Dearest Darling Friends ,

Many founders are carrying their business like a backpack.

I recently met someone who could not take a single uninterrupted holiday in twelve years.

Not because the business was struggling.
Quite the opposite.
The business was growing.

But every decision still needed him.
Every escalation found its way back to his phone.
Every silence in the office became a signal for someone to ask, “What should we do?”

From the outside, it looked like importance.
From the inside, it looked heavy.

The meeting with him stayed with me because I recognized parts of myself in it.

There is a strange attachment many ‘builders’ develop with being needed.

At first, carrying everything feels temporary.
Then it starts feeling responsible.
Eventually, it becomes identity.

Somewhere along the way, the business quietly stops becoming a bridge that creates movement for many… and becomes a backpack one person never removes.

I don’t think this happens because people love control.

Sometimes, it happens because they love deeply.
Because they care.
Because they remember the fragile days when nobody else understood the dream.

But growth asks different questions from survival.

Not:
“How much can I carry?”

But:
“What can continue when I put the bag down for a while?”

Today, notice gently – What work are you still carrying that was never meant to stay on your shoulders forever?