Work–life balance when you’re building a startup does not exist.
In my experience, people who say otherwise are usually:
- Working inside a company.
- Running a lifestyle business.
- Have never founded.
And to be clear, I’m not saying one path has more personal value than another. Still, in recent months I’ve noticed a certain anxiety in founders I know, maybe because they feel like they’re working too much and failing to live up to the famous “work–life balance” motto.
This debate has been around a while, and I think it’s because most people don’t enjoy their work; so the word “work” is tied to effort you don’t enjoy.
Before anything else, I’ll clarify that I’m referring to building in tech, where entrepreneurship itself is a huge privilege. That’s my case: the amount of privilege I have and have had access to is enormous.
But ultimately, if building in tech isn’t imposed—it’s a choice—then it’s odd to me when a founder draws that line.
Overall, my opinion that work–life balance doesn’t exist doesn’t come from what someone told me, but from my own experience and what I see and hear every week.
This probably sounds familiar:
- You wake up and you’re thinking about your company.
- You’re eating and you’re thinking about your company.
- You go for a walk and you’re thinking about your company.
- You’re at a party and you’re thinking about your company.
There’s also something many people don’t factor in. Obvious to some, not to all: for many, building a company is more than a job—it’s a hobby.
Some people like painting, others movies, others collecting things. Work itself can be a hobby. That doesn’t mean it’s the only one, but if you’re building and it turns out your big hobby—among others—is working, what could be better?
Still, it’s important to note that considering something a hobby doesn’t mean you enjoy everything about it.
As a kid, I loved playing soccer and eventually joined a team. But I never liked the training—whether because I had to run more than I wanted or because sometimes I’d rather play video games.
Both experiences are part of the hobby: what you enjoy and what you don’t.
Finally, the message shouldn’t be “work for the sake of working”; you should work smart. But if over 90% of startups fail before five years, those who survive aren’t the ones who work smart or hard—it’s those who work hard and smart.
In short, if you enjoy what you do and see it as part of your passion, work and life become a natural integration. Entrepreneurship is demanding, but rewarding for those who live it as an extension of themselves.