The entrepreneurial fraternity’s mental health issues are rampant; Forbes has called depression an ‘epidemic among entrepreneurs and creatives.’ Some researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, conducted research on entrepreneurs and found that 72% of entrepreneurs self-reported mental health concerns. It was revealed in the same research that 32% of entrepreneurs were more likely to report a lifetime history of depression, while 29% had ADHD and 12% had substance abuse conditions. So, what do these figures show?
They tell us what we all know but find it difficult to acknowledge – Entrepreneurship is hard.
Patrick Parker, a renowned figure in the SaaS galaxy and one of the most successful entrepreneurs, is not surprised by the results of the research. It is because he knew all along the cost entrepreneurship incurs on an individual. He has been an expert in building SaaS startups online and scaling them to the top; there cannot be any other soul on earth to better explain what it means to be an entrepreneur.
“People don’t see it; the stress, loneliness, rejection, personal conflicts, and other troubles that entrepreneurs go through,” says Patrick. “Only the person going through the grind can understand the emotional and mental decay managing businesses on a daily basis causes in an entrepreneur’s life,” he further added.
That’s the sole reason, he says, that entrepreneurship is not for the meek. Only mentally tough and emotionally strong people have the courage to meet the challenges of entrepreneurial life head-on. Because of the enormous troubles associated with entrepreneurship, Patrick has immense respect for the fraternity. You would often see him attending talks, podcasts, shows, or events, giving expert advice and a little heads-up to aspiring and embryonic entrepreneurs about the challenges that lie ahead in their careers.
“Starting a business is all-consuming,” he says. “It amounts to agreeing to late nights, early mornings, letting go of other interests in pursuit of success and financial gain. And sometimes, you even have to go without a salary, reluctantly distancing yourself from friends and family, and adopting unhealthy habits around sleep, exercise, or diet,” Patrick said while expressing the other side of entrepreneurship.
Probably that’s the reason that when we see the world’s top entrepreneurs, i.e., Bill Gates, Jack Ma, Elon Musk, late Steve Jobs, etc., we find them to be ‘unconventional’ – not aliens, of course, or some superheroes wearing strange outfits, but maybe super-geniuses. It is because once you start building your dream into reality, it takes a big chunk of your life, and you dedicate your whole self to it, and eventually, it changes you and makes you a different person – that’s what entrepreneurship is all about.
“As we journey through the vastness of entrepreneurship, we realize success depends on overcoming our flaws,” says Patrick. “Because whenever we hit a roadblock or when growth slows, it’s usually because of us rather than an external factor. And, no doubt, that is a painful experience, but still, an imperative one we all must go through,” he further added.
If you are looking for an agency partner that you can trust to grow and expand, connect with Patrick and change the course of your business for the better.
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