Ask HN: I've told everyone about my startup and its been harder than I thought

I'm not sure about your funding situation, but you could always try to get paid employment and switch to working on your business on the side.

Ultimately, the success is based on the strength of the execution and finding product market fit with a big enough market. If you're too burnt out, it sounds like you are hitting some internal limit.

If you have hope (and resources) push through. If you don't, step away, recover and reflect.

If you find yourself passionate about it later on, then you can go right back in!

Being able to construct a story of growth, entrepreneurship and risk is a great one to tell in your 20s and you shouldn't be ashamed.

> I dont want to let everyone down

> I isolated myself from friends and family

I promise your friends and family are more let down by you abandoning them then they would be of your startup failing. Most startups fail!

There are a lot of inspirational startup stories where founders only saw failure and misery ahead, pushed through anyway with great personal sacrifice, and then managed to succeed against all odds. But there's a hundred times as many stories of founders who tried the same thing and just lost it all with nothing to show for it (we don't tell those stories as often). Don't lose your health and loved ones in pursuit of an unlikely business venture. You're young and you can always try again later with this experience under your belt.

Starting a business is hard. Jensen Huang said he probably would not have done had he known how hard it would be. Bill Gates also said working those kinds of hours is not for everyone.

In the end you have to want it. The “it” is not any kind of real success, but rather just doing the work, those thousands of tiny accomplishments that nobody else sees. The work spent toiling away making continuous progress on things you aren’t comfortable with, like sales or finances. It’s hard to claim victory over those things when building the product takes all your time and money. That balance are those many tiny things you have to claim victory over. It never gets easier, but it does get more reassuring as your support system grows.

It isn't winning or losing. It is just a job that either worked out or did not. And not a waste - even if you all you take away from this is experience and knowledge, that is not a waste.

Sorry to hear about the stress of being a founder; I also am a solo founder and feel the pressure every day too. For what it's worth, you've already achieved something very special if you have thousands of users. That already shows you are building something that others find genuinely useful, entertaining, or worthwhile. Also, not to minimize your situation, but your age and situation is probably an advantage here. If you pivot to a completely new venture or get a job, you have lots of time to build something else really successful.

I suggest re-engaging with your friends and family. It really will help you figure out what you want out of life and of this ongoing venture. Doing that will help you realize what really matters to you. Perhaps you'll find yourself reinvigorated and will dive back into the work even harder than before. Maybe you'll just have a clearer picture of what your exit strategies might be. Either way, you'll be glad you reconnected with the people who care about you. It's more important to do that than any startup ever could be.

Anyway, wishing you best of luck.