Why are startup founders always unhappy?
"What do you want to be in your future?" A famous question that always creates a room for discussion has its pros and cons. Blame it on today's world, a large section of people will say "I want to be an entrepreneur". It's good to have big dreams but it becomes really tough to maintain them.
Sadly, according to an article published on Forbes, 9 out 10 startups fail. And, the ones which succeed do not achieve it by only standing on the crests but they also go far down to the troughs, taste the real truth, recover from the issue and goes back to its maxima. It's stressful, it's full of responsibilities and it gives psychological pressure. But why are they so unhappy?
Some say it's not about the absolute success but the relative change in two successful points. They measure happiness as the first derivative of success which somehow can go down even though seemingly you are in a much more successful position in your career. And why does it occur? here are some points that made me think:
1. The seasonal downfall of the traffic, inflow or outflow of workers, the need for a stable human resource: A company is largely dependent on its workers. So, a small or big change will definitely impact the startup because generally, a startup has fewer people. So the need is constant and along with it, the pressure comes free.
2. A failed approach or idea to hit the target: Ideas are valuable and approaches are more valuable. Even if you have the crown winning idea, the execution is what determines how your idea will perform in the market. And yes, luck definitely is another big factor. So if the puzzle does not get solved with pieces in proper places, it builds up stress, uneasiness, and unhappiness.
3. No growth or comparatively poor growth in a term: Expectation is a killer and when it comes to apprentice entrepreneurs, all they want and need is to generate a fast way to grow, to sell their product and to earn a profit. When it doesn't follow this pattern, they become unhappy.
But I wrote it mostly from what I read and anticipated. Do you know a startup founder or are you one, who has faced situations that made you unhappy? Why do you think they are mostly unhappy? Or are they? Let us know in the comments section below.
Sadly, according to an article published on Forbes, 9 out 10 startups fail. And, the ones which succeed do not achieve it by only standing on the crests but they also go far down to the troughs, taste the real truth, recover from the issue and goes back to its maxima. It's stressful, it's full of responsibilities and it gives psychological pressure. But why are they so unhappy?
Some say it's not about the absolute success but the relative change in two successful points. They measure happiness as the first derivative of success which somehow can go down even though seemingly you are in a much more successful position in your career. And why does it occur? here are some points that made me think:
1. The seasonal downfall of the traffic, inflow or outflow of workers, the need for a stable human resource: A company is largely dependent on its workers. So, a small or big change will definitely impact the startup because generally, a startup has fewer people. So the need is constant and along with it, the pressure comes free.
2. A failed approach or idea to hit the target: Ideas are valuable and approaches are more valuable. Even if you have the crown winning idea, the execution is what determines how your idea will perform in the market. And yes, luck definitely is another big factor. So if the puzzle does not get solved with pieces in proper places, it builds up stress, uneasiness, and unhappiness.
3. No growth or comparatively poor growth in a term: Expectation is a killer and when it comes to apprentice entrepreneurs, all they want and need is to generate a fast way to grow, to sell their product and to earn a profit. When it doesn't follow this pattern, they become unhappy.
But I wrote it mostly from what I read and anticipated. Do you know a startup founder or are you one, who has faced situations that made you unhappy? Why do you think they are mostly unhappy? Or are they? Let us know in the comments section below.
Replies
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Amol AgarwalStartups are manageable in the beginning but as they grow, it becomes more and more challenging to properly handle the organization. That's where proper co-ordination and teamwork come into the picture. If the team lacks these, it becomes a nightmare. As the load increases, startups fail to deliver which hits the business. This is one of the reasons for the unhappiness of young entrepreneurs.
Another reason is Impatience. We all want instant results in this age where information travels at the speed of light. But young entrepreneurs forget that patience is required in serious jobs and sometimes we get wonderful results if only we wait a bit.
Another reason I think is lack of proper research and planning which hits hard in the long term. A proper understanding of the market and customers with whom you wish to deal goes a long way. I had a friend who started a food delivery startup but it failed due to dispute among the members regarding the percentage shareholding when the company was going to be registered
Small disputes regarding monetary decisions are present in most nascent startups.
It is imperative that young entrepreneurs read the stories and biographies of successful entrepreneurs before directly jumping in to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls. -
Dipankar GangulyWhat I think is, some or maybe maximum of the startup founders are unhappy but not all of them.
Out of these unhappy founders, there are some who probably never really wanted to be a startup founder or are not suitable for it. Let's face it. Not everyone has the ability to build a Microsoft or Apple. Nowadays, in India it has become a trend for fresh college graduates to go for a startup. If you don't get a job after your degree, you go for building a startup, without much knowledge or even a proper idea.
Building a startup is not a child's play. Everyone wants easy and fast money but none wants to put in real effort or gain knowledge first on that field before thinking to open a startup. This leads to failure and unhappiness. -
Rucha WankhedeLets face it, Startup journey is an uphill task for most of the times. Powered by big dreams there are endless-to-dos and the job is mostly 'making it up/figuring it out as we go'.
There are many things that an individual might have to do outside one's convenience zone day in and day out and while this makes for an immense opportunity of progress it also adds to the feeling of being overwhelmed for most of the part.
Decision fatigue is real when most of the decisions trickle up to them and it is out there for every client, employee, and partner to analyze, criticize and doubt. Most of the times, it is very difficult to 'portray or showcase' the humongous amount of work they put in every single day to friends,family and the world in general since much of it is behind the scenes. Until a company is several hundred people strong, all the other jobs that have to get done go to the founders. Most of times all of this leads to disillusionment and unhappiness.
The supposed 'work-life' balance is very real too for the entrepreneurs in general. The boundaries merge into one another pretty quickly and inability to maintain them at all times causes much of the heartache. The so-called 'sense of security' hammered into us by conventional conditioning of society goes out of the window, and working 100-hour weeks, investing all their resources, sometimes hitting walls, they all (at some point of time) still question are they doing it all right?
While some of these might not be reasons for 'unhappiness' in literal sense per se, they sure seem to be the cause of occasional bouts of disillusionment. -
urvi kashyapwell, they are not.
They are just too tired to show that they are happy. Happiness is nowadays measured on instagram and you definitely cannot find that there for entrepreneurs
You are reading an archived discussion.
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