Sometimes, the startup game works in your favor just because you

Hear the words of Cheryl Yeoh, builder of ventures and guide to seekers of enterprise: “Sometimes, the startup game works in your favor just because you got in at the right time and right environment. Other times, you're a little too late entering an already crowded space. But startups with strong fundamentals withstand external conditions and come out ahead in good or bad times.” At first, her words seem a meditation on commerce, yet within them lies a teaching about fate, preparation, and endurance. For in every struggle—whether in business, in life, or in the building of nations—timing may tilt the scales, but fundamentals alone decide who endures.

The first truth she names is the power of timing. Many who have risen to greatness did so because they entered when the field was still green. Facebook found the right season, as did Google, riding the dawn of the internet’s vast flowering. To arrive early, in the right environment, is like sowing seed just before the spring rains. Fortune seems to smile, and growth is rapid. Yet Yeoh warns that luck alone cannot sustain the harvest, for not all who plant early bear fruit.

Then comes the second truth: the danger of entering too late. When the field is already crowded, when others have claimed the ground and the soil is worn thin, even the most eager farmer may find his seed stifled. History remembers countless ventures that came after—search engines buried beneath Google’s dominance, social networks forgotten in the shadow of Facebook. To enter late, without vision or strength, is to struggle for scraps among giants.

Yet Yeoh’s wisdom does not end in despair. She declares that those with strong fundamentals endure regardless of fortune’s favor. Fundamentals are the roots: a true solution to real problems, a team of character and discipline, a model built not on vanity but on value. With such foundations, even storms cannot destroy, and even drought cannot wither. The company—or the soul—endures, and when the season turns again, it rises stronger than before.

Consider the tale of Amazon. In the dot-com bubble, countless companies rose and fell, puffed up by speculation and crushed by collapse. Many believed the dream of e-commerce had died. Yet Amazon, guided by fundamentals—serving the customer relentlessly, building infrastructure patiently—weathered the storm. When the skies cleared, it stood alone among ruins, and from that foundation, it grew into one of the titans of the modern age. Such is the power of what Yeoh proclaims: true fundamentals outlast the season.

The lesson for us is this: do not worship luck, though timing matters. Do not despair of delay, though crowds abound. Instead, build your foundation well. Whether in business, art, relationships, or personal growth, commit to fundamentals—honesty, discipline, resilience, service. Fortune may come and go, but these will anchor you when winds shift and seas rage. And when the tide turns in your favor, your ship will be ready to sail.

Therefore, O builders of the future, take these words into your heart: fortune favors the season, but endurance favors the strong. Prepare your foundation so well that no storm can scatter it. If you arrive early, let your fundamentals keep you steady; if you arrive late, let your fundamentals lift you higher. For in the end, timing opens the door, but it is strength of vision and discipline of spirit that carry you through it into lasting greatness.