Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

Abstract

verwork to establish the business and always fear being defeated by their competitors. Some of them come home from the office around 2 or 3 in the morning. Yes, in most cases, extreme work and mental pressure are needed in an entrepreneurial endeavor. Let alone success or failure.You are an entrepreneur means you are constantly thinking and working for your business and, most probably, missing many other aspects of life.<h1 id="2134">Your relationships will suffer</h1>If you become too focused on something, you will miss out on a few other things for sure. You want it or not — there will always be an opportunity cost. It happens for almost all entrepreneurs that they become detached from their close ones due to their extreme work pressure. They failed to give time to their families, kids, and friends. Consequently, relationships slowly fade away due to their busy working schedule.I have seen one of my entrepreneur friends has already become an alien in his own family. Nobody cares for him, not even ask him how his days are going. After each tiresome day, he comes home late at night and sees everyone is sleeping. He eats alone and then goes to bed, thinking about his mistakes. Now he has a functioning business, but sadly, not a functioning life. His relatives even started to ignore him and hardly invite him to any family or social gathering because many a time, he had to turn down their requests.It’s a sad reality that when you get deeply engaged in your entrepreneurial journey, you hardly have time to value the relationships you have in life. And relationships, if neglected, fade away in no time. Many entrepreneurs realize this when it is too late.<h1 id="564a">You will be in debt (in most cases)</h1>In 2015, when my cousin was forced to sell his business, he was sunk in debt. The amount was so huge that it took the next two years to finally be free of debt. I am not saying that the same fate is waiting for you. But what I am saying is debt is an unavoidable part of entrepreneurship.You need more and more money to take big risks. So you take loans from banks, from your partners, friends, and so on. And (god forbid) if the business fails, all the debts make your life a living hell. You lose money, trust, and of course, lose some well-wishers and friends as well.You are bound to fall into debt because when you start a business, because some things work, and some don’t. So, you become innovative, try different things, take bigger risks, and do your best to grow your business. All of this needs money, so you take more loans and put your heart and soul into your business.Whether you fail or gain in the future, the debt (until paid off) robs your happiness and peace of mind. You spend countless nights without sound sleep.<h1 id="775e">You may fail terribly and never fully recover from that trauma</h1>When someone fails in an entrepreneurial endeavor, it makes his/her lif

Options

e upside down. Why? Because the time you start a new business, you put your heart and soul into it and risk almost everything. You do that because you possess a firm belief that your business will take off. You become optimistic and expect that you will get a great return in the coming days. But when the reality doesn’t meet your expectation, it hurts badly. You feel devastated and lost.No business can guarantee success in the beginning. Anything can go wrong anytime and destroy all the efforts and money invested in it. And for some people, a business fail is like committing suicide.When one of my friends failed in his printing business, he was lost completely, being in depression for years. He lost a humongous amount of money, and there was nothing for his years of sincere efforts. Being heartbroken, my friend even left that city for good. He cannot forget how his life’s effort went in vain.Remember, the business you started can end up as a failure. I am not saying this will happen. But there can be a possibility. So, try to balance your optimism with an equal dose of pessimistic views when you start your entrepreneurial journey. Otherwise, it can be a lifetime scar.<h1 id="4775">Final thoughts</h1>This article is not to discourage you but to warn you about the dark sides of entrepreneurship so that you can make the right decision at the right time. All you need is to become aware of the dark sides of it and learn how to deal with them to balance your life.<ul><li>Define your business hours properly and try to have a strict working schedule.</li><li>Spend time with your family more and visit your relatives on the weekends so that you feel connected and happy.</li><li>Have a solid backup plan for how you will manage your debt before starting your business.</li><li>Develop a pessimistic plan to assess all the negative factors and find ways how to deal with them. It will reduce your chance of failure.</li></ul>Thank you for reading.You may read my following articles to know more about life and happiness.<ul><li><a href="https://readmedium.com/five-subtle-signs-that-you-are-destroying-your-life-808df705ecca">Five Subtle Signs That You Are Destroying Your Life</a></li><li><a href="https://readmedium.com/happiness-starts-now-dont-postpone-it-d653e04b8c14">How to Experience Happiness Right Away</a></li><li><a href="https://readmedium.com/my-friend-has-a-functioning-business-not-a-functioning-life-340ce763d5e8">My Entrepreneur Friend Has a Functioning Business — Not a Functioning Life</a></li></ul>You can share your outstanding stories and inspire others. Just click the below image and be a writer for <a href="https://medium.com/the-masterpiece">The Masterpiece</a>.<figure id="b082"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*t-cgXCOfVdMLOyOaTsnk1A.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></article></body>

The Dark Sides Of Entrepreneurship Nobody Tells You

Think before you jump into your entrepreneurial fantasy

One of my cousins failed in his entrepreneurial journey after three years of constant effort. He started a bakery business in 2012, and after three years, in 2015, he was forced to sell his business, being sunk in debt.

He had a good plan, hired good employees, worked dedicatedly, and lead everything from the front, but sadly everything went in vain. His efforts did not meet financial success.

I was there when he started the business. I saw the factory he created from scratch, and yes, I also saw my cousin’s entrepreneurial dream shattered into pieces after three long years of trial and error.

