Hello everyone,
I'm writing from Turkey.
I just finished reading **MJ DeMarco's *The Millionaire Fastlane ***, and before anything else, I'd like to thank MJ for writing such an eye-opening book. It made me question many of my assumptions about business, wealth, and freedom.
This is also my very first post on this forum, so if I accidentally break any forum rules or post in the wrong section, I sincerely apologize in advance and would appreciate any guidance.
---
In January 2025, my business partner and I started a perfume company completely from scratch.
Our names are **Cankut** and **Tuna**. At that time, we were both working full-time salaried jobs. We used the money we saved from our salaries to build the company ourselves without any investors or outside funding.
Our business produces high-quality inspired versions of niche perfumes. The inspired perfume market is quite large in Turkey, but our goal has never been to compete only on price. We've always tried to build the highest-quality brand we possibly can.
When we launched, we had only **25 products**.
Today, our catalog has grown to **50 products**.
The journey has been much harder than we expected. Both of us accepted significantly lower personal incomes to keep investing everything back into the company. There were moments where things became financially very difficult, but we kept moving forward because we believed in what we were building.
Last month, our revenue was approximately **$2,488 USD**.
That number may not sound impressive from an American perspective, but in Turkey it's roughly equivalent to about **four minimum monthly salaries**, so for a company that started from zero, we're proud of the progress we've made.
While reading the book, I kept evaluating our business against the Fastlane commandments.
### Need
I believe we solve a real market need, although I'm still not completely sure whether we're solving a "big enough" problem.
### Entry
Building a trustworthy perfume brand with consistent quality, legal compliance, branding, customer service, and sourcing isn't as easy as it looks, but the industry itself certainly isn't impossible to enter either.
### Control
Our company is completely under our control.
There are only two partners, and we actually live in the same house, which allows us to make decisions extremely quickly. There are no investors or outside parties influencing the business.
### Scale
We currently don't have a physical store.
Everything is sold through e-commerce, meaning we can sell to customers throughout Turkey without geographical limitations.
### Time
During the first year, we invested enormous amounts of time into building the business.
Today, because our products are already listed across multiple marketplaces, our daily operations require much less time than they did in the beginning.
---
One thing I'm especially proud of is how much we care about our customers.
Our products fully comply with all legal regulations required in Turkey, so compliance has never been an issue for us.
Customer satisfaction is one of our biggest priorities.
Around **95% of our customer reviews are positive**.
We answer customer questions very quickly, we usually ship orders on the same day they're placed, and we often include free perfume samples and small gifts inside each package to create a better customer experience.
---
In June 2026, after working as a salaried employee for almost **nine years**, I left my job because of health-related reasons.
Today, entrepreneurship is my full-time focus.
Besides our perfume company, I'm also trying to build sales channels in the United States through Amazon and Etsy.
Ironically, I realize this may conflict with MJ's advice about focusing on one business instead of chasing multiple opportunities. That's something I'm currently reflecting on, and I may need to simplify my focus.
Right now, however, my number one priority is growing our perfume company as much as possible.
---
Our biggest challenges today are:
* We struggle to generate traffic to our own website.
* Most of our sales come through marketplaces instead of our own store.
* Because of that, we lose approximately **19%** of our revenue in marketplace commissions.
* Most importantly, we feel like we've reached a temporary growth plateau.
This is actually why I'm writing this post.
In the book, MJ talks about businesses like Domino's Pizza, where the value proposition was so compelling that it changed customer expectations.
I've been trying to think of an equivalent idea for the perfume industry, but I simply can't find one.
How can we make our offer so compelling that customers naturally choose us?
Are there any outstanding examples from the U.S. or other countries that you've seen?
If you were in our position today, what would you focus on next?
---
Below this post, I'll also share some charts showing our monthly sales volume, monthly revenue, and overall business growth so you can better understand where we currently stand.
I'd genuinely appreciate any advice, criticism, or ideas from people who have already walked this path.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
P.S. I have one personal dream: I want to grow this business enough to someday buy a Porsche 911. I know it's just a car, but for me it represents the freedom and success I'm working toward every single day.
