Written by Arvind Agarwal, Founder & CEO, C4D Partners
A successful business is often credited to talent, strategy, funding, and sometimes even luck. Amongst all the factors that lead a company to its success, the most undervalued asset would be the emotional capital invested by the founder. Beyond the market share and profit margins, a founder’s emotional strength is the real investment that truly carves the course of a business. Unfortunately, more often than not, we fail to value the emotional capital of the startup founder.
While entrepreneurship is often glorified as an exciting adventure, as an investor who has worked closely with several founders, I can say there’s much more to a startup’s journey than meets the eye. Only when a person travels the path would they understand the demanding nature of the profession and the burden of responsibility that founders juggle constantly. Building a business includes managing multiple responsibilities and expectations simultaneously. Every day at a startup is unpredictable, bringing in new challenges. If you have worked with a startup, you would know there are more days of setbacks and rejections than victories. An emotionally strong founder is, therefore, a necessity for the success of a startup.
Entrepreneurship needs founders to commit their time and energies to building robust teams, values, and strategies to strengthen their enterprise and lead the business to success. They need to become leaders who can make tough decisions that would be crucial for the growth of the company and, at the same time, keep all stakeholders satisfied. They must keep their teams inspired, investors assured, and customers delighted. The arduous nature of this profession leaves little room for work-life balance, often leading to entrepreneurs neglecting personal well-being. Entrepreneurs can barely afford to make time for themselves, let alone their close ones. This often leads to misunderstanding among family and friends due to the lack of comprehension of the complexities of running a business, causing mental isolation that penetrates personal and professional spaces. Stepping away and making time for personal engagements seems impractical due to the constant need to be present to make decisions and navigate challenges, coupled with the fear of missing out on opportunities. Therefore, despite being surrounded by people supporting them, such as their team, investors, and advisors, a founder’s journey is innately isolating.
Interestingly, while founders build workplaces with the best practices, trying to foster work-life balance for their employees, they do not practice those themselves. Sometimes, in the enthusiasm of growing their company, founders start expecting the same commitment to business from their employees. This could be unjust because while achieving success demands hard work and enormous commitment, founders must also understand and accept that, ultimately, this is their journey alone. Their employees support the business, and their commitments will differ, largely based on their individual aspirations.
While it could be unfair for entrepreneurs to expect the same amount of commitment from their employees, it is essential that they are able to communicate the need for help when required. Founders often feel the pressure to mask their vulnerabilities to keep their teams motivated and maintain the trust of their stakeholders. This strong appearance should not be mistaken for an absence of vulnerability. In fact, being authentic and open about their vulnerabilities will help the founders seek the appropriate support required to run the business efficiently. Entrepreneurs should be able to be transparent about challenges, open to learning, and able to show vulnerability in order to build resilient organizations. However, they should be mindful of when and where they choose to do so.
That said, we must realize that a successful startup depends largely on the well-being of the individual steering the ship, and surviving the storms of entrepreneurship needs enormous mental strength. As an industry and as a society, we must acknowledge the emotional challenges faced by entrepreneurs, show our understanding and support, and encourage open conversations. Only when we value the emotional investment of founders can we foster a more sustainable and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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