownership agreement existed mainly on notebook paper.
FF–008
Manufacturing & SupplyFully free
€12,000 and eighteen months solving a problem buyers could ignore
The product improved a real industrial process—but not enough to justify buying, installing, and learning something new.
FF–009
Software & TechnologyFully free
Spending a $12,000 runway while avoiding the work that could create revenue
The founder could keep building products, but the business required customer-facing work he could not sustainably perform.
FF–010
Retail & ConsumerFully free
More than £50,000 lost on a gallery with too little foot traffic
A cheaper location, a rigid lease, and repeated personal borrowing turned weak foot traffic into a family-sized loss.
FF–011
Travel & ExperiencesFully free
$209,640 of family money spread across more than twenty tour markets
Geographic reach looked like growth while every new state created another unproven local-demand problem.
FF–012
Software & TechnologyFully free
$46,000 across three products, with $12,000 spent on infrastructure
Small recurring tools, outsourced work, and premature infrastructure accumulated across three products before demand was established.