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As someone who has run a marketing agency for the last 4 years that I also started with a partner: If you’re having to work so much that you cannot take a phone call, you’re doing something(s) super duper wrong.

Plan an evening off every week. Call your family.

Read your last sentence to yourself. You're saying you don't want to make time for anyone else and are concerned they're starting to think you don't care about them. If you cared about them you would want to make time for them.

If your friends and family said they don't want to spend any of their time on you, would your assumption be that they care about you?

Do you actually care about them or do you just want people who will celebrate you when you reach your goals?

Money only solves a certain amount of problems, it definitely can make you happier, but certainly doesn’t replace family.

Also, you need a balance or you’ll burn out, and have no business or people.

Sounds like a path to depression.

For starters, maybe you should get off Reddit and go seek professional counseling?

Life is short. Carve out some time each day for other important people and activities in life. It doesn’t have to be much. 30 minutes for phone calls, 15 minutes for a walk, a couple hours on weekends for connection and hobbies. Otherwise, you will have regrets.

Been in almost same situation but as a male.

• moved country to start company with my then girlfriend
• did an agency (more IT than Marketing tho)
• slowly lost connection with friends and family.
• first company failed after two years
• started new company with friend and a customer of mine from first company.
• lost friend. Company went ok for awhile
• company went on for 5 or so years.
• got married. Small reception. None of my friends or family there.

It’s several years later, here are the results.

• got divorced. In hind sight this was never gonna last anyway.
• been going to therapy, my mental health is a wreck. Found out i got adhd. Burying childhood trauma by diving into work caught up with me eventually
• I have very few friends left
• after my second company went down I got a job in tech
• aggressively rose the ranks and earn a lot more than I ever imagined.

Other than work life my life is very empty, whatever you put your focus on will grow, what you neglect will wither and die.

Was it worth it?

Sometimes, sometimes not. I at least know what I need to improve and fix within myself.

But hey, after severe childhood trauma from poverty it at least felt powerful to go into one of the most expensive stores and look at a nice coat and realise I could afford it easily, but I don’t need it.

I started a marketing agency at 25 with my best friend, and it looked nothing like that. We're now 35 and it still looks nothing like that. I have so much free time, that I have to remind my friends and family that I do have a job.

It sounds like you guys are taking on too much work. Perhaps there are some services that you guys could be outsourcing in order to enhance your quality of life? for me, having designated work hours is important, to not feel like I'm in work mode 24/7.

Try to find a balance

Virtue signaling 😮‍💨

You’re not doing it for them, you’re doing it for yourself.

This sounds a lot like Alex/leila hormozi

Here is a novel idea. Instead of creating drama by shutting people out, how about simply telling people you are working on building a business, which is taking up a lot of time, so forgive you for going dark from time to time. You don’t have to talk about it, and you can even say you want to keep it confidential for now until the biz gains traction. I am sure your family and real friends will understand and give you space. They might even drop an occasional note to cheer you on. It’s called communicating and setting expectations, while pulling your eyes away from you mobile devices. This may be a reflection of my being 50+, but it makes me sad that younger people today lack the effective communication skills to advise those who matter of their situation.

Honestly, none of my friends or family understand. Look up BNI or find a business owners group and go for lunch every week with people who get it. I've fallen out of this myself but, it was super helpful for years. You need to elevate yourself and the people you surround yourself with.

You seem not to understand management and are working too much. Ironically, this hinders productivity and increases mistakes. However, you try to talk with your family... if you want, of course.

You don’t need to watch shows. 2.5 hours a day talking to friends and family is far more disengaging and resting for you than doom scrolling or watching Netflix.

You know what the problem is, you’re trading cheap dopamine for real connection and fooling yourself into thinking it’s required.

Family is the most important thing. Why are you doing this if it's not even for your family? You're showing them that they don't matter to you when your business doesn't even exist yet. Why would you have more time to devote to them once things get started? I don't think they're stupid. You have to choose between being a selfish jerk or a good person to your family. Being an entrepreneur or not has nothing to do with it.

