Every founder walks a road paved with dreams, delays, detours, and dilemmas.
As an entrepreneur, it is tempting to postpone your peace and personal life, thinking “once things get better, I will finally live”.
The hard truth? Things never truly get better.
Over the years, I have learnt that building comes in phases, each with its chaos and clarity.
Below is an overview of the key phases every builder passes through, along with the resources and mindsets that helped me survive and build a formidable structure at Bluebulb.
Phase 1: The Dream Phase: “I just need a chance”
It all begins with excitement and belief.
You are scribbling ideas on a napkin, and every paper becomes your dashboard.
Whispering plans to trusted friends and staying up late researching.
You imagine a future where things work, and you tell yourself, “If I could just get capital…”.
You need no encouragement here; you are high on hope, and that’s okay.
What you need in this phase is solitude in your thoughts. Protecting the spark before the noise begins.
Here are some books that I recommend for you to read, at this stage: The Lean Startup by Eric Ries – how to test and grow fast; Zero to One by Peter Thiel – building things that don’t exist yet; and Start With Why by Simon Sinek – define your purpose early.
Phase 2: The Capital Chase: “Once I get funding, I’m good.”
You start pitching. You revise your deck more often than you thought. You hear “NO” more than you imagined. Your purpose gets questioned, and some of your entrepreneurial friends run back to the safety of paid employment. If you endure long enough, eventually someone signs you a cheque.
You raise funds, receive immense congratulatory messages, and you think, “Finally, the pressure is off”. But truthfully, this is when the real pressure begins.
Capital doesn’t solve problems; it only amplifies cracks.
What you need most is a strong network that believes in your integrity.
Recommended reads: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz – the brutal truths of running startups; Venture Deals by Brad Feld – a must-read before signing term sheets; The Almanack of Naval Ravikant – deep thinking on wealth, leverage, and self-mastery.
Phase 3: The Talent Hunt: “I need good people.”
You start hiring; some are brilliant, others are placeholders.
You quickly realise talent is rare and ownership is near impossible to find.
You are leading, mentoring, fixing, and teaching, often all at once.
This phase can be described as the most irritating. One minute, the staff member you planned your strategy with asks to see you a week later, and boom, the resignation letter comes.
Founders experience numerous heartbreaks that no one talks about. But I will, in a future series.
You are back to square one, building and motivating new talent and hoping to find a sync.
Everyone’s problem becomes your problem, and yours is no one’s.
What you need most is a world-class HR professional who can make the journey seamless.
Recommended Reads: Who by Geoff Smart – Getting Hiring Right; The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni – essential team health; Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek – trust builds great teams.
Phase 4: Finding Product-Market Fit: “Do people even want this?”
You launch. You promote. You pray. Some customers engage. Some ignore you.
Some ask for more than you are ready to give. You are stuck between tweaking your offer and defending it.
This phase is one of chaotic hope, and emotional whiplash is normalised. You are excited and exhausted simultaneously.
What you need most are associates who can challenge you without breaking you.
Recommended Reads: Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore – selling innovation to the masses; Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath – communicate value; Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller – clarify your message.
Phase 5: The Break-even Obsession: “Let us just survive.”
The goal now is to stop the bleeding.
You watch cash flow daily and become a master of unit economics. Every sale matters. Every cost hurts.
You are gasping for survival and have to keep swimming. Break-even feels like oxygen.
What you need most is financial clarity and ruthless focus.
Recommended Reads: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz – how to build a business that doesn’t eat itself; Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! By Greg Crabtree – business math that matters; Company of One by Paul Jarvis – small, sustainable and focused.
Phase 6: The Profitability Wake-Up: “This needs to make sense.”
Then you realise: survival isn’t the same as success.
You are making money, but is it real profit? Can it scale? Does it justify the capital and sacrifice? You question efficiency, return on investment, etc. Suddenly, strategy matters more than effort. You are making money, but it is leaking.
What you need most is a world-class leadership team (CFO and COO) to optimise processes and cut waste.
Recommended Reads: Good to Great by Jim Collins – what separates great from average; The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber – why many businesses break at this stage. Measure What Matters by John Doerr – using OKRs for real accountability.
Phase 7: The Maturity Dilemma: “We’ve grown. Now what?”
Growth is a drug. Things are working.
However, growth has plateaued, and complacency now threatens to erode momentum. This is when you ask more complex questions: Are we efficient? Why are we here? Are we still relevant? There is a deep need for a foundation review and the courage to evolve before you’re forced to.
What you need most are systems built for operational excellence.
Recommended Reads: Scaling Up by Verne Harnish – mastering growth through systems. Traction by Gino Wickman – EOS for structure and execution; Essentialism by Greg McKeown – focus on what truly matters.
Phase 8: The Diversification Phase: “I need to protect what I’ve built.”
At this stage, you’re no longer focused on building a product but on securing your legacy.
You’re proactively reducing risk by entering new markets, launching new ventures, and exploring different business models.
You’re spinning multiple plates, with each new plate demanding its own leadership and resources.
It’s often exhausting, as diversification means more people, more capital, and more products. Your past achievements are now the fuel for new dreams, and you might find yourself missing the simplicity of Phase One.
What you need most is discernment and the discipline to say NO.
Recommended Reads: Think Again by Adam Grant – stay adaptable. Reinvention by Shane Cragun – thriving in disruption. Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim & Mauborgne – finding untapped markets.
Phase 9: The Leadership Test: “I can’t run everything forever.”
The goal now is to build a team that can grow the business beyond your personal bandwidth.
You need leaders who can take your vision beyond your imagination.
You are shaping culture, passing on authority, and mastering the art of letting go. Letting go comes with its grief, and doing it without losing the vision is even harder. This is the phase where you build leaders who can think and act independently.
What you need most: leaders you can trust and a culture that can scale without you.
Recommended Reads: Multipliers by Liz Wiseman – how great leaders make others great; Radical Candour by Kim Scott – leading with honesty and care; High Output Management by Andy Grove – still a gold standard.
Phase 10: The Soul Checkpoint: “Am I still okay?”
Finally, you have built something, the ovation is loud, your name rings a bell, but at what cost?
You are tired, isolated, and spiritually empty. You missed out on milestones, birthdays, and memories that money can never buy back. You barely know your kids’ favourite colours, let alone their friends’ names. Life didn’t pause while you built.
Your health now needs attention. Your relationships still need nurturing. Your identity must be rooted in more than success. Because if you lose yourself while winning, did you win?
What you need most is rest and reflection on your true purpose.
Recommended Reads: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer – slow down to stay whole. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel – wealth, perspective and peace. When the Day is Done by Edwin Friedman – leadership and inner calm.
Final reflections
Today, I still build. I still pray. I still chase bold goals, but I no longer tie my joy to results. I no longer confuse pressure with purpose. I pray less for breakthroughs and more for peace.
I build not only for profit but for impact that outlives me.
I have seen people build incredible products and still feel empty.
What’s the point of “success” if it costs you the people and purpose you started with? If you reach the top, but your peace and family didn’t survive the climb, was it worth it?
Wherever you are dreaming, raising capital, or hiring your first team, you are not alone. It’s never too late to make amends.
Living through the chaos is as important as any success you will ever taste.
Forward this story and share your experience so we can normalise real conversations around peace and purpose.
Author: Ola Daramola, Co-founder and CEO of Bluebulb Financials Limited.
Bluebulb is a leading cross-border payment company, operating in four countries, that has served over 4,000 enterprise clients. Visit the Bluebulb website to learn more.
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