Did You Grow Up with Entrepreneurs in Your Life

When Hard Work Breaks People

Many of us didn’t grow up around business owners. We grew up around people who worked hard their entire lives and still struggled to get ahead. Some of us watched as our parents or grandparents gave everything they had to their jobs—only to end up physically broken by the very work that was supposed to provide them with stability.

We’ve seen it firsthand:

• The factory worker whose hands become stiff and twisted from years of repetitive labor.
• The construction worker whose back pain gets so bad they can barely stand in the morning.
• The waitress whose knees ache from decades of double shifts, serving people who barely acknowledge her.
• The parent who sacrificed everything for a job, only to be laid off like they were disposable.

For some, watching this play out makes entrepreneurship feel impossible—like an unreachable dream meant for other people. But for others, it has the opposite effect. It creates an unstoppable determination to break the cycle.

“I refuse to live like that.”

That’s the thought that drives so many entrepreneurs who grew up in struggle. They saw what a lifetime of hard work without ownership looks like, and they decided: never again.

Struggle Builds Entrepreneurs, Too

A lot of today’s most successful entrepreneurs didn’t grow up surrounded by CEOs and business mentors. They grew up watching their parents juggle multiple jobs just to survive. They grew up embarrassed when the bills weren’t paid and the fridge was empty. They grew up hearing “we can’t afford that” more times than they could count.

The difference? Instead of letting struggle define them, they used it as fuel.

Psychologists and business leaders—from Jordan Peterson to Gary Vaynerchuk—talk about how struggle builds resilience. Peterson, in particular, argues that overcoming challenges is what shapes strong, capable people. And when you think about it, who’s more prepared for the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship—someone who’s had a smooth ride, or someone who’s already survived hardship?

Entrepreneurs who come from struggle know how to adapt. They’ve had to problem-solve their entire lives. They don’t panic when things get hard because, for them, things have always been hard. And that’s why so many of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time didn’t start rich or well-connected—they started hungry.

You Don’t Need to Know a CEO—Just Someone Who Took a Chance

Maybe you didn’t grow up with parents who ran a business. That doesn’t mean you didn’t have an entrepreneurial role model.

Think about it:

• The immigrant cab driver who saved every extra dollar to start his own transportation company.
• The single mom who sold homemade meals out of her kitchen to make ends meet.
• The kid who flipped sneakers or resold concert tickets just to have some spending money.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just about tech startups and billion-dollar exits. It’s about seeing opportunities where others don’t. It’s about creating something when you have nothing.

And the truth is, you probably do know someone who’s done this. Maybe they didn’t call themselves an “entrepreneur.” Maybe they didn’t have a fancy office. But they hustled, figured things out, and made things happen—and that’s exactly what entrepreneurship is.

What You Saw Growing Up Doesn’t Have to Define You—But It Can Inspire You

If you were lucky enough to grow up with entrepreneurs in your life, take advantage of that. Learn from them. Ask them questions. Understand their mindset.

But if you didn’t? Don’t assume that means you can’t do it.

Some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs didn’t grow up with business mentors. They grew up with struggle. And that struggle made them stronger, sharper, and more determined than anyone else in the room.

If you’re thinking about starting something, look around you. Who in your life has ever taken a risk? Who has ever built something from nothing? Who has ever worked harder than everyone else—because they had no choice?

There’s someone in your world who has an inspiring story. Find them. Talk to them. Learn from them.

Because once you see that entrepreneurship isn’t some distant, impossible dream—but something real, something attainable, something happening all around you?

That’s when everything changes.

So—Did You Grow Up with Entrepreneurs?

Did seeing their success push you toward business? Or did struggle inspire you to create your own path? Comment below or join the discussion on Harley Finkelstein’s LinkedIn and share your story.