For me, it was realizing how lonely the journey can get. When I first started, I thought it was all about money, clients, and growth. Nobody warned me about the days when you’re working 14 hours, your friends don’t understand what you’re building, and every decision feels like it could make or break your future.
The biggest shift for me was learning that entrepreneurship isn’t just about skills or strategy it’s about building the mental resilience to keep showing up even when nobody is watching and nothing feels certain.
That lesson changed everything for me.
Curious what’s an underrated lesson you’ve learned that you wish someone told you earlier?
What’s one lesson you learned from your business journey that no one talks about?
byu/ItsFadyZarif inEntrepreneur
Posted by ItsFadyZarif
7 Comments
It’s so true, the emotional landscape of entrepreneurship is rarely discussed. Building that internal fortitude, as you’ve found, is truly the hero’s journey.
It’s just like having a child. It demands a complete sacrifice of self and a real level of commitment from the time you start onward. It lasts years, decades….
Maybe that’s why I thrive in it so well. I have been raising children for more than half my life. My oldest is 33, and my youngest just turned 7. 5 kids still at home.
Friends? What are those, I think my last “friend” was when I was 20. I will say that I love both having a big, vibrant family and a large growing company. They both challenge me to stay outside my comfort zone constantly, and that’s the only place humans actually grow. So they are both the ultimate gift.
Now, there are tough seasons, but they pass. Remember, sometimes life gives us gifts wrapped in shit.
I’m 2 for 2 with ruining friendships thinking we can be business partners.
Taxes are ridiculous
It’s about you and no one else. most people try and control others because they cannot control themselves. they will leech off of you because they cannot obtain things beyond what they have. we see this and have no choice but to recoil. success exposes other people perceptions of their own failures, as if they gave it a real try…(don’t mind saying it)…and most people don’t want anyone else to do better than them, in any category. we compete against ourselves and that’s what it comes down to. A Pursuit of Excellence. You don’t need friends. Your business and your desire started before any friend you ever made. Be true to yourself and learn to trust yourself. its an amazing journey.
What nobody told me is how much your identity gets tied to the product. Learning to separate “me” from “my startup” has been the hardest but most peaceful lesson.
I am trying to build a life outside of the business (started badminton & swimming, taking a weekend off, small trips every quarter)
The most underrated lesson? That half the job isn’t “building the business” but surviving your own thoughts at 3 a.m. while wondering if you just ruined your life or if you’re about to become a misunderstood genius.