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Pinterest Founder Ben Silbermann: What Surprised Him Most Was How Lonely It Is

By Ben Silbermann · Investing · 1 min read

Silbermann expected building a company to be hard. He did not expect it to be lonely.

Key Points

Entrepreneurship is lonelier than anyone warns you about
You cannot share your real fears with employees, investors, or even friends
Finding a peer group of other founders is essential for survival

Nobody tells you about the loneliness. The fears you cannot share with anyone because everyone is counting on you.

The Surprise

Silbermann expected the work to be hard. He was ready for that.

What surprised him was the loneliness. The complete isolation of being the person in charge.

You cannot tell your team you are scared. You cannot tell investors things are bad. You carry it alone.

The Weight

Every founder has fears they cannot share.

What if we run out of money? What if the product fails? What if I am not good enough?

These thoughts live in your head with no outlet. That is the loneliness.

Nobody tells you about the loneliness.

The Fix

Silbermann says the only fix is other founders. People who understand.

Not mentors. Not investors. Other founders who are going through it right now.

That peer group is the only place you can be honest. Find it.