What Most Founders Don’t Talk About (But Should)

Here’s what I think is missing in the online noise about building a business:

Everyone wants to talk about the win. The funding round. The team photo. The seven-figure milestone.

But almost no one talks about what it really takes to get there.

Like the moments you’re lying in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering how the hell you’re going to make payroll this month.

Or the wrong hire that not only drained cash but damaged your reputation.

Or the time you partnered with someone you wanted to trust...and it blew up in your face.

Those are the parts no one likes to post about. But those are the parts that shape you.

I’ve had nights where I questioned everything. Where I’ve sat in my car for 45 minutes after a meeting, trying to process the emotional fallout of a conversation that didn’t go the way I hoped. Where I looked at the numbers and thought - I don’t know how we’re going to make this work.

But I kept showing up.

And through all of that chaos - the mess, the uncertainty, the gut punches, something clicked: being a CEO isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about:

• Finding answers faster than everyone else.

• Holding a vision while everything feels like it’s falling apart.

• Leading even when you’re running on empty.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not always scalable. But it’s real.

And if you’re sitting in that messy middle right now, questioning if you’re cut out for this - I want you to know: you’re not behind.

You’re building.

You don’t need another checklist or another cold DM from someone selling “6-figure funnels.”

You need support that understands what it’s like when delegation feels like a risk.

You need operational help that actually gives you breathing room and not more work.

You need someone who gets the stakes. The margins. The emotions. The weight.

That’s why I built Virtual Choice, not to be another “VA agency,” but to become the kind of strategic partner I wished I had when everything felt overwhelming.

We’re not here to make things look pretty.

We’re here to make things work.

Clean. Lean. Profitable. Sustainable.

And if you’re ready to stop faking it and start scaling it, I’m here.

— Nicole

Fractional COO & Practice Manager for Australian Founders who are doing it messy, but doing it anyway.