The only rule is don't burn out

Statistically speaking, you've experienced burnout. There is actually an insane amount of research on burnout, and I'm not sure how I feel about the whole industry that seems to have sprung up talking about it. Perhaps symptomatic of the prevalence of burnout is my approach on the topic - I think burnout is inevitable.

Aside from founding my own company, I spend a lot of time speaking to other founders. Putting your time into a startup is like doing a burnout speed run. Your hobbies and interests are all pushed aside in service of what is essentially, a gamble. Not only that, but the activities that will improve your company are often in direct contrast to your mental health as a founder. Long hours, erratic meetings, demanding early customers, and intense financial pressure are not going to land in anyone's wellness goals.

None of these are going to come as a major shock to most people, but what I don't think is mentioned enough is the support structures surrounding founders. Over the last decade, people have been exposed to the rise and fall of many hot startups. The low success rate of these companies has changed our cultural perception to that of intense cynicism. The new generation of founders face extreme scrutiny from their friends and family. Risk aversion scares people from placing bets with anything but the most promising companies, and founders at early stages feel the impacts of this aversion most intensely.

The other side of this equation is the blind celebration of success once founders finally achieve it. Many of today's unicorns spent years building their products with no interest from customers, fueled mostly by faith. It's only after they reach success that the perception of their journey turns positive. During the period that they needed the most support, they are derided, only to be worshiped when it all works out.

Parallel to founders, and just as precious, are employees that have passion for their work. People who are willing to put their reputation on the line and speak to the heart of a problem in order to solve it for their users. Since this sort of innovation often deviates from the status quo, these people are met with extreme resistance internally. Great ideas are stomped out before they even hit the whiteboard. Life goes on.

Even from a purely capitalist perspective, this pressure costs us some of our best companies. At the end of the day, many successes are created by being present in the market when something major changes. The most obvious example of this is COVID. Many flailing companies became overnight successes once covid forced us all inside. There are hundreds of examples of companies struggling to find product market fit that are now household names.

Covid is an easy example, but changes in regulation, culture, or mistakes made by competition all create huge opportunities for anyone who is still participating in a market when they happen. All those startups whose founders burnt out early could act on these opportunities, but they no longer have the will or the positioning to do so.

So, if you're a person that has passion for your work, the only rule is don't burn out. You're going to have your impact stunted at every turn, and only upon reaching success will you feel any social satisfaction. I don't think you should rely on corporate support structures to mitigate burnout, you have to understand it yourself. Be mindful of how you feel about work and make changes as soon as you feel the cold tendrils of burnout start to surround you. I truly hope that your situation allows you to react to these changes, as I'm all too aware that many people have no choice but to deal with it.

From a wider perspective, there isn't some feel good solution to this problem. Some ideas really are bad, as are some founders. Some level of cynicism is required for innovation to flourish. However, I don't think that cynicism needs to come from the people closest to passionate people. Markets are already reluctant enough to hand over their hard earned cash, you don't need to double that impact.