My problem: founders have no one to talk to when they're emotionally struggling.
1. Describe the problem:
I am a startup founder. My problem is periodic emotional burnout and a certain loneliness on this journey, especially when a project requires a long time and a huge amount of effort to get it off the ground to the first tangible results (on average, this takes 2-3 years).
During the "low points" (once every few months), there is no one to honestly and kindly discuss fear, uncertainty, difficulties, or failure with, without judgment. And at the same time, to get real emotional support to avoid abandoning my project, especially if it is promising.
I don't want to bother my wife and loved ones too much either, and my non-startup friends don't really understand my "pains." Existing communities and mentors solve business problems but don't provide the psychological support of a "brother in arms." I would like to have some kind of safe space for regular group calls where one can vent and get support from other founders.
Perhaps the solution should involve some sort of AI moderator that would facilitate the meetings and guide the entire group for the desired effect, and at the end of the meeting provide useful recommendations and assess the match between group participants.
2. How often does the problem occur?
Cyclically, once every 2-3 months, during times of pressure, lack of energy, failures, or making difficult decisions. This is a systemic problem that many write about (Paul Graham, etc.) but which remains unsolved.
3. What attempts have you made to solve the problem?
I tried seeking understanding in general chats and at meetups — lacked depth and trust. Individual therapy for founders is expensive and doesn't provide a sense of "team." Mastermind groups often turn into competitions. I periodically watch YouTube videos with other founders' experiences, but there's no feedback or personalization. AI psychologists don't help; they lack the empathy of real people, the feeling is mediocre.
4. How much are you willing to pay for the solution?
Honestly, it's difficult for me to say exactly how much I'm willing to pay right now, because I'd like to "try out" the solution and understand its value for me, especially during tough periods. But let's assume it would be some kind of membership fee per session, around $10-20/session. I'm willing to pay for a structured group session, possibly with an AI moderator that would facilitate the meetings and guide the entire group for the desired effect, and at the end of the meeting provide useful recommendations and assess the match between participants.
5. Problem author:
Name: Boris
Country: Serbia
Contacts: here
Replies
minimalist phone: creating folders
Have you tried out to create any group (e.g. Discord) where you could gather like-minded people and set monthly or quarterly sessions together? Just talk, nothing more. Sometimes, shared sentiment and empathy could help + you could get to know some people closer. I think it would be a fair compromise.
ProblemHunt
@busmark_w_nika Hey Nika! Yes, I have a Telegram channel community, but it's working chaotically and not very personal yet. I want small groups with video calls and someone (like an AI) to guide the meeting in the right direction. Missing that kind of service. 😊
minimalist phone: creating folders
@gostroverhov maybe you spotted something that needs to be build someone :)
Triforce Todos
Boris, thank you for sharing this so openly. This is something so many founders struggle with silently.
ProblemHunt
@abod_rehman You're welcome, friend! You're right)
Korgi
I subscribed to Focusmate for a year for exactly this reason, but I didn't find the shared founder experience you outlined so well here. We currently are piloting structured co-working with our users - I definitely think you're in a necessary space!
ProblemHunt
@dmitcha Oh, that's an interesting experience! Thanks for sharing, it's valuable :)
If you have any more insights, I'd be glad if you share them with me. 🙏
Korgi
@gostroverhov I will happily join any test community you put together and will invite you to ours, too. We're Pacific time.
I guess my question would be how could we get founders to feel comfortable and vulnerable enough to share, even in small groups. I think the key would be local, in-person recurring meetups in small groups where you continue to get to know the same founders, meeting every weekend and build camraderie. I don't know if a formal, moderated conversation would have the same effect. I personally struggled with the same issue but with a hobby instead so I went on a Facebook group for young expats in my country and got everyone interested to ping me. Then I created a whatsapp and hosted weekly events and made a lot of close, meaningful connections doing this.
Talking from my experience.. for me, it also comes in cycles, usually every couple of months. It hits hardest when I'm deep into building new features or working on something new. When you work alone, every decision and responsibility sits on you. That's fine when the topic is familiar, but when it's not, the pressure can get overwhelming very fast.
What makes it harder is that you don't just need advice, you need space to think and rebuild trust in your own thoughts. Talking to a wife, friends, or family often doesn't help much, not because they don't care (which in some cases they don't), but because they don't have the context or live inside the same chaos.
It's also hard to see how many others are dealing with this. most founders either look successful or disappear quietly, which makes it feel even more isolating.
The only thing that has really helped me is finding time to myself and while processing everything, writing honestly about what I'm struggling with and what I'm learning. Sharing that, without polishing it, has been my way to reset.
You're definitely not alone
vibecoder.date
super late to this but.
I've thought about starting a counselling thing for founders.
I know what the struggles are, I've had my own, I've pulled people from the brink.
idk how to start other than by listening to the community.
Hi, I have not been on Product Hunt much yet. I had no idea there were forums till just now reading this thread.
This is a problem for me too. I work in isolation. I don't usually mind but sometimes I get in a bad place with it all.
What's a way to help each other with this? Zoom sessions?
I do zoom sessions often with my customers. In a way it's social interaction but not the same. They are on zoom with me to learn from me, not be friends.
One thing I am looking into is co-op working spaces. There is a place a few miles away where you pay monthly and share a large common area with other entrepreneurs. We all work on our own stuff but there is the possibility of making like minded friends that way.
A hitting problem indeed, gets me every time. The worst part if it is that it raises the emotional bar to starting something new, shifting the reception of worthwhile ideas towards the “meh” pile.
Before you mentioned it, I thought I’m alone with this problem.
Do you think the regular sun, walking, chocolate, cold shower, loud music, spring cleaning (digital or physical, latter is my preference), going for an adventure or whatever normally cheers you up works worse than a talking group?
I’d be really happy to know how others overcome this to reduce the period where I gather myself together before the next endeavour.