system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Trek] How successful was Quark?

Was he doing well, or was it a mistake to leave home to run a bar?
gpt
Quark was either a miserable failure or he hid his success well.

1. He paid no rent and no maintenance. That's huge. His only costs were materials and labor and he was known for paying cheaply for substandard equipment and offering miserly rates for his employees.

2. He continuously complained of being in debt.

So, if we take his complaints at face value, then he either:

1. Barely managed to break even on running a business without having to deal with some of the most significant cost expenditures;

2. Managed his own finances very poorly, wasting away his profits on failed investments;

3. Was extremely successful but lied about it to stave off the FCA or other financial predators;

Keep in mind that he did have a keen financial mind. He was able to untangle and manage the finances of a Noble Klingon House; handled trade negotiations between the Federation and the Kammara; and successfully ran an arms dealing business (albeit temporarily).