Instagram made it look easy by selling out, but I'm telling you @mccannatron is right.

Startups are unimaginably hard:

Personally there were moments in StartupDigest‘s history where my co-founder and I literally couldn’t afford for rent the next month and things just weren’t working. This was all happening after leaving the steady career path, putting my heart and soul into the company, and having other people on payroll who depended on us living. Layer on top of this normal personal stresses, relationships stresses, and things can get overwhelming.

This is the reality of running a startup. Most people (who aren’t insane) could never withstand the psychological and social pressures associated with a startup. The personal sacrifice is almost unbearable. This is why people say “start a company you are passionate about” because a passion for the problem you are solving is literally the only thing that will keep you alive. It’s that undying will that you can change the world and belief that you will personally make it happen.

It's not easy, and we celebrate the winners.

But not everybody wins.

Remember that.

Startups are unimaginably hard. Say it every day. Tweet it everyday.

See also: 11 Reasons Why Starting a Company is Hard