> Then you look around and see "startup X gets to $1M ARR a month after launch" and shit like that and I'm feeling terrible about how we're barely growing.

Comparison is the thief of joy. I fall into this trap almost weekly. Success stories are incredibly rare and we only see the splash, not the iceberg of failure just beneath the surface.

I think about my current business constantly even though on paper we are making enough to keep this thing going forever but it never feels enough.

I felt this post and appreciate the honesty.

And similarly:

  slow growth is terrible

Rapid growth feels like you're constantly plugging holes in the dike or putting out fires.

Like you I've had brief moments of jealously seeing a company that started after mine and grew faster. But when I think rationally, I just wish them well, and realize I'm happy with any pace of growth that's not negative.

they're also all mostly lying/fudging the numbers. you can't believe what you see online anymore