Heart and Solo

As the former owner of a retail store, I’ve done my share of soul-searching — a weighty, agonizing task I wish only on enemies. Having closed my shop in one market and moved it to another, where it met the same fate, I’ve experienced the full life cycle of a business. I once believed going it alone meant a world of endless possibility. But in the actual trenches of entrepreneurship, I experienced the limitations of financing and the reality of how much a sole proprietor can reasonably accomplish in a given day.

Even though small businesses like the one I owned make up a large swath of the economy, our image and struggles aren’t reflected when talk turns to entrepreneurship. That’s why, in the years since closing, I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with how entrepreneurs are framed. Instead of hearing the modest mom-and-pop success stories, we’re bombarded with praise for a hustle culture that lionizes endless workweeks and unhealthy sleep patterns. The idea of...