Earlier today I talked to a startup founder who told me his startup story – he made A TON of money in corporate, decided to retire early, and then one day he woke up thinking that he just had to start something. So he created a company he ran from his living room, which grew by leaps and bounds over the last three years. Now he runs a sizeable tech startup operation at Fort Bonifacio. I was just in their office, which looked just AMAZING. He’s also very evidently pumped up.
On the other end of the spectrum, I know more than a few founders who are struggling. They scrap and hustle like crazy to make ends meet and barely make it. And you know what? They, too, are having the time of their lives.
Some of these guys make it big. You see them in the news. Some of these guys will experience moderate success. A bunch of these guys will not make it. You will see it in their Linkedin accounts, where you see 1-2 years of “President and Owner, ABCD Company” in between corporate jobs. Talk to these guys. You will learn a lot. None of them it seems regret the experience, and in fact, most will say it was the best learning experience they’ve ever had. Most will say they had the most fun in that stint.
It seems that startup success IS NOT a determinant of founder joy – just jumping in seems enough.Â
Interestingly, most of whom I’ve talked to who’ve founded startups which have folded are raring to do it again. They might have gone back to corporate, but a number are just biding time to cook another idea. I would love to work with entrepreneurs like these – failure is almost a pre-requisite in startup success.
Try looking for an unhappy startup founder. You won’t find one. You could have a number of frustrated ones who are stuck with a problem. Or struggling ones. Or poor ones. Or confused ones. ALL of them though, I can almost assure you, are having the times of their professional lives.
There is a different joy your soul experiences when it is fed with the pursuit of its passions.
JUAN GREAT LEAP 
This is true! At the end of a very stressful and demanding week I find myself wanting for more work! Maybe because I really love what I’m doing and that’s why the struggles didn’t matter that much. 🙂 Let’s talk soon, Sir Peter! 🙂
I’m really happy for you Ms. Ophelia! I’m glad you found what stokes your fire. Actually, medyo obvious naman eh 🙂 If you drop the “sir,” we can talk 🙂