Hey OP, Here are my thoughts. I’ve started several successful businesses and no I’m no longer in the rat race as I’ve hired good staff.

1. Don’t watch tv. Replace this with walks or healthy meal prep or reading a book.

2. As soon as you can, hire staff to help reduce the burden. Even before you start making “a good amount of money”.

3. You and your partner should both go out one night a week. Together or even better apart. You don’t have to spend much. But that bedroom will do you in.

4. Remember that your doing today what other people won’t so that you can have tomorrow what other people can’t. I sacrificed much of my 20s into my businesses, but today I have it better than most. There is no balance in the beginning. Don’t listen to the part time “life coaches” that tell you there should be. But try to squeeze in a little bit of personal time. This is where your aha moments come from. Kind of like finding your keys when you stop looking so hard for them.

5. Eat as healthy as you can. Bad food leads to low energy and less than ideal states of mind.

6. Your why is VERY powerful. Print it out and put it up on your wall along with anything else you want. Your partner could do the same. Smile every time you look at it and imbue it with emotion.

7. Talk to your family during your 2.5hrs. You can combine this with walking or meal prepping. When they ask what you’re doing, just let them know you’ll tell them when the time is right.

And in the words of Tim Ferris: “Find joy and delight in everything you do”

You’ve got this!!

You need to communicate, set limits, and find a good balance for yourself.

My partner and I are wary of burnout, and make sure to take time off and communicate where we are at. There is no exact formula, but you need more space to live life and not be stuck in work mode.

See if you can build some systems and automate some stuff in your business by using workflows (N8N), AI etc.

For example onboarding must be automated first.

Then work delivery.

And don’t forget that in business you can hire people, it’s not a job.

Double-check if you are not just glorified freelancer.

I run marketing agency myself and I automated so many things it’s crazy how easy it is VS how it was before. I now have time to live too.

I suggest taking a vacation with your family for a while. Money is easy to find back. You cannot buy back time

You’re not losing them you’re pushing them away.

I can say personally, I made some aggressive career moves, they worked out financially but there was a personal cost. Some I regretted quite a lot.

There is always a personal cost that you need to be aware of.

But this, you’re not even making money and behaving like this? Don’t be a shithead, call your family and take breaks. Probably get some therapy too when you can afford it.

Maybe have boundaries of times family can call.

I don’t run my business anymore but there was always something to work on and my brain never shut off either. Hopefully your business leads to something amazing soon and you can hire someone and buy a little time back.

You gotta get out a bit socially. Pheromones.

It’s really important to find balance, otherwise you will burnout

Make time for the people you love - schedule it in your calendar, it’s important

For the best advice start following Alex and Leila Hormozi if you aren’t already following them. They address this issue.

Need a work/life balance otherwise severe burnout will occur.

Schedule a Family Zoom each week that you always attend. Update all weekly.

I’ve been in business for ourselves for a couple decades. Make time for yourself or you will regret it later. You are on a path of self destruction.

This is normal, youre moving up and will make new friends

It's a long race not a sprint. It's like I am too busy driving to refuel the tank. What you need to do is take dedicated breaks in a day and call your family.

It seems to me you found a real passion and you are putting all energy in to it. Perhaps out of necessity or perhaps choice. That is a good path that will bring you much joy and development. No need to worry about friends and family, they are probably proud of what you are doing. Once you have arrived at some steady cash flow and the work more repetitive it is time to reschedule some things.

There is plenty of time, enjoy this special time with your husband and go for it.

Been there, done that, looking back at it with joy.

You are wired different. Your love language is different from theirs. Your time priority is different from theirs. Your way of showing care is different from theirs.

It cannot be fixed and you are not supposed to fix it. You are supposed to continue to be who you are and live to your most authentic self.

Their resentment will vanish when they will receive the first cheque from you. But even after that you cannot bond with them the way they bond with each other.

