Exhaustion is part of the job
No one really warns entrepreneurs about the exhaustion. Not the “bad night of sleep” tired or the “long workday” tired. This is a different level entirely—the kind that turns a person into a functioning zombie who still has to make decisions, lift heavy things, solve problems, and smile through all of it.
For entrepreneurs in the superstar-in-the-making phase, exhaustion isn’t an occasional visitor—it’s a permanent resident. They’re doing 20 jobs at once. There is no off switch. Work continues until they drop, then starts again the next day. It isn’t glamorous or Instagram-worthy. It’s just real life.
Yes, there are moments to catch a breath. Maybe someone has a wealthy relative who invites them on an all-expense-paid beach trip, private jet included. Or maybe their version of a break is walking down the street because that’s all their budget allows. Either way, the break matters—even if it’s small, even if it barely counts.
Sometimes that “break” is leaning on a grocery cart and wandering the aisles in a half-awake haze. And strangely, that can feel like relief. There’s something grounding about being out of the workspace, even if the goal is simply picking up necessities—coffee, food, or something familiar.
Here’s where honesty comes in: at this stage of building a company, alcohol isn’t helpful. It feels like it might be, but it isn’t. A couple of glasses with dinner and momentum disappears. Feet go up. Energy shuts down. Meanwhile, there are labels that need printing, emails waiting, spreadsheets unfinished, plans still forming. Progress doesn’t love distractions.
And just when it feels like the day is finally over, it isn’t.
Tomorrow has to be organized. Two events in one day. Vans to load. Tables to lift. Sweating. Hauling. Smiling. Selling. Physical exhaustion layered on top of mental exhaustion. It’s relentless.
But here’s the truth: exhaustion means they’re in it. It means something is being built from the ground up. The key is finding a small happy place—a walk, a quiet moment, a pause in the grocery aisle. It doesn’t fix everything, but it helps carry the weight just enough to keep moving forward.
And that, whether anyone says it out loud or not, is part of the job.
Wendy Kushel is the owner of Wendala’s LowCountry Sugar Scrub, LLC. Drawn to the beauty & personal care industry Wendy founded her company in 2020. Her background includes stand-up comedy, film, TV and a lot of sales and marketing. For more information about Wendala’s® LowCountry Sugar Scrub visit www.lowcountrysugarscrub.com or call/text 843-949-8933.
