I do not consider myself a successful person. There is still a long way to go before I consider myself that.
Nevertheless, thanks to the startup environment I belong to, I often am surrounded by really successful people and I meet a lot more interesting, creative, powerful ones vs during my previous corporate life, I have to admit it.
Moreover, I find myself often in the spotlight due to the startup Pinktrotters I created and also due to the the exposure it is given to myself as an example to other women who want to start their own businesses pursuing their own passions. Right the latter is the main reason why I wanted to change my career towards this direction. Couldn't be happier about what achieved so far. As said, though: still long way to go.
The cover image of this post might seem cynical and negative. It is just a real tested fact. I'll explain why I totally agree with it.
Since I started my journey as entrepreneur I can openly say I lost a lot of "friends". I incredibly increased the number of people in my network, but the number of real close friends who I usually update about my private life has strongly diminished.
It was not done on purpose. I did not want to have less friends.
2 things usually happens, not only to me (which, as I said, I'm not considered as successful), but to really successful people I had the pleasure to meet and discuss together about this subject:
1) You are kind of forced to cut some relationships that do not bring positivity into your career mainly because your lifestyle changes when you are an entrepreneur. This especially happens during your early stages and it's a very difficult period - cutting all the negativity around you and the non-supportive people is sort of mandatory
2) Some of the people you considered "friends" before your successful life, become hard to contact, hard to align to your new lifestyle and mindset, it might be that they are envying your determination and small successes and prefer not to deal with you instead of taking advantage, because they feel they are "inferior".
I am not a psychologist so all what expressed in this post is made of personal considerations and lived in my own daily life.
I would be very happy to get your comments and share your experience about friendship and success.
Sure there is a bit of positivity out there!
