Lesson 1: Handing over the books to the inexperienced – the first price
When I started my business in Poland, like many of you, I thought that I only needed to do proper bookkeeping when my sales were high. So I entrusted all the bookkeeping to my relatives (Vietnamese) and young people (Polish) so that I could focus on my business. Even though they didn’t have much experience in accounting and tax.
In 1994, after 2 years of establishment, the company was inspected for the first time. The Polish inspector found that the tax had been "forgotten". I was fined 10 times that amount (about 10 - 20 thousand dollars now). The inspector also advised me: You should find a tax consulting company right away, because the next time the inspection team comes, the fine will be even heavier.
After the first fine, I didn’t go looking for one (the inspector recommended it) and hired a company that specializes in bookkeeping and tax reporting. Everything was fine for the time being, and the following inspections didn’t result in many fines, so I was reassured. 
Lesson 2: Big business but accounting system can't keep up
The following years the company grew very fast and after 3 or 4 years, the owner of the tax consulting company suggested a meeting and said frankly: Your company is growing too fast. I can no longer provide consulting services to you, you should find a more professional company. I was a bit surprised... I didn't know compliance was so complicated.
I started my journey to find a new partner. This time, the criteria for finding a company providing accounting and tax consulting services were clear and professional. One thing was for sure, the monthly cost skyrocketed 6-8 times. In the end, I chose a branch of a multinational accounting service company. But at the 89th minute, like my favorite football team MU… After signing the contract and starting to work, the people there said: Your company's accounting books are so bad, it won't be able to be fixed in 1-2 years. Subsequent tax inspections by the tax office, then the city tax office (due to high sales, the company was transferred to the management of the city tax office).
Then, the City Tax Department inspected all import records from 10 years ago. I used to import hundreds of containers of instant noodles every year. Suddenly, the General Department of Taxation requested to change the product code from “instant noodles” (tax 25%) to “noodles” (tax 40%) and decided to collect 15% tax within 10 years .
I appealed to the court, because the original tax code was determined by customs, not the company's fault. After many years of pursuing the case, from the trial court, the appeal court to the Supreme Court - I won. But the price to pay was not only the money that was forced to be collected, but also my health, my spirit and an entire company , which I was later forced to sell.
Learned a valuable lesson: Starting a business requires proper bookkeeping from the beginning.
"If only... I knew that..." - That sentence is often mistaken. If I had kept strict records from the beginning so that there would be no excuse to argue. If I had been more careful and had professional tax advice from the beginning, it would have been different. Later, whenever they had any problems, they would have sent a letter to the Tax Department, and if they followed the instructions correctly, they would not have the right to reverse the decision later.
The fourth time I started my business – with Dh Foods – I did not allow myself to repeat the same mistake. We hired a very professional Chief Accountant to advise us from the beginning (and now he has also become a shareholder of Dh Foods). The documents were so perfect that for 3 consecutive years, the company received a certificate of merit and a commemorative medal from the Tax Department of District 5 as “Outstanding Taxpaying Company”. Although we paid high taxes, the company still had profits to reinvest, and I was able to focus on the main tasks, as did my colleagues. And after 13 years, I still go to work every day full of energy and joy. I think that is what startups should do!
Conclusion
Starting a business is not just about how many products you sell, how much capital you raise… but also about building a solid foundation for your business from the most basic things – like bookkeeping, accounting, and taxes. Things that seem “not urgent” can be the things that make you stumble the most if you ignore them.
I share not to complain, but to hope that young people can go faster, further without having to pay the price like I did . Don't wait until the revenue is large to do it properly. Do it right from the beginning, so that when you succeed, you can truly enjoy the results.
Entrepreneurship can start as late as mine – at 50, but the lesson should be learned as early as possible.
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