Chapter Ten: The Fire Inside
Ali sat at his desk, the glow of his laptop illuminating his determined face.
His Shopify dashboard showed a steady rise in orders.
Total profit so far: $32,500
Still far from the $100,000 goal, but every sale brought him closer.
He cracked his knuckles. "Time to speed this up."
Scaling Up: The Next Big Move
Ali hopped on a late-night call with Daniel.
Ali: "We're making money, but we need to go bigger. What's our best-performing product now?"
Daniel: "The Smart LED Desk Lamp. It's dominating sales."
Ali: "Then we scale it. Double the budget. Hit new markets."
Daniel: "Got it. We'll expand to the UK and Canada."
Ali smirked. Now they were thinking global.
But that wasn't enough.
He needed more winning products.
For the next few hours, he combed through market trends, searching for the next hot item. Finally, he found three new contenders:
Magnetic Phone Stand – Sleek, modern, and trending on TikTok.
Electric Hand Warmer – A must-have for winter, with high-profit margins.
Mini Air Purifier – With people caring more about air quality, this was a smart bet.
Ali messaged Daniel.
Ali: "Add these to the store. Find good suppliers."
Daniel: "On it. I'll have everything ready by tomorrow."
Now, his store had eight products.
He wasn't just building a store anymore—he was creating a brand.
And for that, he needed a name.
After brainstorming for hours, he finally settled on something sleek and modern.
"NovaNest"
A brand that symbolized innovation, comfort, and smart living.
From this point on, NovaNest wouldn't just be another online store. It would be a recognized brand—one that people trusted for high-quality, useful products.
Now, he just had to make sure it became a household name.
A Harsh Reality Check
At 2 AM, after hours of work, Ali leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes.
His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten all day.
He walked into the kitchen—and froze.
His mother, Ayesha, stood by the tiny stove, her hands kneading dough, her face weary but focused.
She turned, startled. "Ali, what are you doing awake?"
Ali swallowed. "I could ask you the same."
She smiled softly. "Your father was tired, so I'm preparing food for the café. We can't afford to fall behind."
Ali's heart twisted.
The kitchen was small, barely enough space to move around. The walls had stains from years of cooking, the cabinets were worn, and the fridge hummed weakly, struggling to keep up.
His mother deserved better. They all did.
She pressed the dough firmly, her fingers rough from years of hard work.
Ali clenched his fists.
No more.
No more watching his parents struggle. No more living in a cramped apartment with broken furniture. No more barely making ends meet.
Everything was going to change.
And soon.
Ali turned back toward his room, eyes burning with determination.
He had work to do.