OpenAI Chairman Bret Taylor: The hardest part of entrepreneurship is managing your own psychology

The hardest part about being an entrepreneur, I think, is the managing your own psychology. It's so hard not to become dejected with rejection. You're raising money, you get rejected by 75% of people, it doesn't matter. You only need funding from one of them. But all you remember is the rejections. And then you go and you're trying to sell the product and you get a bunch of no's, or usually it's not even a no. They don't even grace you. They don't actually give you an answer. Just don't return. Let's stay in touch. And that's what you remember. The main thing that I did differently with my second company is I just thought so intentionally about finding a co founder that was someone that I knew I could be metaphorically married to for a long period of time that would not only be a partner in business, but a partner through those struggles. And so my co founder Kevin and I, we spend as much time investing in our relationship as we do in the company. And it's been the anchor that has kept us stable through just all the inevitable failures that come with starting a company. It is crazy. I think people don't talk about it enough because it is so trying. You come home, you just feel dejected and defeated and it's okay. Everyone does it. Finding a co founder or a friend that you can talk to about it is super meaningful.