When I started out as an entrepreneur, I wore long hours as a badge of honor. For me, “long hours” meant 18–21 hour workdays.
I took pride when people said I was available across all time zones. Sales calls at midnight, project delivery in the morning—my calendar never slept, and neither did I. At that time, youth and adrenaline helped my body keep up. No one told me it wasn’t sustainable.
Success came fast, but so did the silent damage. By 2018, sleep was a stranger. It took me 3–4 years of struggle to rebuild the simple habit of night sleep.
For the last three years, I’ve disciplined myself to sleep at nights. But the price I paid is written all over my health—hypertension, cholesterol, muscle stiffness, indigestion, and gut issues.
My advice to young entrepreneurs: Yes, the path is challenging. Yes, you need to be ahead of the race. But don’t mistake sleeplessness for hustle. Let business happen in the day, let your body rest at night.
Because what’s the point of success if you can’t enjoy it in good health?
There’s a thief that roams around my mind often. It doesn’t steal money, time, or opportunities. It steals my now.
It’s called nostalgia – the most charming liar of all time.
I’ve realized something lately (after deep self-reflection… and one too many walks down memory lane): We humans have a weird habit of loving what we had, and completely ignoring what we have.
Think about it…
We miss school when we’re in college.
We miss college once we start working.
We miss the rookie hustle when we finally settle into comfort.
We miss our first love when we marry a beautiful, nag-proof spouse.
And just when we start enjoying couplehood, kids arrive — and we start missing our couple time.
And it doesn’t stop there.
This disease spreads to professional life too:
We carry the baggage of past roles, old bosses, and “those glory days.”
We talk about how things used to be better — instead of figuring out how to make this better.
We keep looking over our shoulder, wishing life had a reverse gear. But here’s the joke — we’re so busy missing the past that we forget to make the present miss-worthy.
So today, I’ve decided to stop romanticizing what was and start appreciating what is. No more looking back unless it’s to laugh, learn, or let go.
Because one day, we might miss this moment too — so let’s live it like it’s worth remembering.
The founder’s true hustle: balancing the dream and the self.
When we talk about entrepreneurship, we love to throw around big words — hustle, grind, passion, risk. We romanticize late nights, skipped meals, endless meetings, and that elusive “big win.”
But here’s the bitter truth I learned the hard way: the biggest asset in your startup isn’t your product, your team, or even your funding — it’s you.
As founders, we become our startup’s first sacrifice. We skip meals, work until we doze off at our desk or in the car, ditch workouts, and pile up stress like it’s a badge of honor. We tell ourselves, “Once I close this round… Once we hit this milestone… Then I’ll fix my health.” But that day rarely comes.
I’ve been there — poor eating habits, no fixed sleeping schedule, mind always racing at 200 km/h, pulling my family into a life of constant uncertainty. I realized one thing: building a business shouldn’t mean breaking myself down.
So, I decided to flip the narrative. Here’s my simple Founder Wellness Framework — a survival kit for anyone crazy enough to chase a dream and bold enough to protect themselves in the process.
Treat your health like an investor meeting
If you wouldn’t miss a call with your top investor, don’t skip your health appointments or workouts. Block time in your calendar for walks, workouts, or at least a few stretches. Move like your runway depends on it — because it does.
Eat to fuel, not just to fill
No one expects gourmet meals or fancy diets, but choose real food over packet snacks. Keep fruits, nuts, or home-cooked options at arm’s reach instead of biscuits and chips. Remember: a well-fed founder thinks better, decides better, lives better.
Protect your sleep like your IP
Your mind is your most valuable intellectual property. Sleep is the best free maintenance service for it. No “just one more mail.” No working till you doze off at your desk or in your car. Shut it down. Recharge. Next day, show up like a human, not a zombie.
Build your emotional safety net
Talk to friends, mentors, or even a professional if needed. Don’t carry every failure and every setback like a private burden. Share it, release it. You’ll be surprised how many others are silently going through the same.
Protect your close ones from your chaos
Entrepreneurship is your chosen roller coaster, not theirs. Be mindful not to drag them into every loop and drop. Check in with your family. Show up at dinners. Put the phone down and listen — truly listen. You’ll build more than a company; you’ll build a legacy they’ll want to be part of.
The real hustle
The real hustle isn’t just about 100-hour weeks or raising millions. The real hustle is building something without losing yourself in the process. We can’t pour from an empty cup. Our dreams are big, but they deserve a founder who’s strong enough to see them through.
So to every founder out there: build your product, scale your team, delight your customers — but above all, build and protect yourself.
That’s the only way the story you’re writing today becomes the legend you’ll tell tomorrow.
“The founder is the first investor, the first employee, and the last line of defense. Protect that asset at all costs.”
AnandNataraj 