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The startup world is often glamourised through success stories of founders who turned brilliant ideas into billion-dollar companies. These narratives have created a cultural zeitgeist where entrepreneurship is portrayed as the ultimate career path. However, the reality is far more nuanced. While entrepreneurship can be rewarding, it’s not a path suited for everyone – nor should it be.

I tried several times to start my own tech business, and had a little success on a small scale, but a pattern soon emerged, and I noticed how I always ended up abandoning my ventures at the same point – when the risk became too uncomfortable for me to deal with.

The Entrepreneurial Reality Check

Starting a company requires a unique combination of skills, circumstances, and personal traits. The entrepreneurial journey demands immense sacrifice, persistent resilience in the face of failure, and comfort with uncertainty. According to CB Insights, about 90% of startups fail, with approximately 10% failing within the first year alone. These aren’t just statistics, they represent real people who invested years of their lives, substantial financial resources, and emotional capital into ventures that ultimately didn’t succeed.

Not Everyone Has the Right Risk Profile

One of the most overlooked aspects of entrepreneurship is risk tolerance. Founders often go without steady income for extended periods, potentially accumulating debt while depleting personal savings. This financial instability can create tremendous stress, affecting mental health and personal relationships.

Many people have legitimate responsibilities that make this level of risk irresponsible, such as caring for dependents, managing health conditions, or meeting other financial obligations. Acknowledging these constraints isn’t a sign of weakness or lack of ambition – it’s a rational assessment of personal circumstances.

The Opportunity Cost Is Significant

Every career path involves trade-offs. For many talented individuals, traditional employment offers advantages that entrepreneurship simply cannot match: predictable income, structured advancement, work-life balance, mentorship opportunities, and the ability to focus on specialised skills without worrying about every aspect of running a business.

Some people find fulfillment, purpose, and success by becoming exceptional at their chosen profession within established organisations. This path can offer both financial rewards and the opportunity to create meaningful impact without the extreme volatility of startup life.

Entrepreneurship Skills Are Not Universal

Building a successful startup requires a diverse skill set that few naturally possess in entirety: strategic vision, operational execution, financial acumen, people management, sales ability, technical expertise, and more. While skills can be learned, some people’s natural talents may be better suited to specialised roles rather than the generalist nature of early-stage entrepreneurship.

The Psychological Toll

The mental health challenges of startup life are increasingly well-documented. Founders report higher rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout than the general population. The constant pressure to perform, the isolation of leadership positions, and the emotional rollercoaster of startup life aren’t suitable for everyone’s psychological makeup – nor should they be expected to be.

Alternatives to Traditional Entrepreneurship

The good news is that entrepreneurial talent can express itself in many ways beyond founding a venture-backed startup:

• Intrapreneurship within established companies
• Freelancing and self-employment
• Small lifestyle businesses with modest growth goals
• Joining early-stage startups as key employees
• Contributing to open-source projects or community initiatives

These alternatives can provide autonomy, creativity, and impact without requiring the extreme sacrifices of traditional startup entrepreneurship.

Society Needs Balance

Perhaps most importantly, a functioning society requires diverse career paths. We need exceptional teachers, healthcare providers, civil servants, artists, and professionals across countless domains. The narrative that entrepreneurship represents the pinnacle of career achievement unnecessarily devalues other vital contributions.

Conclusion

Entrepreneurship can be a powerful force for innovation and value creation. However, the realisation that not everyone should be an entrepreneur isn’t a limitation – it’s an opportunity to find the path that truly aligns with your skills, circumstances, and definition of success. In acknowledging this reality, we create space for a more honest conversation about career fulfillment and the many valuable ways people can contribute to society beyond founding startups.

The most important entrepreneurial skill might be self-awareness: recognising whether this challenging path is truly right for you, and having the courage to pursue alternative routes to impact if it’s not.