A 29-year-old small-business owner says entrepreneurship shouldn't be 'the ultimate goal for everyone' and describes the challenges, including professional loneliness
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Jack Schrupp left teaching and coaching to grow his protein powder company, Drink Wholesome.The business, which began as a side project to address his own dietary needs, brought in seven figures in 2024.Schrupp likes that entrepreneurship offers freedom, but it can feel isolating and lonely at times.Jack Schrupp fell into entrepreneurship more so than he sought it out."I had this plan to teach for a while and then become an administrator and possibly even head of a school. That was a dream of mine," the former French teacher told Business Insider.But when his side project making and selling protein powder for sensitive stomachs started to take off, juggling the business with life as a boarding school teacher and coach became impossible."It turned me into a fried human that didn't have enough time to brush his teeth," said Schrupp, who started making his own protein powder in college when he couldn't find a product that agreed with his stomach. He blended his early concoctions on top of the mini-fridge in his dorm room and, eventually, partnered with a granola company to produce his recipe in bulk. Schrupp, center, spent years teaching and coaching before transitioning to running his business full-time. Courtesy of Jack Schrupp It turned out that other people were interested in an easy-to-digest protein powder. He sold through his first batch of inventory, which cost him $20,000, and started offering more flavors and products.As the company grew, so did his stress levels."I was doing too much, and I felt like I wasn't doing anything well or, as well as I could have and that was discouraging," he said. "I felt like I was just spread too thin. My life was very rich and rewarding, but I wasn't sleeping enough. I was very stressed."Schrupp, 27 at the time, had to decide between the two career paths. He chose his company, Drink Wholesome, and quit teaching at the end of the 2023 school year. Sometimes, he wonders if it was the right call.The challenges that come with entrepreneurship that not everyone talks aboutSchrupp says that life as an entrepreneur versus life as a boarding school teacher "couldn't look more different."As a "dorm parent," he lived in the same building as students. He didn't have "a whole lot of privacy," he said, but, at the same time, being surrounded by students and other teachers was energizing. "I loved teaching. That was my life, that was my community, that's what grounded me and made sense to me." Schrupp's sister, Tessa, joined Drink Wholesome in 2023. Courtesy of Jack Schrupp As the owner of a small business with one employee his sister, who works remotely from the opposite side of the country he now spends most days by himself.He lives and works from his home in Hanover. It's a productive setup, and he considers himself "pretty relaxed," he said. "But it's professionally lonely."Running your own business can feel isolating, "especially if it's a hard journey, which it often is," said Schrupp. "You feel like you are doing it alone with no one to turn to for help or advice. So, I wouldn't say that entrepreneurship is like a hack or should be the ultimate goal for everyone. If you're ever considering it, you should definitely take into account the loneliness that comes along with being an entrepreneur."It's also harder to set boundaries when you're building a company versus working for an employer."I have the potential to work way more. I could probably work all day, every single day," he said. "There's no end to growing a business because, it's growing, right? It's ever-evolving. And if you're someone like me who is constantly looking at it with a critical eye and looking for ways to improve it, then you'll never finish your workday."That said, he recognizes the perks, such as the freedom that comes with being your own boss: "I will say, it would be hard for me to start working for someone else, just because I do have almost unadulterated freedom. I'm accountable to no one."For now, at 29, Schrupp is committed to continuing to grow his brand. He feels obligated to provide a good product to his customer base."I am motivated now more than ever to create a robust and long-term business because Drink Wholesome really helps people. We're pretty involved in a lot of people's health and well-being," he said. "But I don't know if the current iteration of the business is a great fit for me in the long term, and that is something that I wrestle with often."He's learned the importance of consistently evaluating his relationship to his business."You have to ask yourself, as an entrepreneur, what you want to get out of the business. Because if you're not happy and you're not fulfilled, the business probably isn't going to do well," said Schrupp. "Having that conversation often and then making changes as needed is a really important part of the process. There's no playbook. You can't watch a YouTube tutorial on that. It's something you have to learn."
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