The Cost Of Freedom
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The Point Most Quit
I think I’m at that point right now where most entrepreneurs quit.
It’s the place where the long nights start blending together, where the numbers don’t yet make sense, and where you start asking yourself the hard questions:
Am I doing the “right” thing?
Was leaving my steady job for this venture the right move?
Most people are clocking out at five or six and enjoying their weekends. I’m usually still at my desk — editing, designing, packaging, planning, etc.
I wanted this? I chose this?
I left what I knew to build something of my own — something that carries meaning. But that doesn’t make it easy. You hear that “eight out of ten businesses fail,” and after a few months of pouring in more than you’ve earned, it starts to sound less like a statistic and more like a warning.
And yet, I’m here.
Because I remind myself failure is a stepping stone to success.
Because freedom tastes too sweet to stop chasing.
Because this amazing brand deserves to be shared with the martial arts community and beyond.
I launched Mat Ethos about three and a half months ago, after spending another four preparing for it. And even through the frustration, I can feel it deep down — this is going to work. I care too much about it for it not to.
I think most businesses fail not because the idea was wrong, but because the founders panic when nothing seems to move. It’s easy to pull the plug when everything’s going wrong. But the truth is, it’s almost impossible to truly “fail” if you just keep going — if you keep fighting.
One of my biggest motivations in building Mat Ethos is freedom — freedom to design my own life, to do work that means something, and to be present. Ironically, that pursuit of freedom is what creates the most stress right now. The brand isn’t fully known yet, so every day feels like a fight for recognition.
But I remind myself: happiness can’t live in the future. It has to exist here, in the process. There’s always that temptation to trade the present for a better tomorrow — to tell yourself you’ll finally relax when you “make it.” But that tomorrow might never come. And even if it does, what if it doesn’t feel how you imagined?
There’s a balance to all of this — between sacrifice and presence. Between building for the future and living in the now.
Still, I do believe that in the early stages of anything worth building, there are moments when it’s okay — even necessary — to give more of yourself than feels sustainable. The compounding effect is real. The grind has purpose. But it’s also a cost — the cost of freedom. And even while you chase that freedom, you have to remember: tomorrow may never come.
Every pursuit — whether business, sport, or art — comes with highs and lows. You’ll have days where you feel unstoppable, and days where it feels like nothing’s moving. Today happens to be one of those low days. Bottlenecks everywhere. More expenses than revenue. Only three and a half months in, what else should I expect?
But even on days like this — especially on days like this — you have to snap out of the fog. Because it’s a waste to let the present slip away in worry over what hasn’t yet happened.
That’s what the Be Here Collection was built to remind us of.
To wear what you embody.
To anchor yourself in the moment.
Because no matter how big the dream, the only place you can ever build it from — is here.
