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Growing up in Silicon Valley, I’ve always had an interest in the psychology of the entrepreneur. I’ve worked clinically with founders for 11 years, and now, am one myself.
There’s a unique psychological thread that runs through founders. I thought I’d share what that looks like.
There’s a unique psychological thread that runs through founders. I thought I’d share what that looks like.
Our work is our identityThe line between a founder’s work and personal life is barely visible, as we’ve tied so much of who we are to the success or failure of our company. As such, it might very well be all we think and talk about.
An ability to delay gratificationFounders work for 10 years like no one else will so we can live our lives like no one else can. We take barely livable salaries and sacrifice our relationships for the 1% chance that we’ll hit a big payoff.
Importance of autonomy and independenceIt’s a lot easier to work for someone else if the very idea of that doesn’t make your skin crawl. Founders want to be the creators of our own destiny. Unfortunately, this often comes with a hesitance to ask for help or support.
Higher instance of mental health strugglesDo people with more mental health struggles become founders or does founder life cause more mental health struggles?
Spoiler alert: it’s both.
Something to proveWhether we’re trying to prove it to our parents, ourselves, or the world, there’s a chip on our shoulder and we won’t stop until we’ve achieved what we set out to (and when we do, we’ll realize to our dismay that it doesn’t fill the void).
Socially acceptable masochism In our hustle-porn culture, no one blinks an eye when a founder sacrifices sleep, skips most meals, or loses our relationships for our company. In fact, it’s celebrated.
Terrible at celebrating winsIn founder life, every achieved goal is the start of 5 new goals to achieve. Founders are notoriously bad at slowing down and celebrating as we go.
Something I like to call Narcissimposter SyndromeNarcissistic defenses are necessary to push toward a reality that no one else sees or thinks possible. At the exact same time, most founders are terrified that we have no idea what we’re doing & will be exposed at any moment.
General badasseryAnd of course, I’d be remiss in not calling out that founders are a truly amazing group of humans who really do want to change the world. It’s not an easy path, but when it calls you, some people just have to answer.
So founders, how do we build a sustainable practice of hustling?
get your ass into therapy, seriously
save time for non-work passions
check in often with people you trust
be proud of all you’ve already done
prioritize your health as a business asset
You got this!
get your ass into therapy, seriously save time for non-work passions check in often with people you trust be proud of all you’ve already done prioritize your health as a business assetYou got this!
