7/20/26:  The Messy Middle of Entrepreneurship: Why Most Business Owners Want to Quit

I’m having an identity crisis.

Not because I’ve lost sight of my mission.

Not because my values have changed.

It’s because I’ve reached the part of entrepreneurship no one really talks about…

The middle.

You see, I’m “in the middle”.  A year ago everything was new and exciting.  10-20 years from now, the end will be exciting, but is it now?

Now is the time where I have made some mistakes, will continue to make mistakes, am learning, and trying to grow.  But that requires facing tough questions.

How do I want to grow? 
Am I offering the right services?
Am I reaching the right people?
Is this actually working?

And here is the thing, whether you are a woman rocking a side hustle, building a storefront, or trying to sustain something you already built – you have faced these tough questions.  In fact, you continue to face them day in and day out. 

This is what I mean by an identity crisis – a constant wonder of what I am and what I should be. 

But is that really an identity crisis?  Are we questioning ourselves or are we asking ourselves all the right questions?

Here is the reality:

About 20% of new businesses fail in the first year
50% will fail in the first five years
By year 10, nearly 65% of new businesses will fail

Those numbers aren’t meant to scare you—they’re a reminder that the middle weeds people out.

Being an entrepreneur is HARD!  If it wasn’t, everyone would do it.  It isn’t for the faint of heart or the weak of mind.  How you react in the middle, when it is really tough, will likely be the indicator of your success.

In the early stages of most everything, excitement drives action – new job, new business, new volunteer opportunity, you name it.  You enter it with a new energy and hope, the kind that says I could do this forever. 

Then the new wears off, things don’t look nearly as shiny, and you start to question everything, including yourself.  The middle.  The place where we give up.

Why do we give up?

Well, because the excitement isn’t driving us anymore.  We’re “in it” now and everything seems harder.  Have you ever noticed that the harder it comes and the more difficult  it seems to achieve, the more challenging it is to get motivated toward progress. 

I’m a year in.  I am not one of those 20% who fail in the first year.  I am one who reminds myself daily that I do not want to be one of the 50% in the next five years.

So, my identity crisis may not be an identity crisis at all.  Not even a crisis.

This period is the middle, where I am figuring out what has worked, what hasn’t, and what can create traction going forward. 

The middle is hard because I’m telling people I’m new while telling them I have experiences and expertise to bring to the table.

The middle is hard because I haven’t achieved the growth I dreamed of so I wonder if I’m on the right path.

The middle is hard because the future is unknown.

The middle is where most people quit.

The middle is where I implore entrepreneurs to find the strength to continue on.

Be open to change and possibility.
Be adaptable and flexible.
Revisit your goals.
Adjust your strategy.
Keep your values.
Then keep moving.

Approach the middle with the same excitement and optimism that you approach the beginning with.

That bright eyed, open hearted, endless feeling of hope and wonder. 

Are you in the beginning, middle, or end?

What are the emotions you are feeling? 

In a perfect world, what would you want this stage of life and business to feel like?

Think about that perfect world and what you would need to make it happen.

The dream that inspired you to start is still there.

It may look different than it did a year ago, and that’s okay.

Growth isn’t about becoming someone else.

It’s about becoming more of who you were always meant to be.

Maybe you aren’t sure where you are at, what you want, or how to get there.

Let’s have a chat about that.  I’ve been there, done it, and will likely do it again. 

We can walk side-by-side down the path you are creating.  Let’s book your FREE discovery call and see what your future could hold.