Everyone says seek counseling. If she has time for that then why not just spend time (even on the fn phone) w/ your family and friends. If she doesn’t want to that’s her fault, but she can’t act dumb thinking people are fine with you ignoring them until you are rich. Either make time or don’t, but don’t bitch about where your choices land you

I don’t think I’d wanna be on your staff when you get big enough to grow. I’m just you and hubby.

What the hell are you guys even spending so much time doing? I think you’re going about the process of building your marketing company wrong if it’s causing you to sink so much time into it. I have a hitch you guys are spreading too thin in your offerings rather than scaling up in a niche of marketing, most people who get started in the business fall into that trap.

Specialize in delivering results with one specific platform and scale that before trying to be good at everything under the sun.

I can relate this situation. My suggestions would be

Be clear with your family about the time and the works are roaming around you

Assuming that you’re doing multi tasking nowadays. That’s gonna be okey by some time. You’ll enjoy your works and family life very soon.

Everything is about balance. Don't allow your business to be the reason you lose contact with your loved ones.

Sounds like you need to hire some VA's.

Also. I have a marketing agency. I only work 2 days a week. There must be a system that’s built for your agency so that you have leisure time.

I’m not saying don’t eat sleep and breath something youre trying to get going. But, relatively you are young. Learning efficiency and balance now will serve you well later.

You need to get on a schedule. One that makes time for things outside of business. One that regularly promotes sales and marketing of your own business. One that sets time for email and answering client questions. If your clients need time outside of these windows or more than you have available raise your rates until you are back to where you want to be. It shouldn’t be super fast decisions to raise rates, but every 4-6 months you need to re-evaluate them.

Taking time to not do work is super important. Especially in creative industries. You burn out. If you burn out your quality declines. If your quality declines you lose customers and credibility.

Being relentless about product does not mean working yourself into the ground. It means doing whatever it takes to make it the best, and it won’t be the best without breaks.

Make time for other people. Time to see what your competition is doing. Time to be in the real world. Without it you run out of inspiration and ideas. You run out of reasons to care. You fall behind on technology and trends.

Relationships require maintenance or else they fade away. I greatly regret not making time for family and friends. I am currently trying to reach out more. But i know some of those relationships are just not the same anymore. 

I used to self isolate because i was so stressed and tired from work. I would also say " when i make it, ill rest more and work on my relationships". It was a huge mistake. To me, building and maintaining meaningful relationships is everything.

Entrepreneurship can be a very lonely journey.

Write a letter instead of binging a show once every 7-10 days....you should be able to handle that.

Sounds like projection.

Talk to your family, despite their imperfections stay in touch to see if they are alright. If anything happened to them the regret of not communicating with them would be eternal.

Just remember none of this shit matters. They do. You’re shooting for success and you’ll get it maybe. And if you do. Doing what you are doing now you’ll be successful and incredibly lonely which will feel like it was all for naught. You need to learn balance and you need to do it now

Wrong question

Hey guys I spend zero time or energy on my friends and family for 6 months, why don't I have a great connection with them anymore?

I once had a friend who built her marketing agency too. In the end she had to do everything herself because she doesn’t do or think about anyone else only her business.

Yes business success is successful but if I had to get surgery and I can’t depend or think of anyone who can help me drive to and from the hospital- don’t think that is success to me. (I was overseas at the time so can’t help her).

In the end we don’t talk anymore because I notice I’m the only one putting the effort in.

I relate to this more than you might think. What you're describing is ver common in early-stage business. A lot of founders don't talk enough about the emotional isolation phase - when you're all - in, time-blind, and mentally unavailable even when you technically have "free time" It's not that you don't care about people, it's that your brain is in survival + execution mode.

One thing I learned (a bit late) is that burnout doesn't always come from overworking, sometimes it comes from emotional compression. Holding everything in, not sharing wins or struggles, and carrying the weight alone for too long.

You're not broken. You're not selfish. You're in a very intense chapter. Just make sure this chapter doesn't quietly cost you parts of yourself you'll want back later.

You're definitely not alone in this.

You are doing everything right. You are at the beginning of a race. Don't bother looking around or getting distracted. You can't afford to be distracted at this point. (And it sounds like certain people in your family are not the best influence, and it would be best if you stay away.)

