Is it possible to launch a business without compromising your emotional well-being? According to Bonobos founder Andy Dunn,
Andy Dunn, the founder of Bonobos, is now again in the driver’s seat, developing Pie, an in-person social media platform. The most important lessons he took away from his $310 million Bonobos exit, however, had less to do with entrepreneurship and more to do with maintaining his sanity.
Dunn was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while attending college, but it wasn’t until 2016 that he received proper treatment after being admitted to the hospital for the second time after a manic episode.
Manic states are simply disastrous; they are similar to insanity and messianic fantasies. Onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Dunn stated, “You can’t accomplish anything in that state.” 16 years after his original diagnosis, the experience served as enough of a wake-up call for him to finally take his condition seriously and began attending treatment, taking medicine, and keeping an eye on his sleep.
Dunn documented the simultaneous processes of creating Bonobos and learning to understand and subsequently manage his bipolar disorder in his book “Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind.” However, entrepreneurs who are not diagnosed with Dunn’s disease can still benefit from the book’s principles.Everyone has mental health, don’t we? “Struggle or suffer without a diagnosis,” he said.
Nonetheless, compared to the general population, entrepreneurs report a higher prevalence of mental health problems over the course of their careers.
“There is unquestionably a connection between creativity and neurodivergence,” he stated. “I’m not sure if entrepreneurship draws neurodivergent people or if it makes them more neurodivergent, but there is undoubtedly a cycle of good and occasionally bad behavior there.”
The relationship between mental illness and business is even more evident, according to Dunn, who claims that the hypomanic state, or the high of bipolar disorder, rather than the debilitating depression episodes, may be advantageous for operating a firm.
The DSM criteria for [hypomania] are as follows:
Grandiosity, increased ideation, quick speaking, decreased need for sleep, and increased capacity for creativity. essentially the key characteristics of a successful businessperson,” he stated. Although I was able to get anything from that, the cost was eventually too great. It was devastating when the complete mania and psychosis finally returned after I had been depressed with suicidal thoughts for two to three months out of the year.
Picture from @TECHCRUCH
The relationship between mental illness and business is even more evident, according to Dunn, who claims that the hypomanic state, or the high of bipolar disorder, rather than the debilitating depression episodes, may be advantageous for operating a firm.
“I have a new pitch I use when hiring: this is a position that requires 50 to 60 hours a week, and you will receive two fantastic benefits in exchange. First, you will gain more knowledge, develop more, and grow more. “You have equity,” he added.
Dunn wants his team to work hard, just like any startup leader, but he thinks there’s a way to accomplish that without it going wrong. “I came to a classic mistaken conclusion of an immature startup founder: if the business isn’t working, then we must not be working hard enough,” writes Dunn in his account of his time at Bonobos in “Burn Rate.”It is undeniable that founders must put in a lot of work, yet part of that effort is taking care of oneself.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
