Most startup journeys initially resemble fairy tales:
Excitement. Passion. “Let’s change the world.”
But then reality sets in.
- Users don’t come.
- Co-founders leave.
- VCs stop replying.
You go from dreamer to disillusioned.
Just like Maria in Eleven Minutes (By Paulo Coelho) —
A girl who left Brazil chasing a dream, only to end up questioning everything.
I’ve seen founders go through the same emotional arcs:
- Innocence to Pain: When the first product fails, nobody cares.
- Pain to Detachment: When they stop sharing updates… because shame creeps in.
- Detachment to Discovery: When they realize—“Maybe the startup isn’t the point. Maybe I am.”
Startups don’t just build products.
They break you.
Rebuild you.
Shape your inner character.
And if you’re lucky, they connect you back to something real:
- A co-founder who sees you, not just your pitch.
- A customer who says, “This changed my life.”
- A team that holds your hand through hard pivots.
The hardest choice isn’t shutting down a startup.
It’s letting go of who you thought you had to be.
And choosing to rebuild from truth.
From freedom.
From emotional honesty.
Startup world doesn’t need more “hustle heroes.”
It needs soul-driven creators.
People who can hold pain and possibility in the same breath.
Just like Maria, walking away —
Not in shame, but in sovereignty.
#DhandheKaFunda: The most powerful founders aren’t the ones who never fall. They’re the ones who can stand up—eyes open, heart open—after falling.
