Entrepreneurship is incredibly rewarding but also frustratingly hard. So hard that a good chunk of us either throw the towel, work ourselves to the ground or simply end up in a space where we can’t enjoy the fruit of our hard labor. In the worst of cases entrepreneurs become depressed. It has happened to me. You live with incredible highs and insane lows.
Not a single entrepreneur I personally know, has managed to weather the storm of running a startup without someone in their corner. Be it their partner, a group of very close friends, an extended family… You need someone who’s watching your back. Someone who unconditionally supports you, builds you up when you need it, allows you to be vulnerable, listens to your rants and sets your head straight from time to time. In my case I found that person in my wife Jane. I know a bunch of entrepreneurs who found their support network in other entrepreneurs who became very close friends. And others might find it in their family.
The myth of the lone entrepreneur who’s so focussed on his company that nothing else counts is bullshit. These people burn out. They might shine bright for a short moment of their career — but inevitably they will hit the wall. And then they don’t have anyone who looks out for them.
Make time for relationships, foster them, take good care of them — as without someone in your corner, someone who has your back, someone who looks out for you, you will find yourself in a rough spot eventually. Plus it’s so much more rewarding to share the successes with someone you care about.