作者与朋友Felix在2010年共同创办了电商联盟网站业务[1]。两人当时均为24岁，目标是在30岁前成为百万富翁[1]。他们通过创建数百个产品克隆网站从事联盟营销，利用数据feed实现批量建站[1]。初期业绩不佳，第一年建立了100个网站，收入仅为1300美元，而支出达1800美元[1]。2011年收入达5300美元（包括网站收入和自由职业收入）[1]。
此后两人的人生轨迹出现分化[1]。作者离开了这项业务，追求个人生活，与M相识、结婚并生育两个孩子，进入企业全职工作[1]。而Felix则保持了自由独立的状态[1]。作者现在将近40岁，从中年视角回顾，反思了青春时期对自由和财富的追求与后来承担家庭责任之间的权衡[1]。
The author and his friend Felix were both 24 years old when they launched an e-commerce affiliate marketing business in 2010, driven by an ambitious goal to become millionaires by age 30 [1]. Their strategy involved creating hundreds of product clone websites using data feeds, a scaled approach to affiliate marketing [1]. In their first year of operation, they built approximately 100 websites but generated only $1,300 in revenue against $1,800 in expenses [1]. By 2011, their combined income from websites and freelance work had grown to $5,300 [1].
The turning point came when an intern named D suggested strategic changes—increasing the number of websites and adding advertisements to their existing sites—recommendations that were ultimately implemented and set the business on a path toward profitability [1]. However, the author's life trajectory soon diverged sharply from Felix's. The author eventually left the business to pursue personal relationships and family life, marrying a woman named M, having two children, and transitioning into full-time corporate employment [1]. In reflecting on this period, the author noted that he had once prioritized personal space and independence, seeing his girlfriend only once weekly [1]. Now nearly 40 years old, the author observed that "Felix is still twenty four," capturing how his friend maintained the same youthful independence and freedom the author had once valued [1].