When Does This Get Fun?

Hey founders,

Entrepreneurship is supposed to be about freedom.

But talk to any founder and they’ll tell you it feels more like a sh*t ton of pressure.

Why does it feel like we trade a 9 to 5 for 24/7 then?

At what point does this stop being stressful and start being fun?

Stress is Just… Part of the Game

There’s no revenue milestone where stress magically disappears.

Founders at $10K MRR and $500K MRR will both tell you:

“There’s always something.”

The pressure doesn’t go away. It just shifts.

New level, new challenge. And new weight on your shoulders.

But here’s the upside: you can build tolerance. You can get better at carrying the load. Once you stop expecting the stress to vanish, you can start training for it.

Delegation is Where It’s At. 

People assume more money = less stress.

But sometimes it can go the opposite direction all the time. ESPECIALLY if you are doing everything and have risk from client churn, or employees not cutting. 

The real answer:  It’s about how your business is run.

Stress peaks when:

• You’re stuck firefighting every day

• You’re the only one who can solve problems

• You can’t step away without something breaking

The answer isn’t just more revenue. It's a better system.

Process beats hustle. Delegation beats duct tape.

Freedom only happens when you design for it.

What’s Your Take Home Pay? (massively overlooked)

Yes, we are building businesses for the future. And often that comes with less money now in order to reinvest in our companies. There is a fine balance.

Typically things become a lot more fun when you hit certain take home pay levels (so long as you have teams in place to help alleviate the stress).

The number we hear most commonly there: $20,000 per month.

It’s a number that most people can do a lot with. 

But people get hung up on dollar amounts, which don’t allow them or their business to scale. Instead, think about it in percentages (i.e. 38% of revenue should be my pay). 

If you always take home a certain percentage (and build that into your calculations), then if the company goes up, so does your pay. 

Margin should always stay the same, operating expenses too. 

Don’t drain your company, be sure to keep operating capital, profit, etc. 

So… When Does This Get Fun?

Maybe the better question is: how can you make it more fun now?

Start with three simple questions:

1. What would make this business lighter to run?

2. Who am I building it alongside?

3. What percentage take home pay should you take?

Have an amazing week!

– The TRIBE Team