As someone who has been part of the ownership/management team of a start-up company, I have witnessed a dangerous psychological phenomenon:
The human drive for empire.
What do I mean by that?
I am talking about the desire to expand, and have more "territory".
Ever since we started our company, people have been imploring us to expand and station more branches throughout the city. In the beginning, I was opposed to this idea. I was opposed to the idea of expansion, because I felt it would create too much work and stress for our team. Why not keep it simple, beautiful, and happy?
But then... I got sucked into the temptation of empire. The temptation of having more, bigger, leaving a mark, having a "network"...
... and I will write more about this, but I can say this much: the desire for empire and the achievement of empire, does not bring happiness. It brings excess work, a sense of entrapment, and a sense of loss of control - which can result in ruined relationships.
Larger businesses, entrepreneurs with more branches, are not necessarily happier than smaller, humbler businesses. I would venture to say that they have more stress, more to manage, more to worry about, and thus... less space for happiness...
... unless they have found a way to completely detach themselves from their business. But still, something complex is always more of a burden than something simple.
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