It seems as if the biggest problem is when you don’t have something you need, or when you are in danger of losing something you care about. In reality, this problem is simply more conspicuous because its contours are clear and its essence is as acute as thirst in the Sahara. But no less difficult is the condition when, as everyone else thinks, you are doing well in business (or life), but for some reason you feel sad, desperate and lost. This condition is exacerbated by the fact that you can’t tell anyone about your feelings. After all, others react with a mixture of surprise, envy, and annoyance: “How dare you not be happy, ungrateful!".
For example, the founder spent a long time building and finally sold his business for a handsome sum with a premium multiplier to EBITDA. Or the owner has a project in his portfolio that yields a more than generous stream of regular dividends, but requires him to get involved cumulatively only one month a year. In theory, both “lucky” owners should now be enjoying full freedom — financially, operationally and existentially.
But the attentive observer will read the confusion in the depths of their eyes, as evidenced by their chaotic rushes from one investment idea to another, be it a promising startup, a cryptocurrency, or the stock market. Things look promising at first, as the investor is extremely busy and involved in the process. But I remember several entrepreneurs (myself included) who buried a significant portion of their fortune in project 1, 2 and 3 this way, only to actually get nothing. What’s wrong?
Warren Buffett said: “It’s insane to risk what you have for something you don’t need.” The problem is that often we, on the one hand, do not know what we really need and, on the other hand, easily devalue what we already have. We rush to fill the vacuum that arises inside us with whatever we can. And only losses sober us up, forcing us to ask ourselves fundamental questions: "Where am I? Where am I going? And for what?". This is where the long-awaited journey home begins.
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
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”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
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