By: John S. Morlu II, CPA
Running a business sounds glamorous, right?
“I’m the CEO.”
“I built this from scratch.”
“I’m my own boss.”
Yeah, congrats — you’re also Public Enemy #1 now. And spoiler alert: nobody’s sending you flowers for it.
Welcome to the wonderful world where:
- Your employees think you’re rich but suspiciously stingy.
- Your customers think you’re lying, overcharging, scamming, or about to.
- Your family or partner thinks you’re either too busy or “think you’re better than us now.”
- And the government? They assume you’re hiding a million dollars in crypto under your couch cushions.
Running a business is like throwing a barbecue where everyone shows up, eats the food, and then trashes your lawn.
If you’re lucky, they’ll leave the ketchup.
Nobody Trusts the Person Signing the Checks
Fun Fact:
In a 2023 survey, 68% of employees said they trust a random coworker more than their own CEO. Translation: They trust Kevin — who still believes the Earth is flat — more than you, the person keeping Kevin’s rent paid.
As the boss, you’re automatically suspicious and blamed. You could donate your salary to charity, rescue a puppy from a fire, and hand out free coffee every Monday — and still, Janet from accounting would swear you’re planning layoffs because you smiled too much at the last meeting.
Pro Tip:
Once you’re a boss, everything you say will be misinterpreted. Wear sunglasses indoors to make it more fun for yourself.
Another Fun Fact:
A CEO who brings donuts to the office is secretly judged 60% of the time: “Bribery! Something bad is coming!”
Even the Greats Get Roasted
You think it’s just you? Nope. Here’s the club you’re joining:
- Howard Schultz (Starbucks) — Gave us pumpkin spice lattes and free Wi-Fi. Got blasted for “corporate greed” while people still lined up around the block at 6 AM. (People criticized the Red Cup design more passionately than election results. Democracy? Meh. A slightly plainer coffee cup? OUTRAGE!)
- Jeff Bezos (Amazon) — Revolutionized shopping, created next-day delivery, flew to space… still painted as a Bond villain by people angrily Prime-ordering socks at 3 AM. (You can track your socks’ arrival, but not your life decisions.)
- Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter) — Invented self-driving cars and reusable rockets. Still gets more daily hate than a DMV clerk telling you you’re missing form 42-C. (And yes, he will troll you back on Twitter while launching a rocket.)
- Kanye West (Yeezy/Adidas/Gap) — Built a billion-dollar brand, burned it down in public, and somehow still trends monthly without releasing an actual album. (His PR strategy seems to be: “No news is bad news — only delayed album drops.”)
- Oprah Winfrey — Built a media empire from scratch. Someone once criticized her for “being too positive.” (Imagine giving away free cars and STILL having someone whisper, “She’s up to something.“)
- Mark Zuckerberg (Meta/Facebook) — Connected billions of people across the globe. Is now treated like he’s plotting to upload our souls into a VR headset. (Also, somehow always looks like he just learned about emotions five minutes ago.)
- Richard Branson (Virgin Group) — Created airlines, record labels, space tourism — but still regularly called “a lucky daredevil” who “acts like a teenager with a billion dollars.” (Which is, to be fair, accurate… and awesome.)
- JK Rowling (Harry Potter) — Wrote the bestselling book series of all time while broke. Now? Half the internet argues about whether she should have stopped tweeting at Book 7.
- Jack Ma (Alibaba) — Took on Amazon in China, made billions, smiled too much in interviews… and poof, disappeared for a while. (He probably just needed a nap. Founders don’t get those.)
- Taylor Swift (yes, she’s a business): Created an empire by writing songs about breakups. Now billionaires get salty because she is selling out stadiums faster than their IPOs.
Lesson:
Even if you literally change the world, feed hungry kids, invent electric cars, AND teach humanity how to love again —
half the planet will still think you’re doing it wrong, selling out, or plotting to steal their passwords.
Build it anyway.
Launch it anyway.
Sing about your breakups anyway.
Fun Side Note:
Even Mother Teresa had haters accusing her of “doing charity for fame.” Let that sink in.
The Double-Edged Sword of Success
Here’s what they really mean when they talk about “entrepreneurship”:
- If you succeed – “You got lucky.”
- If you fail – “Told you it would never work.”
- If you work late – “You’re obsessed and toxic.”
- If you take a vacation – “You’re selfish and lazy.”
- If you build an empire – “You’re greedy.”
- If you stay small – “You’re not ambitious enough.”
