Check in on yourself
Let’s talk about stress.
You’re a founder or aspiring founder now. So you’re not allowed to talk about or be stressed in public anymore. Is that what you think?
That actually is what most founders think. That’s what everyone expects from them and managers or leaders.
If you’re demotivated, your team is demotivated too. So, leaders are always expected to hide their true emotions, and be full of positivity and energy on the outside.
Worse, they aren’t even vulnerable with their families because they don’t want to worry them.
I think this is particularly relevant now. Being a founder is hard at any time. But during an economic downturn it is X1000. There’s the stress of keeping the business going, and the added heartbreak of having to let go of people. For anyone riding this wave now, I completely understand.
According to Dr. Michael Freeman, one of the only well-established physicians to conduct research on this subject, a startling?72% of entrepreneurs report having mental health concerns. There is?no reliable data on suicide rates or intent among entrepreneurs, although some data has suggested that founders are?two times more likely?to have suicidal thoughts.
What’s the solution? You can’t obviously be transferring negative energy to your team, you don’t want your family to worry, your friends can’t relate to your journey (not their fault). What to do? Are you alone in this?
No.
Talk to your co-founders openly.
Talk to your investors. They are there for more reasons than just funding you.
Have your own network of people where you can be vulnerable.
Give it time and take it slow. Entrepreneurship is a journey and not a sprint..there will way more ups and downs here than anywhere else.
Talk to your doctor. Give therapy a chance
Take help from wherever possible.
I lost a close friend on 24th Sep 2020 because of this exact reason and I cried like a kid that day. Out of frustration, for the first time, I spoke about it publicly https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6715276711728033792/
Being an entrepreneur can be very hard and isolating. But remember that there are people who have your back.
This world needs you.
If anyone feels any of the things I’ve described here and wants to talk, I’m happy to lend an ear.