Founders Burnout Risk Workshop

A workshop where we lift the veil and talk openly about the risk of entrepreneur burnout. Heavy workloads, overwhelming responsibility, and constant uncertainty often fuel anxiety and stress. Over time, this can lead to burnout—something that can be devastating for both the founder and the company. It’s also a risk that investors actively consider when evaluating potential investments.

Agenda

1. Short Intro and Welcome: The workshop facilitator will welcome participants and introduce the workshop, and act as the moderator to ensure a great exchange for all participants.

2. Try the "Burnout Self Assessment": All participants will have the opportunity to try the first version of the self assessment in order to discuss with fellow founders and give feedback to the facilitator.

3. Ideas for a "Burnout Prevention Program": The facilitator will describe his way back into the saddle and present ideas on what a ”founder burnout prevention program” could look like in order for the participants to discuss and give feedback.

Björn Larsson

Founder of Beels Consulting and creator of The Investment Readiness Process and former Co-founder of Zoomability (Listed on Spotlight 2019)

As CEO and Co-founder of Zoomability Björn faced a burnout situation in 2016 and since then he has worked his way up in the saddle and in 2018 he founded "The Investment Readiness Process [IRP]" to help founders prepare for investments. IRP is the most widely spread standardized investment preparation process in the Nordics with 20 partners, more than 300 IRP certified companies and an average fund raising success rate of +35%. Björn is now searching for a way to help founders with a healthy approach to the role as founder, through a burnout self assessment and a burnout prevention program.

References

In November 2024 Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship highlighted the researchers Silvia Delladio and Andrea Caputo paper “When the Tank is Empty”.

It tackles the growing issue of entrepreneurial burnout, conducting a systematic review of 47 studies and uncovering significant gaps in how we understand and address this issue. Unlike traditional burnout, which has been widely studied in employees, entrepreneurial burnout exists in a unique context, with stressors like relentless workloads, constant time crunching, and the emotional toll that comes with being the driving force behind a business. Then, there’s the way their identity is often tied to their venture, making every setback feel personal; the financial insecurity, the long hours, the weight of responsibility for employees, investors, and the business’s future; the unpredictability of market shifts and economic downturns, demanding constant adaptation without guarantees of success; and the isolation that comes from bearing all of these pressures, often without a strong support system.

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Examples from other research and papers shows a dark and hidden truth:

42% of entrepreneurs report experiencing burnout at some point in their journey.

49% of entrepreneurs report dealing with mental health issues, with anxiety topping the list.

70% reporting that they don’t get enough shut-eye.

72% of entrepreneurs report feeling stressed about their business.

23% of entrepreneurs report having a healthy work-life balance.