10 Hidden Struggles That Every Successful Entrepreneur Has to Go Through

There are two types of entrepreneurs in the world: one who is constantly telling others how hard he works as he often posts images of himself working late at night in Facebook (you know, humble-bragging).

When you ask him how his business is doing, he’ll say more than what you want to hear: from how successful he has been to even the latest car he’s bought.

And then there’s another type who just work quietly, and doesn’t show how hard he works—heck, he doesn’t even show his results, which are usually good. When friends ask about his business, he’ll just go, “Enough for three meals lah.”

Well, the truth is, the latter is usually more successful, because successful people don’t need others to know the struggles they’ve been through.

But here’re the hidden struggles many of these successful entrepreneurs have been through.

He works long hours initially, then short hours
Before making money, he has to do everything by himself, because he doesn’t have the money to engage help. He will only start to engage help after he has enough cash, so if you see an entrepreneur working short hours, it’s not that he’s his own boss: it’s because he has made money work for him now, but many years ago, he worked for money.

No one believes in him
In a practical society like Singapore whereby a degree is often seen as the doorway to a successful life, it’s common that everyone he knows told him to give up, and to search for a “real job” instead. He’s successful not because he wants to prove them wrong—he wants to prove himself right.

He was once in a tight financial situation
It’s almost like a formula: most successful entrepreneurs have been through a period when he didn’t even have money for decent meals, and that made him a thrifty person. He would be grateful for everything because he has earned everything from nothing.

He works the hardest in the office
While it might not seem so, especially since he delegates almost everything, he never gets complacent and is always looking at new streams of income from his businesses. You might not see him typing away on his computer, but his mind is working on overdrive.

He has faced all kinds of problems, and is still facing them
From cash-flow problems to labour problems, he’s been through them, and is still facing them. If you see him having an indifferent face when you tell him about a serious problem in work, it’s because he’s used to all kinds of problems, and usually has a solution for them.

He faces stress more than anyone in the office
While everyone is concerned about their own KPI, he is concerned about everyone’s KPI: because if any KPI is not met, he himself would also face the consequences. You should know how stressful it is to meet your own KPI: now, imagine having to meet twenty KPIs.

He can’t relax
For an employee, all he has to do is to do well in his job, or maintain his standard, to stay employed. To an entrepreneur, he has to keep on growing the business, as any lack of growth would kill the company. Maintaining a high level of work just doesn’t work for an entrepreneur: every day has to be better than the day before that.

He has many bosses
If you’re employed, you’ve only one boss: that is, your boss. As an entrepreneur (especially one who is successful), he won’t think he is the boss: instead, he has many bosses, like his clients, customers and his employees. Instead of working for one boss, he’s working for many bosses.

He has to take care of many people, including his employees and his own family
An employee has only two groups of people to take care of: his boss and his family members. An entrepreneur has to ensure that every one of his staff is taken care of, and his family as well.

He’s not appreciated by anyone
Honestly speaking, many people would think that he’s where he is now due to luck. And his staff might just want less working hours and more pay. And his family hates his long working hours. In other words, everyone doesn’t appreciate his effort.