The difficult parts of running a business are rarely the ones discussed publicly. They are the irregular income, the isolation of making decisions alone, the financial strain on people around you, and the constant deciding without enough information. None of it means the business is failing, and founders who expect it cope with it considerably better than those who assumed it would feel different.
Naming these is more useful than the encouragement that usually replaces them.
Income becomes irregular, and that changes things
A salary arrives whether the month was good or not. Business income does not, and the variability is harder to live with than a lower average would be.
The practical defences are keeping personal fixed costs low while the business is young, paying yourself a modest regular amount rather than taking whatever is available, and keeping a personal reserve separate from the business. A founder in personal financial distress makes poor business decisions.
You decide alone, and usually with incomplete information
Employees escalate; owners decide. Most decisions are made with less information than you would like, and waiting for certainty is itself a decision.
This is what mentorship genuinely addresses. A specific problem discussed with someone who solved it recently is worth more than any amount of reading, and it is available free through the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency.
It affects the people around you
The financial uncertainty is shared by a partner or family whether or not they chose it, and the hours are taken from somewhere. Being honest with them about the position, including when it is bad, prevents most of the resentment that builds otherwise.
Set some boundary you actually keep, whether a day, an evening or a period with no work. Founders who never do burn out and take the business with them.
Most of it is a normal stage, not a verdict
Slow months, lost pitches and periods where nothing works happen to functioning businesses. Treating each as evidence the venture is failing leads people to abandon workable businesses.
Judge by trend rather than by week: are customers returning, is the margin holding, is the debtor position improving. If those are sound, a bad month is weather. And separate the business from yourself where you can, because a business that depends entirely on your energy has no reserve when you have none.
Frequently asked questions
What do founders actually struggle with most?
Irregular income, deciding alone with incomplete information, the strain on people around them, and the absence of a clear finish line.
How should I handle variable income?
Keep personal fixed costs low, pay yourself a modest regular amount rather than whatever is available, and hold a separate personal reserve.
What helps with deciding alone?
Structured mentorship on specific problems, which is available free through the national small enterprise agency.
How do I know if a bad patch means failure?
Judge by trend rather than week: whether customers return, margin holds and the debtor position improves.
Is burnout avoidable?
Largely, by setting a boundary you actually keep. Founders who never stop take the business down with them.
Further reading
Originally published in December 2018. Updated September 2026 into an honest account of what running a business actually involves.
