A Mumbai-based CEO took to LinkedIn to reflect on the less-glamorous side of entrepreneurship. He called it a “tax on dreams” and explained how being “one’s own boss” often means putting clients and responsibilities first, even at the cost of moments that matter.
‘When you work for yourself, your plans come last’
“My best friend lands in Mumbai tomorrow. His daughter. His wife. People I have been waiting to meet for two years. I am boarding a flight in the opposite direction. Client call. Cannot say no,” wrote Shubham Gune on LinkedIn.
In his post, Gune pushed back against the idea that entrepreneurship equals freedom. He added, “They tell you entrepreneurship is freedom. They lie. When you work for someone, you can say, I have plans. When you work for yourself, your plans come last.”
According to Gune, the order of priorities is clear. A client’s deadline comes first. An investor’s call comes first. Paying the team comes first. “I am not Ambani. I cannot choose. Not yet,” he admitted.
Missing the wedding in person, Gune said he would instead smile through a Zoom call – knowing his friend’s daughter might ask why he isn’t there.
“This is the price,” he went on to say, before adding, “Nobody tells you that freedom costs the very moments you wanted to be free for.”
Gune believes he will one day “own” his Fridays – but for now, sacrifice is part of the deal.
“I will pay it. Tomorrow. And the day after. Because maybe one day, I will own my Fridays too. Until then, this is the tax on dreams,” he went on to say.
‘Biggest lie sold to founders is – Be your own boss’
The LinkedIn post has so far received over 300 reactions and numerous comments. A few have even reposted it.
“I sincerely hope your client reads this and tells you to cancel your flight. Love that passion for work though. Take care,” said one LinkedIn user.
Another asked, “Should we not have systems in place which allow for delegation, whether by an entrepreneur or by a professional CEO?”
“I have been there, and as an employee. Not all employers understand plans. I remember working from the hospital waiting area while my grandfather breathed his last in the ICU. Newsroom pressure, the pressure of being accessible in a new job, and circumstances could vary. The pain remains,” commented a third.
A fourth expressed, “This hits hard! Entrepreneurship promises freedom and hands you a bill instead, small daily fees you pay while you keep smiling on Zoom. Automation bought me back a few hours, but it didn’t stop the kid asking, ‘Where’s uncle?’ and it sure didn’t make the trade feel easier. Who else has a specific moment they’re saving up to reclaim first?”
“This hits hard. The biggest lie sold to founders is ‘Be your own boss’. In reality, you trade one boss for fifty. When you are an employee, you have a manager. When you are a founder, every client, investor, and team member is your manager. True freedom is the outcome of success, not the process of building it,” yet another social media user went on to say.
Bride fixes bug 10 mins after wedding
Last week, an image of a startup founder fixing a critical tech bug on her laptop just 10 minutes after her wedding ceremony was widely shared on X (formerly Twitter).
“People romanticise startups, but it is a lot of work,” wrote her brother, KoyalAI CEO Mehul Agarwal, who shared a picture.
He further said, “This is my sister & co-founder at her own wedding, 10 minutes after the ceremony, fixing a critical bug at KoyalAI,” before adding that it wasn’t staged at all. “Not a photo op, parents yelled at both of us.”
“When people ask why we won, I’ll point to this,” he ended his post on this note.
