The Truth About Starting a Business. Hardship, Growth, and Resilience | Entrepreneur Chronicles #9

I haven’t had a paycheck since September 1st. This is the other side of running your own business.

📸 Meditating during stressful times has been life changing

✨ This is probably the most vulnerable post I’ve written so far—but it’s part of the journey and the reality of the life I live, so I feel it’s the right thing to share.

For the last quarter of 2024 and since then, I haven’t been able to pay myself through my main business. My last paycheck was on September 1st, and since then—nothing.

This is the first time since I started working in September 2012 that I haven’t received money for the work I’ve been doing. I saw it coming, so it didn’t shake me too much, but I won’t lie—it’s a tough pill to swallow. When you invest so much time and energy into something wholeheartedly and don’t see financial compensation, it stings.

🧠 The Reality of Running a Business

I’m not doing this work for the money, but let’s be honest—we all need money to live.

This is the reality of running your own business. Even when you put in your best efforts and have the best intentions, things don’t always go as planned. I’m sharing this not to garner sympathy but because I’m tired of seeing entrepreneurship and the digital nomad lifestyle idolized so often.

Too many people only share the fun parts: the freedom, the flexible schedules, the scenic “offices,” or the lack of a boss breathing down their neck. But there’s another side to this coin—one that isn’t glamorous.

🌟 The Truth About Entrepreneurship

Building and growing a business is hard AF. It takes time, energy, and resources—and despite all of that, it doesn’t always lead to financial sustainability.

Here’s a hard truth I’ve learned: when you’re an entrepreneur, you end up doing so many tasks outside of your expertise. And I’m not good at everything (unfortunately). I try to figure things out, but sometimes it’s not enough. Sales and marketing, for example, have always been weaknesses for me. And let me tell you, that’s a pretty crappy weakness to have when you’re trying to grow a business!

Normally, you’d hire someone to help—but when you don’t have the capital, you’re stuck in a catch-22.

💡 Lessons Learned

1. Be strategic about what you delegate first. When we started hiring, we focused on delegating tasks that kept the business running, but in hindsight, we should’ve prioritized hiring someone for sales and marketing. Growing the business first would’ve allowed us to delegate more effectively later.

2. Prioritize your team—but balance it with sustainability. I’ve always made it a point to pay my team before myself because I felt responsible for their livelihoods. It was the right decision for me, but it’s not an easy one. As an entrepreneur, you carry the weight of these decisions.

3. Don’t rely on a single source of income. This one is tricky. To grow a business, it often requires full focus, but relying on one unstable revenue stream is a big risk. Ideally, you’d start building your business while having a steady income—but even then, things can shift. For example, external factors I couldn’t predict made Year 3 of our business especially challenging, despite Years 1 and 2 being relatively strong. Diversification is key, but timing is just as important.

🙈 The Shame Factor

I’ll admit—I’ve felt a sense of shame about this. During the holidays, I visited family and friends but didn’t share this situation with everyone. I confided in people I trust, but I didn’t want to deal with judgment from family members who’ve been unsupportive from the start. Thankfully, I have a solid inner circle—starting with my wife—who I can talk to. Without their support, this would have been so much harder.

🔥 Turning Setbacks Into Motivation

While this situation shook me up, it also lit a fire under me. It made me realize the dangers of relying on one unstable source of income. It pushed me to return to the drawing board and figure out how to create additional revenue streams.

I’m still in the planning phase, but the vision is becoming clearer. I’ll share more soon.

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👉 This is part of my Entrepreneur Chronicles—real stories, real lessons. Dive into the full series here.