When we started, all we had was a determination not to give up, despite lacking the necessary skills for success in startups.

We realized that we weren't alone in our struggles; other startups faced similar challenges, and persistence was key to success.

We were unwilling to admit defeat, which kept us focused on solving problems rather than contemplating shutting down the company.

At HireArt, I faced a moment of potential failure when we hadn't raised any funding while others had, but my co-founders encouraged me to keep pitching until we found an investor who believed in our mission.

When faced with the decision to lay off employees, my co-founder George and I chose to uphold our core values instead and kept the entire team together, asking everyone to take deep cuts to weather the storm.

During the hardest week of shutting down, it was powerful to know I had the backing of my investors, who understood that sometimes things don't work out despite our best efforts.

Our first employee recognized that we persevered through tough times because we were passionate about our mission, which is essential for success.

During the early days, we faced challenges in raising funds, leading to personal sacrifices from the team, including Tony selling his apartments to keep the company afloat.

We took out a credit card and set up meetings with potential investors, knowing that if we didn't raise money, we would have to shut down the company.