When you are starting to run an online business, you need to

In the words of Fabrizio Moreira, there is distilled a truth that has guided merchants, artisans, and builders across the centuries: “When you are starting to run an online business, you need to narrow down a niche market and be able to stick with it until you have a good profit coming in. This can take a while, so you need to have a great deal of patience to make sure that your business is moving in the right direction.” Though he speaks of digital commerce, his wisdom belongs to the timeless realm of perseverance, focus, and the steady pursuit of mastery.

For what is a niche market, if not the fertile plot of soil in which the wise cultivator plants his seed? The land may be vast, yet he does not scatter aimlessly across the wilderness. Instead, he chooses one place, tends it carefully, and reaps a harvest from its depths. So too in business: to spread oneself across all markets is to starve one’s labor, but to narrow one’s focus is to gather strength. Moreira calls us to discipline, reminding us that greatness begins not in breadth, but in depth.

Yet narrowing the path is not enough—it must be walked with patience. Here lies the heart of his teaching. The merchant of old did not become wealthy in a single season, nor did the craftsman master his art in a day. The building of a profit takes time, and impatience is the enemy that has ruined more ventures than failure itself. Moreira’s words echo the eternal law: that success is not swift, but the fruit of consistent tending, trial, and endurance.

History itself testifies to this truth. Recall the story of Thomas Edison, who, before inventing the practical light bulb, endured thousands of failed experiments. Many mocked him, but he persevered with patience, narrowing his focus until the right filament was found. His fortune was not made overnight, but through years of steady resolve. Just as Edison gave light to the world through persistence, so too must the modern entrepreneur endure the slow burn of growth before the flame of profit can shine.

Moreira also warns us against the seduction of distraction. In an age where opportunities flash before us like stars across the night sky, it is tempting to chase one, then another, abandoning each before it bears fruit. But the wise know that distraction is a thief. A business, like a tree, must be given time to root before it can blossom. Without this patience, no venture can endure. His teaching calls us to focus, to faith, and to the courage of staying the course.

The meaning of the quote is thus: in the pursuit of building something lasting, it is not brilliance alone that matters, but consistency; not speed, but patience; not breadth, but steadfast focus. To narrow, to endure, and to persist is the way of those who triumph. The “overnight success” is but a myth; true success is built in silence, day by day, until its fruits become undeniable.

The lesson for us is clear: whether in commerce, craft, or calling, do not scatter yourself. Choose your ground, labor faithfully upon it, and measure your progress not by how swiftly profits arrive, but by whether your steps move in the right direction. Patience is your ally, focus is your guide, and persistence is your crown.

So take Fabrizio Moreira’s words as the counsel of the ancients: do not seek shortcuts, but instead seek steadfastness. For the one who narrows his path and walks it faithfully will, in time, find not only profit, but the fulfillment that comes from building something enduring and true.