On the last day of 2025, I was deeply shocked when all of my team members decided to leave the company. Looking back, I realize this is my fault. My strong ego and impatience made everyone feel stressed, creating a harsh and authoritative work environment.
The first member asked for the additional stock equity I had promised, so I gave him exactly what he wanted. He received a double-digit share along with his salary. However, his performance and mindset didn’t match what he was given. This made me feel deeply dissatisfied with everything he did, creating a vicious circle. Even though he was a very nice person and worked extremely hard, I frequently scolded him, which only made the situation worse.
All of the members left because of me, and now I am alone again. I have to cancel all my scheduled projects with clients and change my plans. Although this is a bitter pill to swallow, I know it will help me grow in the future. I will never give up. As long as I keep going, everything is just part of the learning process.
Anyway, this whole situation makes me deeply sad. I should have been honest with him instead of getting emotional. I should have just said that his performance was disappointing compared to the stock equity he requested. Because I wasn't honest about my feelings, I ended up taking it out on him emotionally. Next time, I will focus on having calm and honest conversations instead of letting my emotions take over.