Focus on skills growth and cash flow and your relationship with your husband. Nothing else matters at this point. If it's an agency, it should cash flow soon, even if not much.

6 months? That's nothing. Try 8 years of working +100 hour weeks. That's a sign of real commitment.

If people don't understand, then they just aren't worth it. Not everyone will "get it" and most people are not going to achieve much in their life and will just complain instead. No point being dragged down by that.

Now turn off reddit and follow your heart - do what you think is the most important thing for yourself. Whatever anyone else say is a distraction. Don't worry about people saying you are working too hard or should automate or whatever. Most people on reddit aren't even close to achieving their dreams or realize how much work it takes; they're just coasting and looking for shortcuts instead of getting the job done. You don't have to worry about that.

It's like wanting the cake and eat it too.

Wanna be successful? You have to go through a period of intense work that you must sacrifice everything else.

Don't want that? Then don't wish for success. Be mediocre and still get to enjoy life. Just don't regret it afterwards for not working hard enough to make it.

Work-life balance is only for those in the extreme ends, those who are ambition-less and those who already made it big.

oh man, this hits different. i remember being 25 and literally ghosting my mom for weeks bc i was "too busy" building my first thing. spoiler: the startup died anyway and i had to rebuild those relationships from scratch. took me like a year.

here's the thing - you're sprinting a marathon. that 24/7 grind will break you, trust me on this. i did the whole monk mode thing (5am wakeups, cold showers, the works) and crashed so hard i couldn't look at code for a week straight. your brain needs actual downtime to make good decisions.

what worked for me was setting stupid simple boundaries. like, tuesdays at 7pm = family call, no matter what. even if it's just 15 mins while i'm walking to get coffee. people don't need hours, they need consistency. also, maybe tell your dad what's up? not the whole pitch deck, just "hey, we're building a marketing thing, it's stressful but we're figuring it out."

the resentment thing is real btw. my co-founder and i barely spoke for 3 months during crunch time and it nearly killed both the business and our friendship. took a random tuesday off to just... exist. turns out the world didn't end.

what helps you disconnect for even 30 mins?

Your family doesn’t feel ignored because they don’t understand your vision. They feel ignored because from their side, you are ignoring them. Intent doesn’t really matter here, impact does

Are you sure your not in an MLM? The anti-MLM community is far and wide and information can be easily accessed. It’s designed to overwork you and eventually the cult like following separates you from family and friends. If not MLM it sounds like you might be in a work trafficking situation? There are help lines you can call

You may benefit greatly from therapy and balance as others have mentioned.

My family, close friends, and of course my partner have been my long time champions. I cover 3 time zones run a successful consulting practice > $1M, but I will never not make time to keep up with the people above.

It’s very easy to get consumed by work and process but when you run into inertia, which you just like all of us inevitably will, the ones closest to you will either help you persevere or you’ll drown by yourself. That’s at least my experience.

I own a marketing agency, I learnt to plan time for myself. I strictly don't work on weekends.

I understand working hard and having financial freedom m, but definitely find a balance. How would it feel to be rich and have your successful business but the ones that are important to you and help raised you, love you, and when there old and time comes. 6 months is long without any communication. Take a day visit them or call and tell them what you’re doing. They’ll be proud. It makes them feel they still matter and you still love them. That you haven’t forgotten about them. Imagine if you had kids and it was the same. How would you feel? Find a balance. Would you be successful and have a distance relationship with your family or both? Time is something you can never get back

Isnt it Christmas? Take a break from work and social media, and enjoy the Holidays with your family and friends! This is the best time to do it.