Why did the business fail? Maybe my cousin failed to assess the potential market, or perhaps his competitors knocked him out. Another cause can be that he misunderstood the real needs of his customers.

But in this post, I will not discuss those things. I will talk about the other sides that most entrepreneurs ignore when they start their journey. Yes, I will discuss the dark sides of any entrepreneurial endeavor. I mean, the things my cousin lost in these three years and the things you may also lose and regret if you are not aware of those beforehand.

I saw it happen to my cousin right in front of my eyes. So, I think it will encourage you to think deeply about how you will tackle those dark sides when you are on your entrepreneurial journey.

Entrepreneurship is a 24hr job with no freedom

Maybe before starting your entrepreneurial journey, you told everyone that you want freedom from a boring 9–5 job. Perhaps, you envisioned the independence of being your own boss. But the reality is when you start any business, you work 24hrs a day, seven days a week. You have no break, not even a second.

Your mind doesn’t take a rest when you are an entrepreneur. Either consciously or subconsciously, it is always working. Your brain gets filled with new ideas, potential clients, meetings, presentations, goals, employee salaries, company growth, sustainability, and more.

I saw my cousin always thinking about his business. He introduced new items, offered incentives to his dealers, spent time networking with other entrepreneurs, and constantly studied the market.

I have other entrepreneur friends who are a success. But the story is the same. They overwork to establish the business and always fear being defeated by their competitors. Some of them come home from the office around 2 or 3 in the morning. Yes, in most cases, extreme work and mental pressure are needed in an entrepreneurial endeavor. Let alone success or failure.

You are an entrepreneur means you are constantly thinking and working for your business and, most probably, missing many other aspects of life.

Your relationships will suffer

If you become too focused on something, you will miss out on a few other things for sure. You want it or not — there will always be an opportunity cost. It happens for almost all entrepreneurs that they become detached from their close ones due to their extreme work pressure. They failed to give time to their families, kids, and friends. Consequently, relationships slowly fade away due to their busy working schedule.

I have seen one of my entrepreneur friends has already become an alien in his own family. Nobody cares for him, not even ask him how his days are going. After each tiresome day, he comes home late at night and sees everyone is sleeping. He eats alone and then goes to bed, thinking about his mistakes. Now he has a functioning business, but sadly, not a functioning life. His relatives even started to ignore him and hardly invite him to any family or social gathering because many a time, he had to turn down their requests.

It’s a sad reality that when you get deeply engaged in your entrepreneurial journey, you hardly have time to value the relationships you have in life. And relationships, if neglected, fade away in no time. Many entrepreneurs realize this when it is too late.

You will be in debt (in most cases)

In 2015, when my cousin was forced to sell his business, he was sunk in debt. The amount was so huge that it took the next two years to finally be free of debt. I am not saying that the same fate is waiting for you. But what I am saying is debt is an unavoidable part of entrepreneurship.

You need more and more money to take big risks. So you take loans from banks, from your partners, friends, and so on. And (god forbid) if the business fails, all the debts make your life a living hell. You lose money, trust, and of course, lose some well-wishers and friends as well.

You are bound to fall into debt because when you start a business, because some things work, and some don’t. So, you become innovative, try different things, take bigger risks, and do your best to grow your business. All of this needs money, so you take more loans and put your heart and soul into your business.

Whether you fail or gain in the future, the debt (until paid off) robs your happiness and peace of mind. You spend countless nights without sound sleep.

You may fail terribly and never fully recover from that trauma

When someone fails in an entrepreneurial endeavor, it makes his/her life upside down. Why? Because the time you start a new business, you put your heart and soul into it and risk almost everything. You do that because you possess a firm belief that your business will take off. You become optimistic and expect that you will get a great return in the coming days. But when the reality doesn’t meet your expectation, it hurts badly. You feel devastated and lost.

No business can guarantee success in the beginning. Anything can go wrong anytime and destroy all the efforts and money invested in it. And for some people, a business fail is like committing suicide.

When one of my friends failed in his printing business, he was lost completely, being in depression for years. He lost a humongous amount of money, and there was nothing for his years of sincere efforts. Being heartbroken, my friend even left that city for good. He cannot forget how his life’s effort went in vain.

Remember, the business you started can end up as a failure. I am not saying this will happen. But there can be a possibility. So, try to balance your optimism with an equal dose of pessimistic views when you start your entrepreneurial journey. Otherwise, it can be a lifetime scar.

Final thoughts

This article is not to discourage you but to warn you about the dark sides of entrepreneurship so that you can make the right decision at the right time. All you need is to become aware of the dark sides of it and learn how to deal with them to balance your life.

Define your business hours properly and try to have a strict working schedule.
Spend time with your family more and visit your relatives on the weekends so that you feel connected and happy.
Have a solid backup plan for how you will manage your debt before starting your business.
Develop a pessimistic plan to assess all the negative factors and find ways how to deal with them. It will reduce your chance of failure.

Thank you for reading.

You may read my following articles to know more about life and happiness.

You can share your outstanding stories and inspire others. Just click the below image and be a writer for The Masterpiece.