I left my $450,000 tech job to open a halal BBQ restaurant in Texas. It made over $2 million in its first year.
THE SO WHAT
$2M in year-one revenue without a founder salary is a reminder that topline in small businesses often hides fragile cash dynamics. For operators eyeing “real world” pivots, underwrite your own runway as aggressively as you’d underwrite a startup burn plan.
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