This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access

Learn More

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

How One Entrepreneur Discovered the Cure for His Burnout After losing his entrepreneur mojo, a founder decided to get away from everything.

By Adam Dailey

This story appears in the September 2017 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Viktor Koen

In 2013, I had what could only be called a dream job. I was the founder and CEO of a $7 million company. It was a sports-travel firm called Ludus Sports that organized hospitality packages to the world's largest sporting events and counted Olympic athletes and Fortune 500 companies as clients. To the outside, I looked like a success. But in truth, I struggled. One year prior, during the London 2012 Olympics, we made some missteps that led to losing $1 million in a matter of days. It dealt me a serious case of self-doubt that I hadn't recovered from. I lost my entrepreneurial mojo and was afraid of taking risks. I'd been building this thing for 10 years, and the thought of doing it for another 10 terrified me. So I sold my company and stayed on as president.

Related: How to Recognize and Beat Burnout

But one day soon after, en route to an industry conference, I was overcome with anxiety. I worried about who I might run into, who I might have to talk to. I didn't know what to do, what to say. That's when I finally accepted that I needed a break. I needed to clear my head, refocus and reignite my passion for work -- which meant I needed a full escape. So I convinced my wife of something crazy: Our family, which included four kids under the age of 7, should spend the next year traveling the world. Even crazier, she agreed.

The rest of this article is locked.

Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

Subscribe Now

Already have an account? Sign In