Behind the scenes of entrepreneurship lurks struggles with mental health issues

Entrepreneurship in South Africa, particularly within its vibrant townships and sprawling rural areas, often gets spray painted with a smooth airbrush of unwavering resilience and boundless innovation. Rightly so, because the grit it takes to build a business from the ground up in these communities is nothing short of heroic, an audacious act of the KZN Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. 

Yet, beneath the inspirational headlines and promise of radical economic development, there's a solemn whisper, a silent groan, "Ooh, I'm done with this!" that often goes off in broad day light. It is a lament of the mind and soul where a friend once said, “I’m in pain, but I can’t identify the part of the body that is experiencing this excruciating agony”. This unforgiving pain has no medical remedy, yet it lodges freely in our fragile souls.

Entrepreneurs are not just battling balance sheet numbers; but they are wrestling with extremely apprehensive anxiety, miserable depression, and sheer exhaustion of carrying the weight of their dreams and that their entire families are on their shoulders.  In a society where endurance is often seen as the only option, admitting defeat, is unthinkable, feels like a total betrayal.

According to the Founder’s Report, Navigating Entrepreneurial Mental Health: Insights from the Trenches published this year, a global survey of 227 entrepreneurs representing 46 countries, reveals that a staggering 87.7% admitted to struggling with at least one mental health issue. That’s not a glitch. That is nearly nine out of 10 entrepreneurs swearing in the shower before heading to a business pitch event.

Big respect to entrepreneurs, neh? These legends are out here catching business and pain like it’s a buffet with no side plates — just anxiety served extra hot. The report notes that 50.2% of founders are walking bundles of anxiety and 45.8% are struggling with high stress. Not because they’re weak, but because entrepreneurship in South Africaoften means managing unreliable cash flow, municipality load reduction, and dealing with unscrupulous clients.

Look, it’s not shocking that 39.2% of entrepreneurs are stressing about money 24/7 — and no, it’s not because they went wild at Woolies — it is because month-end in a small business is like Survivor: MSME Edition. Who gets paid first — the reputable supplier, the devoted employee, or the benevolent landlord?  And just when you think you're getting your acts together, here comes 34.4% of entrepreneurs waving the burnout flag, with no “Mchunu” benefits of a special leave. On top of that 31.7% feel like frauds, (a.k.a Thabo Bester launching a business behind prison walls). Yes, even the founder with the killer elevator pitch sometimes Groks “how to not ruin your life with your own startup.”

While others snore like a tractor at night, 21.6% of entrepreneurs barely close their eyes. Forget lullabies — small business owners are kept awake by delivery vans that vanish off the radar, customers who ghost, and suppliers who only reply on the 5th reminder. Running an SMME isn’t a job, it’s a 24/7 emotional rollercoaster where sleep is optional, but panic attacks are order of the day. Who needs horror movies when you’ve got fleet signals disappearing into the night? 

Most SMME owners don’t have a VIP section in high society — if they did, the entrepreneurial grind wouldn’t feel like a solo midnight stroll through Lonely Street Avenue. With 26.9% of entrepreneurs saying they feel isolated, it’s clear the hustle life isn’t as social as those networking brunches make it seem. Between juggling invoices, chasing clients, and pretending you understand tax law, there’s barely time for friends unless you count your laptop and that overused coffee mug.

Meanwhile, 26.9% of entrepreneurs are stuck in a wrestling match with work-life balance — and mood spoiler alert: work’s winning by a TKO. Can you really blame them? For most SMMEs, the only “me time” they get is when the Wi-Fi crashes and Joburg does the honourable thing throttling water forces an entrepreneur to do passport photo wash.

According to the report, 13.7% of entrepreneurs say their business is putting their relationships on the rocks — and honestly, who’s surprised? Missing bae’s birthday dinner because you’re stuck pitching to a client who still hasn’t paid your first invoice? Yoh. You’re not just missing dessert — you’re inviting to be served silent treatment for the whole week. Meanwhile, 12.3% of founders say they feel hopeless, which is a bit rich considering most of us make a living selling hope.

Mental health for entrepreneurs isn’t just a “nice-to-have,” it’s a survival tool. You can’t build the next big thing when your brain’s running on 5% with no charger in sight. We don’t need more hustle quotes on Instagram, we need proper support: real check-ins, peer-to-peer vent sessions, and funders who get that “resilience” doesn’t mean carrying the whole business on your back until you pass out by the coffee machine.

Because let’s be honest — behind every slick pitch deck is a sleep-deprived founder running on caffeine, and a half-eaten Gatsby from three days ago. So the next time someone says, “Just push harder,” send them this article and say: “I’m not lazy, my bru. I’m just trying not to die while building generational wealth.”

Bongani Ntombela, Executive: Programmes at 22 On Sloane.

*** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL.

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