The Hidden Battle of Entrepreneurship
Growing a business can be terrifying—not just because of the risks, but because of the emotional scars it leaves behind.
Where I grew up, many believed entrepreneurship was either a scam or dumb luck. You made it to the top by bribing the right people, knowing someone powerful, or simply being in the right place at the right time.
In Hungarian, there’s a phrase: “bejött?” It literally translates to “Did it turn out well?” But the hidden assumption is that business success is just a roll of the dice.
Entrepreneurs know better.
Things don’t just turn out well by chance. The default setting in business is failure. You have to make things turn out well—through effort, persistence, and relentless problem-solving.
Failure Is the Rule, Not the Exception
Even success itself is tricky to define. My favorite take? Winston Churchill’s definition:
“Going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
And he wasn’t just being clever. Success is extraordinary by definition. And doing extraordinary things requires:
- Taking risks
- Learning fast
- Hitting dead ends and bouncing back
Survival Mode: The Entrepreneur’s Reality
The secret to staying in the game? Perseverance + risk management.
That last part sounds technical, but here’s what it actually means for an entrepreneur:
- You make a bad call and lose half your money.
- Instead of trying to win it back with an even riskier bet, you suppress your ego, cut your team, and hustle to recover—without going all in on another gamble.
This approach requires humility and patience. But it beats the alternative: getting knocked out of the game entirely and having to work for someone else.
(And even then, taking a job doesn’t mean giving up. I once knew a manufacturer who lost everything, took a day job, and rebuilt his business at night until he recovered and could go full time again.)
The Trauma of Entrepreneurship Is Real
Some entrepreneurs bounce back and wear their scars with pride. Others grow paranoid—and turn their paranoia into an asset. (Just ask Andy Grove, whose book Only the Paranoid Survive is a classic.)
A successful client of mine recently showed just how deep entrepreneurial PTSD runs. During a company retreat, we mapped out medium-term growth plans.
She knew—logically—that hiring expensive executives was necessary. But emotionally, she couldn’t handle what felt like another huge, gut-wrenching risk.
“I’m suffering from entrepreneurial PTSD,” she admitted.
I get it. I’ve been there too.
The 2008 financial crisis nearly crushed my firm. A high-stakes M&A deal later put me through the wringer, making me question everything.
But some of the best entrepreneurs lean into pressure.
Elon Musk is known for creating self-inflicted crises—launching rockets on impossible deadlines or pulling Tesla back from the brink of bankruptcy. Why? Because pressure forces breakthroughs.
Turn Your Scars Into Strength
One of the most valuable things I have today as a business guide isn’t a fancy degree or an airtight strategy. It’s the fact that I’ve been through near-death business moments and lived to tell the tale.
If you’ve been through entrepreneurial PTSD, maybe it’s time to pay your experience forward. Mentoring others can be one of the most healing and empowering things you do. Explore what it takes to become a Summit OS Guide™ and help entrepreneurs conquer their fears and build great businesses. Check out this video to see how you can help the next generation of entrepreneurs.