Take it from a logical standpoint. If you don’t spend time with your family at all, you’ll loose them. If you talk when they wanna talk with you, then give them that time. Ofc they can’t do that so much, that you can’t focus on it. But yes you do need to talk to them, when they need it and maybe even you too. For some people that have a shitty family situation, it’s easier to just cut it and become obsessed with work and success. Eventually they’ll either come around or not. They’ll eventually understand, maybe. But you do need to understand it’s your life, so do you. If they try to stop you by time draining then that’s another story then they aren’t your family they are an enemy. But if they care about you, they want to spend time with you and support you. Also it will help make your journey a tiny better. It’s just money and work. For some it’s a way out, for others it’s a way of supporting or other situations, we all have our motivations for why. But you could end up building bad feelings as a byproduct if they feel like they are a burden to your work. But again it depends on the situation, from an visionary perspective. Do you, but don’t ruin your family if they care and love you. That’s stupid. But also practically some people actually don’t need that much time if we boil it down. But you do need to enjoy each other’s company when together and make quality time. And remember money have ruined a lot of families. Don’t say it will, but be careful. Some secretly are not who they are.

What’s your agency doing exactly? Any niche?

You are truly not achieving enough with the time you have set for yourself, if you cannot take a call or a night off.

I get it, you want to succeed but don't burn yourself out doing it

Yeah, that's not sustainable at all. It's not just about friends and family, you're putting your marriage, your body and your mind at risk. I've been there a few times, coming razor close to very serious problems in my social, family and romantic relationships. This shit doesn't work.

Who are you, really? Is this work all you got? I doubt it. What do you value as a person, in yourself and in others? Are you CURRENT actions aligned with those values? What are your motivations? Are they healthy and positive? There is a good chance you'll find something interesting if you dig in this direction.

Slow down, sit down and think. Losing your identity in all this chaos is easy, and it's a proven path to misery.

Take care.

Edit: polish

Oh so you take after your mom, I see.

Marketing agencies are definitely saturated. Good luck in your endeavor

this happens more than people admit, especially when you go all in early, the hard truth is you’re trading social balance for speed right now, and that’s a real cost, not a moral failure

two things can be true at once, you’re building something meaningful, and you’re slowly burning relational bridges without meaning to

you don’t need long calls or emotional deep dives, just predictable boundaries, a short scheduled check in once a week or once every two weeks, same time, same length, that alone lowers resentment because people know you’re not disappearing randomly

also, be careful with the “after we’re successful” rule, success always moves, and people don’t wait forever, even if they love you

you’re not wrong for focusing, just make it intentional instead of accidental, otherwise the cleanup later is way harder than the work you’re doing now

If you don’t want to talk to them then don’t. If you’re “busy” ok. Everyone is busy. We make time for what and who we want to. If you don’t want to take 10 minutes to send out a few texts explaining to everyone you’re focused and in tunnel vision with a brief update then ok. Why did you ask our opinion then say “i guess not everyone comes from my background” News flash: This is Reddit! You’re not the only one from a background like what you mentioned. A lot of people have that background and some worse. You took time to explain to Reddit your situation but don’t have time for your supposed loved ones just be honest with yourself you have outgrown them and you’re uninterested. That’s fine but let’s not make it into a “You guys don’t understand my background” type of thing.

My family doesn’t call me, and they certainly don’t support my journey. Can’t even visit a website but will shop blindly for lularoe leggings 🤦🏻‍♀️ I wish I could explain that I’m busy hustling and I’ll taken when I can.

It’s really that simple. You are in control.

This is such a bug. I tend to lose track of time once i start working on something and keep building not realising what time of the day it is.

If it's too bad with family then at least call your friends

So you don't have time to call family, but you have time to post on Reddit and respond to comments?

And you get annoyed when they call?

And you're wondering why they feel like you don't care?

Do what you want obviously, but I'm not sure where the confusion is coming from.

went through something close to this a few years back. building with a partner, new place, no off switch. at the time it felt like if i slowed down even a little, everything would fall apart. looking back, most of it wasn’t urgency, it was anxiety dressed up as productivity. i kept telling myself “just a few more months” and those months disappeared fast. family calls weren’t relaxing either, so avoiding them felt easier. but the distance still piled up in the background. don’t really have a clean answer. just saying you’re not weird for feeling like this, and it doesn’t mean you don’t care.

