The average VC-backed founder is a f*cking JERK.
No time for family.
No time for friends.
Barely enough patience to keep from detonating on a Zoom call.
What does “life” look like after that big, juicy raise?
Here it is, in high-def:
↳ Micro-manage every last detail because you don't trust your own hires (spoiler: your anxiety seeps into everything)
↳ Miss birthdays and dinners, but somehow never skip a single “important” all-hands with your investors
↳ Bark at your spouse, snap at your kids, then fake-apologize because “it’s just stress”
↳ Stare at another useless Notion board while pretending you know what the actual f*ck to prioritize
And then flex about “working 90 hours a week.”
You know what I see?
An empty shell.
Not a leader, just another tired, burned-out operator trying to out-hustle death by dilution.
I'll break it down:
1/ If you’re always too busy for family, you’re not building a legacy, you’re building a regret pile.
2/ If you micro-manage everyone, it’s not “high standards”. It’s poor hiring and zero trust.
3/ If your stress gets dumped on your spouse or kids, you’re not a founder, you’re a coward.
Nobody brags about sobbing in the bathroom at midnight, but that's where most founders end up. Right before posting their next “big win” on TechCrunch.
So let me tell you how we did it at BuddiesHR:
↳ Lean team
↳ Ruthless focus
↳ Boundaries that actually mean something
↳ Profitable AND present
We’re building, shipping, growing.
All while having dinner with our families.
Because at the end of all this:
Stacks of VC cash can’t buy back your kid’s sixth birthday.
A unicorn valuation doesn’t make you a decent father, spouse, or human.
Stop worshipping “busy.”
Start leading for real.
Otherwise go ahead, keep burning out.
There’s always another ego ready to torch the next startup.
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👋 Hey, I'm J.Y!
I'm the co-founder of BuddiesHR, the #1 Employee Engagement Software that lives in Slack.
I post 1x a day about my journey and share what I've learned along the way.
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