This motivation is real. I never worked harder than in the first 3 years of my bootstrapped business, when finance was precarious. I didn't face any big financ

This motivation is real. I never worked harder than in the first 3 years of my bootstrapped business, when finance was precarious. I didn't face any big financial loss, I had no mortgage, debt or capital requirements in the business. Just my own living expenses. But I really, really, really didn't want to fail. That would mean moving back in with my parents and getting a job. It really worked. If I had had enough money that I could have been in modest comfort indefinitely, I don't think I would have gotten off the ground. I see a lot of people who would like to start a business. And they make some efforts here and there. But they have a decently comfy life, and they don't seem to have that drive that motivates you through the tedium, the tiny initial results, the lag between effort and something tangible. I consider it a virtual guarantee of failure.