The time u took to write this - u could have made a call to them and had a brief chat - ur making excuses for yourself

I own a business. When you’re starting, it’s really busy and time consuming. Eventually you should get to where you can step back more. It sounds like you want to stay in touch with people without getting dragged into their BS. Practice boundaries. My sister used to call at 9 am to have long, meandering talks. I didn’t answer. Send texts to let them know you’re thinking about them and schedule calls to catch up if you want to. There are probably good books on communication/relationships that have good tools for this situation. You’re doing something hard that a lot of people wouldn’t attempt. Focus on that. Your life is bigger than family gossip. Good luck with all of it!!

You really need to talk to your family before it’s too late.

Are you planning to give your family some money if you are successful? Not saying you have to but from one of your comments I got that impression.

Which part of this takes the most time for you every week?

I've got two words for you that is also a book I strongly suggest you read!

LET THEM

Some of the wealthiest people in the world also say the most important thing in life is relationships. Nurturing important relationships is so important, because if not then you're left with money that you can only do so much with and you and up feeling all alone and sad. Some people even said their partners in relationships left from the distance it created. You're seeing your partner 24/7, that's not healthy either. You need something of your own to come back and share about it. I read about these in the subs whether wealthy people talk about net worth I think it's called FatFire? Or just FIRE?

I also have traumatic backstory as do most great entrepreneurs it gives you the fuel to go.

But you need to avoid the work consumes you because YOU WILL burn out and you wont sustain and eventually you will hit the wall anyway the money matters less than family, love, joy and beauty.

So you need to carve out time for this stuff and outsource what you can.

Career and success is a marathon and not a sprint. Pace yourself and be sustainable.

Hey, I think you do everything correctly, this is your life. A lady once said what will your children think of your choices, she replied, they can cry in the back of a a Ferrari. If you do normi things you get normi outcomes. You do extraordinary things which will yield extraordinary results. Hardship is where the magic lies. The entry price is very high, but everyone will end their life at some point and you get to choose. As for me I am envious you get to do it with your partner completely. I’m doing it mostly alone, emphasizing “alone”. Nobody really understands this. we also need marketing services, love that from a fellow entrepreneur! Hope this helps you or anyone.

Sound hard

It sounds like you would benefit from therapy.

This isn't an entrepreneur post, it's a cry for help.

(1) Talk to a therapist, and (2) quit setting ridiculous expectations for yourself.

Your mind and body can only handle so much, and money and success built on a foundation of exhaustion will only make things worse.

(3) As for your family - cut them out.

I'm serious.

You are not any more responsible for them than they are of you. You're masking a hero complex through martyrdom, and it will only continue to cause you pain.

Don't reveal your plans.

Keep any contact and information you reveal purposeful.

You will never be able to achieve your dreams if you let the noise in. People who have never been in entrepreneurship will never understand the personal sacrifices you make to even make equivalent of a job, so only reveal as much as they will be able to comprehend. Also there is always the risk of people unloading their problems onto you, which again is a distraction from what you are trying to achieve. But only you know that when you win, everyone wins.

But at the same time if you will regret not taking to your family, think about that and find a way to work around that.

All the best.

I tend to tell people close to me -“Hey sorry, in a season of work right now and am pretty swamped. I am excited to talk to you, but am buried with work right now. I’ll reach out once this season passes”

My friends and family understand, but I used to not communicate in the past which drove people away.

hire some setters and closers even upgrade ur outreach strategy if u've niney run ads then

you’re just in survival build mode, and the hard part is learning how to protect your focus without slowly cutting off the people you love, even if that means very small, very controlled check-ins instead of total silence

Find an entrepreneurs group that meets up monthly. Go to them. It is great to be around like minded people going through the same thing, or they have been where you are and past through that barrier.

You won't ever get ahead being in your bedroom working all the time. Having a network to run ideas past, share laughs and understanding of situations is such a relief.

If you're sporty, join a group called Art of Mondays, they have groups that meet up for gym, walks, or we go to play pool, bowling, axe throwing, driving range etc. None of those are my thing, but thw socialising is such a relief. And you can claim expenses on tax or against the business for networking/professional development etc.

