The Story Behind Danko’s SoloBiz Challenge

Hi, I’m Danko. In this article, I want to share with you the story behind “Danko’s SoloBiz Challenge.”

I’m a 50-year-old programmer. Over the past 30 years, I developed my life and career step-by-step, like many ordinary people. I went from being a programmer to a team leader, from an employee to a small business owner, and from a passionate young man to a somewhat ordinary middle-aged man.

I’ve had my share of business successes. At its peak, my payment tech company employed 50 people and served thousands of clients. Back then, I thought my life had reached a stable point—I even thought I could retire at 50 and enjoy the rest of my days.

However, life is rarely predictable. Suddenly, COVID-19 hit, and everything was shut down. I tried everything I could to protect my business and career, but the pandemic dragged on longer than I had imagined.

In the end, as you might expect, I lost my team, my company, my credit with the bank, and even my apartment. I thought I couldn’t sink any lower.

After everything fell to zero, I spent five months feeling lost and frustrated. Then, one day, I realized I couldn’t go on like this. I needed to find something to keep myself busy, to re-energize, and to rediscover what I enjoyed.

So, I learned how to cook, even though I had never set foot in the kitchen. I started going on city walks, despite always having hated shopping. I picked up Python after years away from programming, and I even began reflecting on my past mistakes.

I started thinking: What is the essence of business? What is the relationship between a business and its customers? Does a business need shareholders and a team to succeed? Could a one-person company actually work?

Thanks to the internet, I found countless success stories from other solo entrepreneurs; thanks to artificial intelligence, I saw new possibilities for using AI to create a business; and thanks to the spread of open-source philosophy, I encountered many kind, selfless people who offered their help.

After hitting rock bottom, I regained my confidence: In this era of opportunity, everyone can build their own brand, tell their own story, and share their thoughts. Anyone can create their own products—a painting, a piece of audio, a video, a computer program, or even a piece of writing. Everyone has the chance to showcase their products online to people worldwide, find customers who appreciate their work, make sales, and build lasting relationships based on trust.

I found my confidence again and decided to take on this challenge: to create a “one-person company” from scratch, without employees, shareholders, or an office.

Only in this way can I be free from excuses, free from compromise, free from unnecessary costs, and truly face myself, make decisions entirely on my own, and take complete responsibility for myself and my customers.

I want to show you, the person sitting in front of the screen, that this challenge is something you can accomplish too! Over the next 365 days, I’ll report my progress daily on Twitter.

Today, on my 50th birthday, I’m publishing this blog, and I hope that on November 2, 2025, we can meet here again to see the results of my business journey.

Best wishes

Danko Peng

2024.11.2