Music has a way of connecting us to our most personal and defining moments. For me, Veronica by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is more than just a song — it’s a reflection of one of the toughest periods of my life, working hard on my first entrepreneurial project and watching it fall apart.

As I poured myself into my business, trying to figure out how to make everything work, Veronica became my crutch. My soundtrack. It echoed the feelings of regret and heartache as things started to unravel — not just professionally, but personally. The song’s haunting melodies and lyrics captured the collapse of the company, and just as painfully, the breakdown in relationships with its founders and investors.

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“You were Veronica, in your raincoat, I couldn’t take my eyes off you”

Veronica takes me back to a time of wide-eyed inspiration, chasing purpose. Every second of every day was fixated on working and improving the business. No matter how tough things got, no matter how evident it was that the company was crumbling around me, I continued to work. Looking for hope. Salvation. But I was powerless to stop the storm that was brewing. Just like in the song, I watched something precious slip away, unable to stop it no matter how much I tried.

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“Just a silhouette when the candle burns out.”

As the business struggled and relationships frayed, I was holding onto shadows of what once was. The candle that once burned brightly with hope, ambition, and collaboration was flickering out, leaving only silhouettes of the relationships that had been so integral to my journey.

Friendships that once felt unshakeable became distant. Investors who had once shared my vision began to drift away as the project faltered. The pain wasn’t just in losing the business — it was losing the people I had built it with.

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“Every night I miss you, every night I wish you were still the one”

The regret and longing captures the people I had lost along the way — those who had shared in the dream, only to unravel when times got tough. The weight of those lost connections still linger long after the business itself has collapsed.

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“I couldn’t catch you if I tried, you left me here to wonder why.”

The feeling of helplessness is one of the most painful parts of being an entrepreneur. No matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I tried, it felt like the collapse was inevitable. And when everything had fallen apart, I was left with nothing but questions — wondering why it happened the way it did, why the relationships couldn’t be saved, why it all had to end the way it did.

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Watching something precious slip away — whether it’s a business, a relationship, or a dream — leaves festering wounds of longing and regret. It’s a reminder that even in the toughest of times, music can help us process emotions that are too overwhelming to put into words.

Veronica will always be tied to these moments for me, and not just because of its haunting beauty, but because it gave voice to the feelings I couldn’t express. It allowed me to grieve the collapse of not just the business, but also the friendships and connections I had lost along the way.

Eventually, grief is processed and accepted as a memory. Time passes, and the entrepeneurial cycle begins anew.

It’s incredible how music speaks to us.

So slap on that favorite playlist.

It’s time to start round two.