Being a solo founder is incredibly challenging; it comes with a whirlwind of emotions—excitement, fear, stress, happiness, freedom, and more.
One of the toughest challenges I face is the self-imposed pressure and expectations. Throughout my journey of starting EmailEmu, I’ve experienced many ups and downs. I’ve realized that when you pour so much energy into something, you naturally want it to succeed simply because of the sheer amount of time you’ve dedicated to it.
With that investment comes frustration when you have off weeks or are less effective, which can lead to being extremely hard on yourself. It’s easy to feel pressured when you’re not performing at the level you believe you should be.
Here are some things that help me when I’m frustrated by things not going as efficiently or effectively as they could be:
Write down what you’re grateful for.
This seemingly simple act can have a big impact. Spend just five minutes each day writing down things in your life that you’re grateful for—your health, wealth, relationships, or something cool that happened. This practice has helped me on days when I’m filled with self-doubt. It’s easy to get caught up in what we don’t have or to compare ourselves to others, but comparison is the thief of joy.
Write down your accomplishments.
I often get hung up on all the things I could or should be doing, instead of looking back at everything I’ve accomplished. Recently, I’ve started ending my week by writing down all the things I accomplished. At first, I didn’t think it would make much difference, but as I began to write them down and say them out loud, I realized how many impactful things had been put into motion. This practice has been really healthy for me.
Talk with others.
I tend to put my head down and focus on work, often forgetting to reach out and connect with people. But every time I talk with others about how I’m feeling, what I’m working on, or just life in general, it helps me reset. Hearing other people’s perspectives on the challenges I’m facing makes me realize how differently I view myself compared to how others see me. Although I’m naturally confident, I often feel like I’m not doing enough. Talking with others has shown me that I’m actually doing much more than I think. There will always be those hyper-productive 1% of operators, but they are rare. I always leave these conversations feeling energized.
Plan breaks & step back.
As a solo founder balancing a side hustle with a full-time job, I often work seven days a week because weekends are when I have the most free time. But I often forget to take time to do something I enjoy that isn’t related to work or building a business. While I love building and growing my side hustle, I realize that it doesn’t have the same effect on decompressing as doing something mindless. I’m not great at pausing, but sometimes I need it. My fiancée reminds me of this. My personality is go-go-go, to the extent that my least favorite vacations are the ones where you just lay on a beach all day reading and sunbathing. I’ve started to realize that I need to specifically plan breaks or days off where I do nothing behind a screen or anything that stimulates my brain to gain perspective. Often, my best ideas come when I take breaks. It’s like a bad relationship—you don’t realize it was bad until you step away and reflect.
Practice patience.
Good things take time, and so does growing a side hustle. I’ve often gotten caught up in the desire to make money quickly, rather than understanding that making money with a sustainable business is a long-term game. I’ve realized that the less I worry about trying to make money, the more patient I become. My dad always says it’s better to plant seeds now that take 10 years to bear fruit than just go to the store and buy the fruit.
Fall in love with the journey, not the outcome.
This is my favorite piece of advice. I try to constantly remind myself that it’s the process of building a business and a project that I enjoy, not the destination I’m seeking. I look for ways to make every part of the process fun along the way. It’s the challenge of figuring out something difficult that is fulfilling, not the money or the outcome. If you’re not enjoying the thing you’re building, then what’s the point?
Lastly, I’ll leave you with a parting thought I heard recently (though I can’t remember where):
Don’t optimize your life to be an entrepreneur; rather, optimize for the life you want and use entrepreneurship as a tool to get there.
