A Mumbai-based founder shared a post expressing that, although entrepreneurship is often romanticised, very few people talk about the sacrifices one makes to achieve that dream. Taking to social media, the founder detailed his “tax on dreams” – choosing a client’s deadline over a long-awaited reunion with his best friend.
“My best friend lands in Mumbai tomorrow. His daughter. His wife. People I have been waiting to meet for two years. I am boarding a flight in the opposite direction. Client call. Cannot say no,” wrote Shubham Gune on LinkedIn.
He continued, “They tell you entrepreneurship is freedom. They lie. When you work for someone, you can say, I have plans. When you work for yourself, your plans come last.” Gune further added, “I am not Ambani. I cannot choose. Not yet.”
The founder further expressed, “Nobody tells you that freedom costs the very moments you wanted to be free for. I will pay it. Tomorrow. And the day after. Because maybe one day, I will own my Fridays too.”
Social media reacts:
An individual posted, “Dreams come at a cost, and yes, work-life balance is a lie. But as a founder, you have the power to create a culture where your employees can freely say ‘I have plans’.” Gune replied, “That’s the plan.”
Another added, “This is the part nobody glamorises. Freedom in entrepreneurship is delayed, not instant. You miss moments today so you can protect many tomorrows. It hurts, but it’s the price of building something real.” A third commented, “The decision to take the client call or not is in our hands based on the situation we are in. If the client was already planned, but an emergency arises, we do speak to the client and update them on the scenario to get the discussion postponed or depute our team to become part of the conversation.”
A fourth wrote, “I relate more than I’d like to admit. I didn’t realise that building something of your own also means distance from the people you’re building it for.” Gune responded, “That’s super sad, that’s what the reality is. Case in point, we’ve been planning to meet since forever.”