By Mollie Busino, LCSW
What entrepreneur has not fantasized about leaving their business in the dust as they ran off into the sunset to sell ice cream in some far off tropical place?!? If you can name one then either that individual is not being honest or you don’t really understand the challenges of an entrepreneur.
As an entrepreneur myself with the additional clinical specialty of supporting executives and entrepreneurs I can say with confidence that at some point (or many points) most individuals in leadership or entrepreneurs have had this fantasy. However, the fact that this occurs is not the problem rather the lack of transparency around it is where the disappointment lies!
Entrepreneurship is often glamorized and associated with flexibility, power, and success. These associations can be true at certain times but it also can result in poor boundaries, burn-out, anxiety, and self-doubt. Most entrepreneurs do not work the traditional eight hour work days many are working most days of the year in some capacity , even if it is just visualizing their next business growth plan. They carry a physical and mental work load of building, sustaining, expanding, and surviving.
It is true that most entrepreneur minds are creatives and risk takers but they also often battle doubt and anxiety. An entrepreneur may shine independence and energy but they also are exhausted and lonely at times. No matter what their organizational structure is they ultimately hold the most pressure and do not have others that can truly understand or be appropriate to share their pressure to.
Having to navigate so many competitive markets often is described as feeling like the constant fight thru a popularity contest and involves being on top of the ever changing social media outlets, attending networking events, and advertising sources.
Many entrepreneurs have expressed a feeling of being misunderstood by employees or clients at some point in regard to certain business decisions that had to be made. This is another example of being isolated.
I have had entrepreneurs struggle with sleep because their minds cannot rest or the anxiety of all the what-ifs wake them.
This is all being said not to paint a picture of entrepreneurship as a negative and horrible venture but rather to share the challenges that are often hidden or feared by many to admit. The feeling of building something you believe in and creating a business that can serve others or open opportunities for professional growth of those that work within it is truly an amazingly valuable experience! Owning and leading a business can result in some of the most personal and professional learning and rewards that one can receive.
However, the ride to those rewards can be so much more authentic and deeply felt if we begin to let down the curtain and share and acknowledge a more genuine view of BOTH the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. This is what will ultimately decrease the isolation, anxiety, competitiveness, stress, and more.
Counseling Hoboken; Mollie Busino, LCSW, Director of Mindful Power. Mollie has had extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Fertility Counseling, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her work focuses on Anxiety, Depression, Anger Management, Career Changes, OCD, Relationship, Dating Challenges, Insomnia, & Postpartum Depression and Anxiety.
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