Website
Instagram
I'm writing from Turkey.
I just finished reading **MJ DeMarco's *The Millionaire Fastlane ***, and before anything else, I'd like to thank MJ for writing such an eye-opening book. It made me question many of my assumptions about business, wealth, and freedom.
This is also my very first post on this forum, so if I accidentally break any forum rules or post in the wrong section, I sincerely apologize in advance and would appreciate any guidance.
---
In January 2025, my business partner and I started a perfume company completely from scratch.
Our names are **Cankut** and **Tuna**. At that time, we were both working full-time salaried jobs. We used the money we saved from our salaries to build the company ourselves without any investors or outside funding.
Our business produces high-quality inspired versions of niche perfumes. The inspired perfume market is quite large in Turkey, but our goal has never been to compete only on price. We've always tried to build the highest-quality brand we possibly can.
When we launched, we had only **25 products**.
Today, our catalog has grown to **50 products**.
The journey has been much harder than we expected. Both of us accepted significantly lower personal incomes to keep investing everything back into the company. There were moments where things became financially very difficult, but we kept moving forward because we believed in what we were building.
Last month, our revenue was approximately **$2,488 USD**.
That number may not sound impressive from an American perspective, but in Turkey it's roughly equivalent to about **four minimum monthly salaries**, so for a company that started from zero, we're proud of the progress we've made.
While reading the book, I kept evaluating our business against the Fastlane commandments.
### Need
I believe we solve a real market need, although I'm still not completely sure whether we're solving a "big enough" problem.
### Entry
Building a trustworthy perfume brand with consistent quality, legal compliance, branding, customer service, and sourcing isn't as easy as it looks, but the industry itself certainly isn't impossible to enter either.
### Control
Our company is completely under our control.
There are only two partners, and we actually live in the same house, which allows us to make decisions extremely quickly. There are no investors or outside parties influencing the business.
### Scale
We currently don't have a physical store.
Everything is sold through e-commerce, meaning we can sell to customers throughout Turkey without geographical limitations.
### Time
During the first year, we invested enormous amounts of time into building the business.
Today, because our products are already listed across multiple marketplaces, our daily operations require much less time than they did in the beginning.
---
One thing I'm especially proud of is how much we care about our customers.
Our products fully comply with all legal regulations required in Turkey, so compliance has never been an issue for us.
Customer satisfaction is one of our biggest priorities.
Around **95% of our customer reviews are positive**.
We answer customer questions very quickly, we usually ship orders on the same day they're placed, and we often include free perfume samples and small gifts inside each package to create a better customer experience.
---
In June 2026, after working as a salaried employee for almost **nine years**, I left my job because of health-related reasons.
Today, entrepreneurship is my full-time focus.
Besides our perfume company, I'm also trying to build sales channels in the United States through Amazon and Etsy.
Ironically, I realize this may conflict with MJ's advice about focusing on one business instead of chasing multiple opportunities. That's something I'm currently reflecting on, and I may need to simplify my focus.
Right now, however, my number one priority is growing our perfume company as much as possible.
---
Our biggest challenges today are:
* We struggle to generate traffic to our own website.
* Most of our sales come through marketplaces instead of our own store.
* Because of that, we lose approximately **19%** of our revenue in marketplace commissions.
* Most importantly, we feel like we've reached a temporary growth plateau.
This is actually why I'm writing this post.
In the book, MJ talks about businesses like Domino's Pizza, where the value proposition was so compelling that it changed customer expectations.
I've been trying to think of an equivalent idea for the perfume industry, but I simply can't find one.
How can we make our offer so compelling that customers naturally choose us?
Are there any outstanding examples from the U.S. or other countries that you've seen?
If you were in our position today, what would you focus on next?
---
Below this post, I'll also share some charts showing our monthly sales volume, monthly revenue, and overall business growth so you can better understand where we currently stand.
I'd genuinely appreciate any advice, criticism, or ideas from people who have already walked this path.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
P.S. I have one personal dream: I want to grow this business enough to someday buy a Porsche 911. I know it's just a car, but for me it represents the freedom and success I'm working toward every single day.
Website
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