Originally published in Entrepreneur

By Scott Wylie

The gut-wrenching decisions and night sweats every founder can appreciate are well presented in Ben Horowitz’s book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things. He tells his dramatic personal story of leading startups Loudcloud and Opsware through tough times. He shows us the skills and expectations we have for company founders as leaders, doers and modern cultural heroes.

Horowitz’s story is the “front side” of entrepreneurship but there is a “back side” that is seldom discussed or written about. That makes its hazards all the more treacherous for entrepreneurs.

The back side I’m referring to is the founder’s life away from the company. It’s the challenging task of building a steady financial footing, solid family relationships and staying healthy on the shifting, unpredictable ground of entrepreneurship.

The support structures and metronomic predictability that undergird daily life for most people are generally unavailable to entrepreneurs. Taking your career “off the grid” as an entrepreneur risks pressures that can reduce a founder’s personal life to rubble.

Successful back side management, fittingly, takes desire, effort and flexibility. It also often requires help.

Read the full story at https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233995