mental health Archives - Startup Economist

The Art of Coming Down the Mountain: Why Founders Must Master Recovery

Monday, 15 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Founders love the sprint. I do. The next release, the hackathons, pitch days, and product launches; we thrive on speed, the release, and feedback. We glorify the rush of deadlines, the late-night breakthroughs, the caffeine-fueled wins that light up LinkedIn. The problem is that we often confuse motion for momentum, and in doing so, neglect

Published in Startups

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When Entrepreneurship is Bad for the Economy

Tuesday, 05 November 2024 by Paul O'Brien

Entrepreneurship has long been celebrated as the ultimate engine of economic growth, innovation, and job creation. But what if the fervor surrounding “being an entrepreneur” has gone too far? The glorification of entrepreneurship as an end in itself may actually be hurting our economy. As with most cultural phenomena, the truth is more nuanced than

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Published in Economic Development, Startups

22 Comments

Wisdom of Life in Work

Friday, 17 December 2021 by Paul O'Brien

My Dad sent me a thought about Life, and lately, I can’t help but be fixated on notions that life lessons parallel entrepreneurship more than we realize or put into practice. The notion, for example, of finding cofounders is frequently explored through consideration of Dating and Marriage. Experiences in life informing what it means to

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

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I Bought my First NFT, Not for the Reason You Might Think

Monday, 27 September 2021 by Paul O'Brien

It’s difficult today, online, if you’re paying any attention all to cryptocurrency or media innovation, to not have heard “NFT” A .gif of Nyan Cat sold for lots and lots (and lots) of money as an NFT. These things have interest near hype from Nike, Visa, Warner Music Group, and Nike. Time Magazine‘s recently sold 4,500 TIMEPieces in

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Published in Insights / Research, Social Media

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The Emperor’s New Clothes of Entrepreneurship

Tuesday, 10 November 2020 by Paul O'Brien

When you're prepared for loss, failure, isolation, commitment, tenacity, perseverance, and living on nothing, THEN maybe give it a shot; not because someone else says it's easy or that they'll help you. You need to be more prepared for the very likely downside than living on the hopes and dreams perpetuated because a small fraction who try make it work.

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

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The Stress of Running a Venture Backed Startup

Friday, 17 July 2020 by Paul O'Brien

The expectations of investors, the demands of a company now more prominent in the market, but the ease of pressure in having resources available… Being venture backed doesn’t make it more stressful, nor less, it’s a matter of the stage, the expectations, and what that all means to you personally. Startup teams usually change from

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

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The Mental Health Burden of Entrepreneurship

Monday, 16 December 2019 by Paul O'Brien

In 1985, management scholar Manfred Kets de Vries wrote in Harvard Business Review, “Entrepreneurs seem to be achievement oriented, like to take responsibility for decisions, and dislike repetitive, routine work. Creative entrepreneurs possess high levels of energy and great degrees of perseverance and imagination, which, combined with willingness to take moderate, calculated risks enable them

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

34 Comments