Building something is a good thing, but working 24-7 with no balance leads nowhere good. Whether you talk to your family or not, you both need a break and you need something outside of work. Something you do on your own without your husband even if it's a day out. You are on a fast path to burnout.

Sounds like your family has alcoholics and you've become the workaholic. And you don't have to tell them everything if you don't want to. But even if they are flawed, find some way to let them know you're still there.

But you would do well to find something, anything, outside of work - a friend, a day off, something fun. Best of luck.

Seems like you have a pretty difficult family history. I would 100% consider talking to a therapist to learn ways on how you can cope with the stress from work and how to deal with your family.

This is my opinion only, it is quite difficult to deal with family and friends when you start being successful because of resentment and bcs they might feel entitled to your help. And this very much happens regardless of their mental health history. People see in other the lost opportunities, the what ifs. And it’s not your problem to help them deal with their feelings. I think the distance helps a lot so you can focus on your life. In terms of their mental health problems, whatever you can do to help with these: if you make enough money and are willing to pay for medication, or therapy or something like that, it’s great. But you must impose boundaries. Or else you’ll spend your whole life working for others and not seeing any fruits of your labor.

Sounds like you’re purposely using your business to avoid talking to your family and friends. Your set on building it up but not giving yourself time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You don’t have to have 4 hour convo with every single family member either. Just call to say hello, see what’s new and that’s it. Do that repeatedly and you’ll be fine. My wife has similar family issues and this is how she handles it and works for her maybe something similar can work for you

I recommend therapy do it virtually so it fits with your busy schedule and you make time. I am a fellow entrepreneur and also hold professional licensing mental health. What you shared is not your fault but is unprocessed trauma. Unprocessed trauma spills into professional and personal relationships in undesirable ways. You matter and you deserve to be happy. Just like starting a business there’s never a right time. Just do it. Google therapists in your area who provide services on line you can fit in a 45 mins to an hour a week and I promise you will feel so much better once you develop a regular practice. I recommend all entrepreneurs do this even if they don’t have a trauma history.

A very similar story for the past 8 or 9 years
Basically, there’s this constant desire to get everything done, reply to everyone, finish everything
All clients feel equally important

No matter how you look at it, there’s really one reasonable approach: first, reassess your work communication and tasks
Try to keep only what truly matters and at least plan your day based on priorities.

Thanks for the edit. However, you just reinforced the points being made. Talk to your family and give them some insight into what you are doing. Silence makes it worse, especially for your bi-polar members.

Maybe you are hesitant to talk to your family because they aren’t good to you. If that’s the case don’t feel guilty or change your habits

Read atlas shrugged and understand that some people who hold you back and try to change your views for their own sake, not yours, are not always worth keeping close. That’s life. Make new friends that have similar goals. Pour your life into your business cause it clearly gives you joy and sense of purpose.

There are only a few things that money can't buy, but friends and a family that loves you is one of them.

Life is short and it won’t be too long before visiting gravestones will become your only family activity.

Google « work ON not IN your business » and get back with additional viewpoints.

Welcome to business ownership. Nothing wrong with putting your head down and working. The reality is, as you're growing, you will also outgrow relationships.

People don't like change, and you're changing.

I can relate. I poured myself into business as well. Family was full of abuse addiction and co-dependent living.

I disappeared for like four years. Got my life together. I did eventually try to fix things with family. I can’t say it ever really worked.

My advice from someone who started in his twenties. I’m now 55 and wish I had put myself In therapy. I love business but it took me 7 businesses to get grounded.

We have a strange tie to family but not all families are healthy and can even be harmful. OP only you know the situation and pouring energy into something for the future is positive. Just get some help along the way. I wish I had earlier. It would have saved me a ton of money and heartache.

The more I read, the more I made that face of that Barbie that’s looking with that disgusted face lol I think my fav thing is : we expecting to be successful pretty soon loooooool Girl, you take delusion to another level and unless that 1% chance comes through for you, you just neglected your family to chill in a smelly bedroom for 6 months. You sound like a star to me