Literally millions of people started small businesses during the pandemic. There was time to dream, conceptualize, and create, which is beautiful but also let’s be real: Starting a business is extremely challenging for non-millionaires. There’s just no way all those new businesses were going to be financially successful. The world only needs so many vagina candles.
At the time, I wondered if the inevitable doom of so many businesses would lead to widespread professional depression. What’s worse than taking a risk and flopping? It turns out, though, that I was mistaken. I talked to people who tried and failed to follow their dreams and they were surprisingly not jaded. To be clear, though, even though the individuals I spoke with were diverse in personal and professional backgrounds, they had in common a certain level of privilege.
