Entrepreneurs who pretend to be successful but are actually broke use these 8 phrases

It’s one of the biggest illusions in business.

Some entrepreneurs look like they have it all—fancy cars, expensive watches, endless stories about their success. But behind the scenes? They’re struggling to keep the lights on.

I’ve seen it happen over and over again. The pressure to appear successful is huge, and some business owners will do just about anything to maintain the illusion.

They talk a big game, they post flashy wins on social media, and they make everything sound like it’s going better than ever.

But if you listen closely, there are certain phrases that give them away.

These aren’t just harmless expressions—they’re red flags that someone is more focused on looking successful than actually being successful.

If you hear these often or catch yourself saying them, it’s worth taking a step back and reassessing what’s really going on.

Here are eight phrases entrepreneurs use when they’re pretending to be successful—but are actually broke.

1) “Big things are coming soon.”

This is one of the most common phrases entrepreneurs use when they’re trying to keep up appearances.

They’ll go on and on about a huge deal that’s just about to close, a major investor who’s so close to signing, or a game-changing partnership that’s right around the corner.

But here’s the thing—successful entrepreneurs don’t need to hype up what’s coming next. Their results speak for themselves. When someone constantly talks about what’s about to happen instead of what they’ve actually achieved, it’s often because there isn’t much real success to show.

Now, of course, every business has ups and downs. There’s nothing wrong with being in a rough patch.

But when someone is always selling a future that never quite arrives, it’s usually a sign that their current reality isn’t as impressive as they want you to believe.

2) “We’re in stealth mode right now.”

I used to say this all the time.

Back when my business was struggling, I didn’t want anyone to know how bad things really were. When people asked how things were going, I’d smile and say, “Oh, we’re in stealth mode—big things are happening behind the scenes.”

In reality, I was barely keeping my head above water. There was no secret strategy. No groundbreaking innovation in the works. Just me, scrambling to figure things out while trying to look like I had everything under control.

The truth is, real success doesn’t need to be hidden. If someone is truly building something great, they don’t need to be vague about it.

They’ll share real progress, real wins, and real insights—because they actually have something to show.

3) “It takes money to make money.”

Warren Buffett once said, “The best investment you can make is in yourself.”

That’s not what struggling entrepreneurs want to hear. Instead, they convince themselves—and everyone around them—that they just need more money to succeed. If only I had more capital, more funding, more resources… then everything would fall into place.

But here’s the problem. The entrepreneurs who say this the most are often the ones who mismanage the money they already have.

They’re focused on raising funds, securing loans, or finding investors—not on actually making their business work with what they have.

The truth is, plenty of businesses have succeeded with almost no starting capital. What matters isn’t how much money you start with—it’s how you use it.

When someone keeps repeating “It takes money to make money,” it’s often because they’re looking for cash to cover up deeper issues they don’t know how to fix.

4) “I don’t have time for the small stuff.”

In 2001, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos sent an email to his team with a simple subject line: “No thank you.” It was his response to a proposal suggesting the company outsource customer service. Even as Amazon was growing into a giant, he refused to ignore the details that mattered.

But struggling entrepreneurs? They love to act like they’re too important for the basics. They’ll brush off bookkeeping, dismiss customer feedback, and avoid learning new skills—claiming they’re focused on “big-picture thinking.”

The irony is, truly successful entrepreneurs know that the small stuff is the big stuff. They understand that managing cash flow, building strong relationships, and paying attention to details are what actually create long-term success.

When someone keeps saying they don’t have time for the little things, it’s often because they don’t want to face the reality of their situation.

5) “I’m just waiting for the right opportunity.”

This one sounds reasonable at first. Timing does matter in business. But when someone keeps saying they’re waiting for the right opportunity, what they’re really doing is avoiding action.

Opportunities don’t just show up and hand you success. They come from putting in the work, taking risks, and making things happen—even when conditions aren’t perfect.

The most successful entrepreneurs didn’t sit around waiting for a golden moment. They built something with what they had, learned from their failures, and adjusted along the way.

The ones who are struggling? They stay stuck in the waiting phase, convincing themselves that the real breakthrough is just around the corner. But without action, that corner never actually comes.

6) “We’re focused on scaling right now.”

Scaling sounds impressive. It makes it seem like everything is running smoothly, and the only thing left to do is grow. But when a struggling entrepreneur says this, what they often mean is that they’re skipping steps.

A business that isn’t solid at its core won’t survive scaling. If the product isn’t great, if the customers aren’t happy, if the cash flow isn’t stable—scaling just amplifies the problems.

Successful entrepreneurs know this. They focus on building something sustainable before they try to grow it.

The ones who are secretly struggling? They talk about scaling because it distracts from the fact that they haven’t figured out how to make their business work at its current size.

7) “We don’t worry about profitability right now.”

Some of the biggest companies in the world operated at a loss for years before turning a profit. But here’s the difference—those companies had a clear plan, strong financial backing, and a path to sustainability.

Broke entrepreneurs use this phrase as an excuse. They tell themselves that profitability doesn’t matter yet, that they just need more time, and that revenue will eventually catch up.

Meanwhile, they’re burning through cash with no real strategy to make their business financially stable.

The best entrepreneurs understand that even if they’re reinvesting everything back into growth, profitability always matters.

A business that can’t sustain itself is just a ticking time bomb, no matter how much hype surrounds it.

8) “Failure is not an option.”

It sounds bold. It sounds fearless. But in reality, this phrase is often a sign of denial.

Every successful entrepreneur knows that failure is an option—it’s always an option. Businesses fail all the time, and ignoring that reality doesn’t make it go away.

The ones who make it don’t do so because they refuse to acknowledge failure; they succeed because they learn from it, adapt, and keep going.

Entrepreneurs who are secretly struggling cling to this phrase because admitting failure would mean facing the truth: their business model isn’t working, their finances are a mess, or they need to completely rethink their approach.

Instead of adjusting, they double down on the illusion of success—until reality forces them to face it anyway.

The bottom line

Success isn’t about looking the part—it’s about building something real.

Entrepreneurs who spend more time crafting an image than running a sustainable business eventually hit a wall. No amount of flashy phrases or carefully curated social media posts can change the numbers in a bank account.

The ones who make it aren’t the ones who pretend—they’re the ones who face reality, adapt, and put in the work.

If any of these signs felt familiar, it’s not too late to shift course. Real success starts with honesty—about what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change. Growth happens when you stop performing and start building.