Few founders speak openly about the emotional and operational toll of entrepreneurship. In a time when milestones are curated for LinkedIn, the messy, high-pressure reality of building a company rarely gets shared.

“What is rarely visible online is how long things take,” says Nour Hassan, Founder of Arabic.AI. “For every public milestone, there are years of operational challenges, hiring mistakes, financial discipline, and difficult decisions that no founder announces.”

Naomi D’Souza, Founder of xNDigitize, agrees, adding: “Social media captures highlights, not the sleepless nights, the risks, the challenges, or the decisions that feel like gambles when you’re responsible to both customers and your team.”

This gap between what people see and the private reality often leads to misunderstandings. Lemya Soltani, Co-Founder and Commercial Director at Next Broadcast Media, points out that many underestimate how much patience and intention the journey requires.

“From the outside, it can look fast: partnerships, expansion, events, growth,” she says. “Behind every visible milestone are years of belief, consistency, and disciplined execution.”

Startups often tackle problems the market doesn’t yet fully understand. For Arabic.AI, Hassan explains that the biggest misconception isn’t that the idea changed, but that success happens from one big breakthrough.

“It doesn’t,” she says. “It comes from holding a long-term belief while patiently building until the world eventually meets you where you started. We were building infrastructure for Arabic technology years before organisations understood why it mattered. Many believed global English systems would naturally work for the region, so a large part of the work was education, not just product.”

For Soltani, it meant building in digital audio while the market was still forming. “We had to educate, refine, and stay committed long before the momentum became obvious,” she says. “Entrepreneurship has been about trusting the long-term vision, staying focused through the quieter phases, and being ready when alignment happens.”

Behind the scenes, the reality is often more about paperwork than inspiration. D’Souza says cash-flow worries, tough client conversations, hiring errors, and failed projects are common, but these stories rarely appear in public founder narratives.

THE PRESSURE BEHIND PUBLIC PERFORMANCE

These pressures grow even more in a fast-paced, connected, and competitive region that celebrates bold ideas and visible successes. While this environment offers chances for strong leaders, it also quietly encourages a culture of comparison.

“Founders see announcements every day, funding rounds, partnerships, expansions,” says Hassan. “But struggles remain invisible. Because those stories aren’t shared, founders privately believe they’re the only ones facing problems. That creates pressure to perform stability publicly, even when internally things are fragile. The gap between public image and real experience becomes exhausting.”

Soltani says the effect is particularly strong in cities like Dubai, where founders face pressure in the early stages that require significant time and resources. “There’s constant lifestyle temptation, travel, restaurants, experiences,” she says. “Building often requires short-term sacrifice that isn’t visible. When others appear to accelerate while you’re investing and sometimes going backwards financially, doubt creeps in if you’re not grounded.”

D’Souza adds that founders often feel they must stay visible through social media networking, announcements, and growth stories.  “Admitting struggle feels risky because reputation matters so much,” she says. “So many founders quietly deal with burnout while projecting constant growth.” 

WHAT FOUNDERS WISH THEY HAD KNOWN

Looking back, founders share what they wish others had been honest about when they started. For Hassan, it’s how heavy decision-making can be. “The hardest part isn’t building the product. It’s living with decisions that can’t be undone,” she says. 

While the early days are full of brainstorming and teamwork, as the company grows, founders make decisions that affect people’s careers, families, and stability. “You carry context you can’t always share, and often take on pressure, so your team can focus,” she adds. Leadership becomes less about inspiration and more about responsibility and clarity.

D’Souza agrees about the emotional toll. “The loneliness of leadership is real, and resilience is not optional, it’s a survival skill,” she says. Flexibility, freedom, and financial stability come later, but the responsibility is immediate. Also, you don’t own your time—your clients, team, and finances do.

Entrepreneurship deeply changes people, stretching them in ways corporate jobs often don’t. “Building a company pushes you to develop resilience, clear decision-making, and emotional intelligence on a whole new level,” Soltani says.

Despite the challenges, none find it discouraging. “For me, entrepreneurship solved frustrations I felt in previous roles,” Soltani says. “It’s demanding but empowering. The hours can be longer, but ownership makes it meaningful.”

CONVERSATIONS THE ECOSYSTEM NEEDS

Founders say the biggest change needed isn’t strategy—it’s honesty.

“We talk a lot about funding and growth, but very little about endurance,” says Hassan, comparing entrepreneurship to a marathon, not a sprint. Many founders underestimate how long it takes to reach stability, so early talks about cash flow and realistic timelines are key to avoiding failure.

D’Souza says the conversation must extend beyond founders. “Delayed payments alone can destabilise young businesses and put entire teams under pressure.”

The most misunderstood resource isn’t money but time, says Soltani. “Every founder is different, but time is the one thing we all share. How you focus your attention drives momentum more than short-term funding. Without clear focus and discipline, it’s easy to switch directions and never build something lasting.”

D’Souza thinks startup culture should shift from celebrating growth to recognizing survival. The media can help by sharing stories about early struggles, pivots, and resilience—not just big exits and funding wins. “Showcasing realistic startup paths builds a more honest ecosystem,” she says.

While the region offers huge opportunities, Soltani says clarity, consistency, and long-term thinking turn those chances into lasting impact. She advises focusing on real value rather than appearances, making the pace energizing rather than overwhelming. Sustainability comes from having a clear purpose.

All founders agree on the most important support structures: honest mentors, peer communities where struggles can be discussed openly, and mental health support.

“Companies fail less from bad ideas than from founders reaching exhaustion alone,” says Hassan. “The issue isn’t ambition, it’s sustainability. When founders feel they must always appear successful, they delay asking for help, and that is when burnout begins.”

“Building a company is not just a business challenge, it’s a psychological one,” adds D’Souza. “The sooner the ecosystem recognizes that, the healthier entrepreneurship becomes for everyone.”