By Ayomide Otitoju
Entrepreneur Bidemi Oke has opened up about the emotional pressure and fear that can accompany building a business, saying founders often hide their struggles behind an appearance of confidence.
Oke, reflecting on her experience as a founder, said there was a period when she regularly woke up at 3am with her heart racing as concerns about payroll, stagnant business figures and difficult conversations weighed on her.
She said she often dealt with the concerns alone because those who depended on her to remain composed were asleep, while asking for help sometimes felt like an admission that she did not have all the answers.
According to Oke, conversations about entrepreneurship frequently focus on issues such as business runway, customer churn and difficult hiring decisions, while paying less attention to the fear and uncertainty founders may experience.
“At FlashChange and in conversations with other founders, I have seen the same fear take different forms,” she said, noting that businesses may differ but founders can share concerns about becoming the reason their ventures fail.
Oke said she had experienced the pressure of maintaining a confident appearance while struggling internally, adding that many founders may be facing difficult periods without openly discussing them.
She said the reluctance to speak about such challenges could leave founders feeling isolated and allow fear to influence their behaviour and decision-making.
According to her, acknowledging fear and speaking about it does not necessarily eliminate the underlying problems, but can help reduce the burden associated with keeping those concerns private.
Oke also criticised the culture within parts of the startup ecosystem that equates exhaustion with commitment, stressing that rest and personal boundaries are important for founders.
She warned that prolonged exhaustion could affect judgement, relationships and decision-making, arguing that the difficulties associated with building a business should not be turned into a performance for others.
Oke said she had learned, through personal experience, that keeping business-related struggles hidden could make it more difficult to seek help when needed.
She added that some founders she had observed struggled because they maintained an image of certainty for too long and eventually found it difficult to ask for support.
Oke urged founders facing difficult periods to acknowledge their struggles and speak to someone they trust rather than carrying the burden alone.
She said while keeping problems to oneself could be isolating, speaking about them could be an important first step towards dealing with the challenges of entrepreneurship.
