Why 7 out of 10 entrepreneurs fall into depression after an exit
It's the ultimate irony of success:
You sell your company, you make millions...
And you go under.
The phenomenon is massive, but rarely discussed because it is taboo:
7out of 10 entrepreneurs experience some form of psychological or depressive downfall after their exit.
Why should we? Three main reasons:
1. The vacuum
You used to run. You built. You survived.
The company provided you with everything: a goal, adrenalin, a reason to get up.
Then the money ran out.
And there you are, in front of your account, compulsively clicking on wealth tracking apps... with no idea what to do with your days.
"I was programmed for action. When it all stopped, I freaked out."
Lack of movement kills meaning.
You have no more vital appointments, no more burning decisions to make, no more tension.
And when entrepreneurs stop sweating, they wither away.
2. Loneliness
The exit lifts you up financially. But it isolates you socially.
Your former colleagues don't call you anymore.
Your family doesn't understand your doubts.
And your friends continue to chase their mortgages, while you wonder whether you should take up truffle farming or buy a padel court.
"Money separated me from the real world. I found myself talking to my lawyer more than my buddies."
People don't understand what you're going through.
And often, you yourself don't dare say you're unhappy, because "you've got everything to be happy".
The trap closes. You remain silent. And you damage yourself.
3. Loss of meaning
Your business wasn't just a company.
It was your identity.
And now? Who are you now?
"I was 'the founder of'. Today, I'm a guy who sold out. What's next?"
You've sacrificed everything to reach a summit.
But at the top, there's no signpost, no new compass.
Just vertigo.
And this vertigo is amplified by three major shortcomings:
- Lack of purpose: you no longer have a war to fight.
- Lack of action: you're a border collie locked in a cage.
- Lack of structure: everything seems blurred, diffuse, useless.
Biology, pressure, identity fusion: a slippery slope
The problem is also neurological. Studies are clear:
- Entrepreneurs are 2x more likely to suffer from depression.
- 6x more ADHD, 10x more bipolar disorder.
- And 72% reported mental health problems in their careers.
Why?
Because we're often hypomanic, obsessive, over-adapted, over-committed.
Because we derive our value from success.
Because we've merged with our company to the point of losing ourselves in it.
And because selling, however glorious, cuts off a limb.
What next? What can we do to stay afloat?
There's no magic bullet. But powerful antidotes do exist:
→ Separate your identity from your business
Organize a closing ritual. Symbolically turn the page.
Then explore other projects, other parts of yourself. Not to "make a new exit". To find yourself again.
→ Redefine your goals
Flee from softness, gentrification and settled pleasures.
Rediscover a cause. A battle. A course.
"The contractor needs a fire. Without it, he cools down from the inside."
→ Reconnect with those who know
Your shrink won't cut it.
Neither will your banker.
You need peers. Entrepreneurs who have been through what you're going through.
Join circles where you're not seen as a UFO. Where success doesn't make you alone, but more understood.
In conclusion
It's not the exit that destroys.
It's the absence of meaning after the exit.
It's believing that the game is over when it's really just changing levels.
You've earned the right to do it again.
On a different scale.
Photo: Ivan Bandura