When you decide to build a startup, you have the opportunity to shape your own destiny, but the startup life is not for everyone.
Entrepreneurship is often glorified in the media as a career path that yields fame and riches beyond any other vocation. Startup founders who have already made the leap recognize that this external hype misrepresents what startup culture is really like.
Reality Check: What It’s Really Like To Be An Entrepreneur
While there is no doubt that entrepreneurship can create happiness, fulfillment and success; it is also an extremely challenging endeavor that is not for the faint of heart. Here is a glimpse into the good, bad, and ugly of my experience thus far building a startup:
The Good
1) IMPACT
Entrepreneurs move the world forward. Knowing that you’re making a difference in people’s lives is extremely motivating and the primary reason why founders start companies. When you’re a small team working on solving a specific problem, your impact per team member is astonishingly high. Everyone in the organization can see their impact manifest before their eyes in the daily work that’s done.
2) EMPOWERMENT
When you build something from nothing, you are empowered to do even more. Creating a business is rewarding and intellectually stimulating. Building a startup allows you to develop a great sense of pride in what you do. It also becomes easier to do things out of your comfort zone. You’re more willing to try (and fail). The freedom to learn from your failures and build your own destiny is exciting!
3) EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME
In a startup, there is no typical day, and time is your greatest asset. You have to think on your feet and learn as you go. You meet people from all over the world who share a similar passion, interest and excitement for your industry and the challenges you’re trying to solve. Every day is an opportunity to learn, grow and change the world. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience.
4) PROFIT FROM PASSION
Your best work comes from doing something that inspires you. When you have passion for what you do, you tend to not only be better at it, but you’ll work harder on it too. It’s amazing what we can create when we do what we love, and if we stick with it, there can be a financial reward as well.
The Bad (and Ugly)
1) MENTAL FATIGUE
Founders think about their company 24x7x365. This can be exhausting, stressful and frustrating. When you add in the risk and uncertainty of forging your own path, the pressure of it all can be the downfall of not just the startup, but also the founder. It’s necessary to surround yourself with supporting team members, mentors and other entrepreneurs to keep a level head through this journey.
2) LONELINESS
Being an entrepreneur is lonely. You feel isolated in a world that makes you feel small and insignificant. You work long hours and don’t communicate with the outside world as much as you’d like. Outside of the contact with your immediate team, this can feel very lonesome. The only way to deal with this is to spend time with like-minded entrepreneurs who are in the same position as you are. Luckily there are a number of regular meet-up groups for founders in most cities around the world.
3) RELATIONSHIPS WILL BE TESTED
Your family and friends will not fully understand what you go through on a daily basis. If you’re building a strong personal brand alongside your startup, people will judge you and feel like they know a lot about you. It can be extremely challenging to balance your time with the people you care about most when you’re laser focused on building a startup.
It’s also hard for people to understand your desire to take on the risk and build a business in the first place. You will sometimes deal with jealousy and resentment. It can even stem from a lack of understanding about what you actually do. You will have to learn to say no to people who want your help and support. Balancing time between mentorship with seeking your own mentorship is another challenge that’s often overlooked.
Finding Balance
The emotional toil of pouring everything into a company that, statistically, won’t make can be very hard. It’s important not to tie your self-worth to what you’re building. That’s not sustainable for you or the startup, but when you’re fully immersed into building your company, it can be hard to see the forest from the trees.
“ It sounds masochistic, but really starting a business is a game of mental jujitsu. That’s the paradox of being an entrepreneur” – Taylor McLemore
I think it’s important to share the highs and lows of entrepreneurship so that other founders recognize that they are not alone. With each other’s support we can foster a more vibrant startup ecosystem online and in our local communities.
What are your highs and lows of building a startup?
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