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Entrepreneurship is a trauma response
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Hey Reader, Have you heard this before: “Entrepreneurship is a trauma response.” Someone referenced this Gabor Maté quote recently and it didn’t resonate with me—even though research shows that many successful entrepreneurs had a difficult childhood. Everyone around me smiled and nodded at the quote while I sat there confused. I always thought I got into entrepreneurship because I loved it. I love to make things, and building is part of who I am. But then the speaker, Jayson Gaignard, continued. He explained how every entrepreneur has a moment they can point back to where someone told them what to do or controlled them in a way that felt demeaning. Jason was once forced to hunt through a smelly dumpster to find something that had been accidentally thrown away. It was such a demeaning experience that he had to hold back from throwing up. That’s when he decided he would build a business where he wouldn’t have to do things like that anymore. As more people shared their stories, a memory suddenly popped into my head. I went from thinking “this doesn’t resonate at all” to knowing the exact moment that created enough trauma that made me want to have control and freedom—to become an entrepreneur. When I was 15 years old and working at Wendy’s, I showed up to work not feeling great. But back then, the expectation was that you pushed through if you were ever sick. Then it I felt worse. I went to the bathroom, threw up, and then talked to my manager. My manager was young, mean, and generally disliked by everyone. I told her, “I feel so sick. I just threw up in the bathroom. I have to go home.” “You can’t,” she responded. “There’s no one to cover your shift.” “What am I supposed to do?” I asked. “I can’t stay here at work.” She went to the office, got the list of employees with phone numbers, and said, “Start calling. You can go home when you find someone to cover your shift.” I remember thinking, “Isn’t that your job? As a manager, isn’t it your job to make sure the company is staffed and able to handle these issues when they come up?” But no, she made me—a sick 15-year-old—do it. Thankfully, after a few phone calls, I found someone who could come in, and I was able to go home, rest, and get over whatever I had. That brings us back to the quote: "Entrepreneurship is a trauma response." You’re undertaking something incredibly difficult, so you need a compelling reason. My reason was that I wanted to make sure other people wouldn’t have that level of power over me—that level of control, where they could force me to work when it made no sense. They say entrepreneurship is working 100 hours for yourself so you don’t have to work 40 hours for someone else. That resonates. This realization raises two important questions: 1. What is your trauma?Is there a moment that drove you down the path to entrepreneurship? Maybe like me, you forgot about it until now. Maybe it’s something you were frustrated by at the time, but grateful for now. That moment of pain transformed into something that changed my life. 2. Is that pain and trauma where you want to create from?How many of your decisions come from a place of avoiding or running away from something? And how does that influence you? — In my case, I want to build a business and create for the world from a place of happiness, inspiration, and hope—not from a place of avoidance, fear, and resentment. I can look at entrepreneurship as a trauma response and be grateful for that; for it being one piece of the puzzle that brought me to where I am now. But then I can let that go… I have control now.
I can create that freedom not just for myself but for everyone who works for my companies. Whenever that immediate trauma response pops up, I can let go and move on. I can create from a place of optimism and abundance, knowing that the trauma response served me for a time but no longer serves me now. The initial pain might be what pushed you to start, but it doesn’t have to be what continues to drive you forward. You can acknowledge it, be grateful for the push it gave you, and then create something beautiful from a place of joy rather than avoidance. PODCASTThe Branding Advice That No One Tells YouToday, I interview our creative director at Kit, Charli Prangley, about our company rebrand experience. We explore how we built a new identity without starting from scratch, the lessons learned along the way, and how our internal culture has evolved as a result.
Watch or listen to episode » ARTICLEStrategy Sessions: Why Whitney Manney is ditching the algorithm to focus on her 40% open rate newsletterWhitney Manney built her brand on social media, but when algorithms stopped working, she took control. Instead of chasing likes and visibility, she turned to email marketing, where she now has a 40% open rate—nearly double the industry average (20-25%)—and direct access to her customers. The Kit team caught up with Whitney to discuss how creators can break free from the algorithm, take ownership of their audience, and build a sustainable business on their terms. VIDEOSystems Thinking: Designing the Life You Actually WantSystems thinking flips our usual approach to life on its head. Instead of reacting to whatever comes your way, it's about intentionally designing the life you actually want to live. Too often we respond to whatever seems urgent instead of building toward our true aspirations. The key is alignment—making sure your daily activities directly contribute to your long-term vision by ruthlessly eliminating distractions. This video on Systems Thinking by August Bradley is a great guide on how to design your life with this framework. Have a great week! —Nathan P.S. Are you a world-class marketing leader? We’re hiring a Director of Marketing at Kit. Feel free to share the link if you know someone who’d be a good fit. |
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
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