managing your psychology as a founder is incredibly challenging, yet is rarely ever talked about in public. in private, i've talked to many founders who feel overwhelmed or depressed even if things are actually going really well. a few reasons i've seen up close: 1) you care a lot - the force of will that drives a founder to start a company often works against them psychologically when things don't go as planned. losing a customer or a talented employee often feel like personal faults. as founder you care the most about the company, and it can feel like you're on the hook for everything bad that happens 2) no all the time - founders are in situations where they are constantly being rejected - fundraising, recruiting, sales, etc. hearing "no" 20 times a day is just mentally and physically draining even for the grittiest entrepreneurs 3) most founders learn on the job - there's little training that prepares you to run a start-up except actually running a start-up. i've worked with founders who had to exit a cofounder for the first time, who had to deal with a PR hit-piece for the first time etc. there are lots of "firsts" which leads to stress and a feeling you don't know what you're doing so what helps? our partner Ben Horowitz wrote a great blog on this years ago (link below) but summarizing a few tips: - talk to friends. one of the things we strive to create with @speedrun is a community of founder friends to help with the psychological journey. while the job is still the same, the shared perspective can make it feel a bit less lonely. as others have made it through, so shall you! - focus on the road ahead not the walls. there are a million things that can go wrong with a start-up and most of them you can't directly control. by focusing on the things you CAN control - your next move, shipping that product, making that hire, etc - you make progress one step at a time the journey is long but there's a light at the end of the tunnel for those who persevere and most importantly, don't quit =)