Say Yes to the Recital: Why Personal Challenges Make Better Founders

By Zach Schleien

I signed up for a piano recital as an adult beginner. It was terrifying. It also made me a better founder.

I'm a 30-something adult who started taking piano lessons. Not for a career. Not for content. Just because I wanted to learn something hard.

Then my teacher asked if I wanted to perform in the studio recital. With the kids. In front of their parents.

I said yes. And it was one of the best decisions I've made as a founder.

Why I Did It

As founders, we get comfortable being uncomfortable in business contexts. Pitching investors? Fine. Cold emailing journalists? No problem. Giving a TEDx talk? Done it.

But personal vulnerability is different. Playing piano - badly - in front of a room full of strangers and their children? That's a different kind of fear.

I wanted to feel that fear again. Not the business kind. The raw, personal, "I might embarrass myself and there's no strategic upside" kind.

What Happened

I played. I made mistakes. A couple of the kids played better than me. The parents clapped politely. It was awkward and wonderful.

And afterward, I felt something I hadn't felt in a while: pure accomplishment without any business motive.

Why This Matters for Founders

Founders spend so much time optimizing for outcomes that we forget how to do things purely for growth. Every action has a KPI. Every effort needs an ROI.

But the best founders I know - the ones who sustain over decades, not just fundraising cycles - have something outside of work that challenges them personally.

Personal challenges build resilience in ways business can't. When you've humiliated yourself at a piano recital, a failed product launch doesn't feel so catastrophic.

The Takeaway

Say yes to the recital. Whatever your version of that is:

• Sign up for that open mic
• Take the dance class
• Run the race you're not ready for
• Build the community no one asked for

Do something where the only reward is that you showed up and tried. It'll make you a better founder, a better leader, and a better human.

If you're ready to challenge yourself professionally and build a real growth system for your business, book a free strategy call.