entrepreneurship is a trauma response
i woke up at 3:33 am today, and as is my routine, i checked all my mailboxes. i was about to mark all unread emails as read when a subject line caught my attention. it was a Nathan Barry newsletter, and it read: “entrepreneurship is a trauma response.”
curious about how this game i love — one i’ve become semi-addicted to — could be a trauma response, i opened the email. as i read, it dawned on me: trauma had driven me to take this path.
you see, i have worked in an organization where i was wrongfully accused of conspiring with a former employee — stealing money and redirecting clients. i have been unpaid for six months of work and ghosted. i recall an employer paying me far below our agreed wages after a month of hard work, simply because the agreement was verbal.
these experiences, all within a year or two of each other, fueled my desire to be an employer rather than an employee. and what better way to do that than through entrepreneurship? i wanted to build something of my own — not just for financial freedom, but to create the kind of work environment i never had.
now, in my years as an entrepreneur (and employer), as tough as they have been, i have never withheld an employee’s pay nor subjected anyone to unfair labor conditions. in fact, i have always remunerated employees far above the existing minimum wage requirements. and accuse? far from it. i consider employees family, distant friends, or at the very least, humans with human problems and emotions.
but beyond shaping how i treat employees, these experiences also refined my ability to recognize toxic dynamics early — whether in business or beyond. i’ve sat in interview meetings where hiring managers showed up late without an apology, or forgot the candidate’s name barely 15 minutes in. moments like that instantly told me all i needed to know about the company’s work culture.
over time, i realized the same principle applies outside work. disregard for time, lack of basic courtesy, or one-sided effort? red flags. just as an employer shouldn’t demand unpaid extra hours or invade personal time, friendships and personal relationships should be built on mutual respect, not entitlement.
that awareness also shaped how i approached my career choices. as fulfilling as entrepreneurship is, it doesn’t always guarantee financial stability. passion doesn’t automatically translate to profit, and bills don’t wait for business success. that’s why, despite my love for building, i also work a traditional job. unlike my past experiences, though, this time, i chose a work environment that aligns with my values. i work remotely, for instance, with amazing people who don’t micromanage, withhold salaries, talk down on employees, or create a toxic work environment. more importantly, i get to learn the tenets of business and entrepreneurship.
yet, while i’m grateful for the lessons those experiences have taught me, i’m convinced they are not what keep me going. trauma may have pushed me into entrepreneurship, but it is not what sustains me. i do not create or build products and services from a place of bitterness or anger; i do it from a place of happiness and passion. and i hope you do too.
over to you — can you think of an emotional moment that fueled your desire to become an entrepreneur?