Basically: You’re wrong no matter what.
Fun Fact:
Studies show most people believe a successful entrepreneur “had help from rich parents” — even if they started life selling lemonade at 6 years old.
Moral:
Build your dream anyway — and send postcards from your vacation house while they’re still arguing about your “privilege” in Facebook comments.
Real-Life Fun Facts That Will Make You Laugh (and Cry)
- Fact: Warren Buffett still lives in the same modest house he bought in 1958.
Critics: “He’s hoarding wealth.” - Fact: Steve Jobs used to walk barefoot around Apple meetings.
Critics: “He’s crazy.”
(Maybe he was, but hey, you’re reading this on an iPhone.) - Fact: Oprah gave away free cars to her audience.
Critics: “The winners had to pay taxes!” - Fact: Bill Gates pledged to give away 99% of his fortune.
Critics: “Why not 100%, you monster?”
Conclusion:
You could hand someone a free yacht and they’d still complain it doesn’t have a jacuzzi.
Fun Fun Fact:
The bigger you get, the more ridiculous the criticism gets. Elon Musk once got criticized for the shade of white he chose for Tesla’s Cybertruck prototype.
You’re the Boss? Get Ready for the Blame Game
Being the founder means inheriting:
- Every bad Yelp review — even if it’s about the neighbor’s restaurant.
- Every “Where’s my order?” email — even when it’s obviously stuck in customs somewhere near the Bermuda Triangle.
- Every HR complaint about the snacks being “too crunchy” — apparently Cheetos can cause morale issues now.
- Every intern’s parent emailing you at 11 PM about “career opportunities” — because apparently you run LinkedIn and destiny now.
- Every conspiracy theory about how “management is hiding something” — usually started by Steve, who once got mad because the coffee machine was unplugged.
And it doesn’t stop there:
- Every typo in a marketing email?
Your fault. - Every broken toilet on the third floor?
Your leadership failure. - Rain on the company picnic day?
Poor strategic planning on your part.
Congratulations — you’re no longer a person. You’re a human dartboard with a Wi-Fi connection.
(And no, you don’t even get free healthcare coverage from all the shots being fired at you.)
Fun Fact:
One CEO got blamed for bad cafeteria food in a building he didn’t even own. Another was blamed because someone else’s dog barked during a Zoom meeting. (Seriously. “Toxic work environment because of disruptive dog sounds.” Filed under “real complaints.”)
What They Say vs. What They Mean
| What They Say | What They Actually Mean |
| “We love your leadership!” | “We love when you give us free stuff.” |
| “I just have some feedback.” | “I’m mad but want to sound professional.” |
| “We value transparency.” | “We want to hear bad news in a nicer font.” |
| “You inspire us.” | “We expect you to fix everything by Friday.” |
| “We’re all in this together.” | “You’re on your own when it gets tough.” |
Translation:
When they say, “We’re family,” remember: some families fight over who gets the last chicken wing.
Bonus Tip:
Smile, nod, and keep the Wi-Fi bill paid. It keeps everyone just angry enough to still work for you.
Common Sense for Surviving It All
- Smile at the chaos.
- Stop explaining your every move to people who don’t even refill the printer paper.
- Work in silence.
- Cash the checks.
- Send “Happy Holidays!” cards whether they deserve it or not.
If you’re feeling down?
Remember: every single person who’s ever changed the world started out getting laughed at, doubted, and dragged on Twitter.
Fun Fact:
Albert Einstein was called “lazy” and “mentally slow” by his teachers. Yeah. Let that one marinate.
Final Word of Wisdom
If you dare to lead, build, or create — people will criticize you.
They will judge you.
They will misquote you.
They will DM you asking for discounts… and then badmouth you when you say no.
But keep building anyway.
Because one day they’ll pretend they always supported you — while sipping pumpkin spice lattes, ordering on Prime, and tweeting from the self-driving car you helped create.
Lead anyway. Grind anyway. Laugh anyway.
(And always double-check your snack budget.)
About the Author
John is an entrepreneur, strategist, and founder of JS Morlu, LLC, a Virginia based CPA firm with multiple software ventures including www.FinovatePro.com, www.Recksoft.com and www.Fixaars.com . With operations spanning multiple countries, John is on a mission to build global infrastructure that empowers small businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals to thrive in an increasingly competitive world. He believes in hard truths, smart execution, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. When he’s not writing or building, he’s challenging someone to a productivity contest—or inventing software that automates it.
