Most people talk about entrepreneurship in terms of growth, revenue, and scale.
By Will Haire · February 21, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Most people talk about entrepreneurship in terms of growth, revenue, and scale.
Almost nobody talks about the mental cost.
Day 1 at CHFA NOW Vancouver opened with a candid conversation about the mental health journey of entrepreneurs. What stood out was how universal the struggle is, regardless of stage, industry, or revenue level.
Victor Gauthier started his company in his 20s. He admitted he did not know what he was doing. He told himself he was busy and pushed forward. He ignored the signals.
Today, he understands himself better. He works with a psychologist. He manages ADHD through routine. He reaches out when he feels off. That self awareness did not exist early on. It had to be earned.
Alice built her business alone for five years. She did everything herself. SOPs became the turning point. When her team produced a batch without her and it came out perfectly, something shifted.
Delegation was not loss of control. It was leverage.
Today she operates her own facility. That only became possible once she released the mental load.
Caroline Dai talked about separating self worth from business performance. When you build something from nothing, the line blurs. Every win feels personal. Every setback feels personal.
Her shift came when she moved from being buried in operations to focusing on vision. Validation came externally. Clarity came internally.
Peter Neal shared the hardest truth. He experienced breakdowns after decades in business. The pressure, the responsibility, and the expectation to remain strong created isolation.
His recovery did not come from tactics. It came from community, family, and accepting that it is possible to not be okay.
His advice was simple. Hire smarter people. Change roles if needed. Protect yourself so you can protect the business.
Entrepreneurship requires abnormal behavior. You take risks others avoid. You carry pressure others never see.
It is easy to believe you are alone in it.
You are not.
Mental health is not separate from building a business. It is infrastructure.
More reflections from #ChfaNow Vancouver coming soon.