Should I continue my entrepreneurial journey despite experiencing hair loss?

Mate, seeing your question, I can almost picture you coding away, feeling a chill on your scalp. Anyone who's been through it understands.

First, let's be clear about one thing: hair loss is your body flashing a yellow light. It's telling you that your current "system" is overloaded and needs optimization. This is actually two separate issues from whether you should continue your startup, yet they are closely related.

Don't rush to put "entrepreneurship" and "health" in opposition, treating it as an either/or choice. We can analyze and solve it like a typical engineering problem:

1. Debugging the Problem: What exactly is the source of your stress? Hair loss is just a symptom (a bug's manifestation). Where's the root cause?

• Is it long working hours? More than 12 hours a day, no breaks on weekends?
• Is it financial pressure? Unsure about next month's salary?
• Is it team issues? Poor communication, or someone holding things back?
• Is it a lack of direction? Uncertainty about the product or market's future?
• Or purely lifestyle habits? Long-term late nights, living on takeout, never exercising?

List these issues, and you'll find that "entrepreneurship" is a broad term; what's truly causing your hair loss are these specific problems.

2. Refactoring for Solutions: Entrepreneurship isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. No one can hold their breath and run the whole way. So, you need to adjust your posture and pace.

• Mandatory Rest: Treat rest and meals as top-priority "tasks." For example, set a rule to shut down and sleep by midnight, and dedicate at least one weekend day to not touching work. This isn't laziness; it's "sustainable development."
• Optimize Workflow: As engineers, we excel at this. Review your work: what absolutely must be done by you? What can be delegated? What's repetitive and can be automated? Don't use tactical diligence to cover up strategic laziness.
• Focus on the Core: In the early stages of a startup, the biggest pitfall is wanting "everything." Focus on the most essential features and critical users. Cut down on flashy, non-essential demands; this will save you a lot of time and energy.
• Build a "Health Firewall": Take half an hour each day to run or walk. Even just a few laps downstairs from the office. This half-hour won't make your company collapse, but in the long run, it can save your life and your hair.

3. Reviewing the Results: After making these adjustments, observe for a month or two.

• Does your body feel better?
• Has your work efficiency decreased or increased?
• Do you feel clearer about entrepreneurship, or do you want to give up even more?

Conclusion:

So, my advice is: Don't give up on your startup because of hair loss, but definitely change the way you do your startup because of hair loss.

Entrepreneurship is meant to make life better, not to trade your health for an uncertain future. If, after adjustments, you find this venture still causes you immense pain and offers no hope, then "giving up" is also a wise and brave option. It's better to preserve yourself for future opportunities.

But more often than not, you'll find that when you start caring for your body and learn to work smarter, not only do you save your hair, but your thoughts become clearer, and your company progresses more steadily.

Finally, a common saying in our circles: "The CEO is the one person in the company who cannot fall." Taking good care of yourself is the greatest responsibility you have to your company.