20/05/2026
I think self-employment and running a business are being heavily romanticized by people who’ve never actually done it. I used to be one of those people too.
And don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot to love about it. The freedom, the independence, building something that’s yours, it can be incredible.
But at the same time, the weight of it is intense. You’re constantly balancing freedom with survival anxiety. Your brain is rarely fully off. Other people depend on you, and you depend entirely on yourself. It becomes this weird ongoing calculation between enjoying your life and making sure nothing falls apart.
And I think learning how to balance those things properly is actually a very complicated skill. Some people figure it out after years. Some maybe never do.
I just wish people talked about running a business in a more realistic way. Not less positively – just more honestly.