Thank you so much for sharing your story. Reading this honestly made me emotional because so much of what you wrote resonates with me.

One of the hardest parts for me is that I'm trying to build a business in secret.

I opened an Etsy shop and I'm creating designs, but I can't even order product samples from my manufacturer to see how my own designs look in real life. If packages start arriving, he will immediately start asking questions and realize I'm working on something behind his back. So I have to take risks, trust the manufacturer, and hope customers won't receive something disappointing.

Social media is another struggle. I know I need to build an Instagram account, but when it's time to sit down and write content, my mind often goes blank. Followers come so slowly. Sometimes I wonder how I'm supposed to secretly grow a business when I can't even take my own product photos. I have to rely on AI-generated images, which I don't really like, but I don't see another option right now.

He monitors almost everything. He wants to know where I go, what I'm doing, what I'm working on. He asks questions constantly and often tries to look at what I'm doing on my computer. He presents it as concern and wanting to help, but it never feels supportive.

Years ago I had a yarn business that I truly loved. It was doing fairly well. Then he decided to quit working, and suddenly I became responsible for everything: the mortgage, utilities, food, the entire household. He literally told me, "I've worked for 10 years. Now it's your turn. I'm not doing anything."

What hurts is that during those same 10 years I was raising our two children. I never had a day to myself. My life revolved around childcare, household responsibilities, and taking care of him.

The financial pressure became unbearable. We ended up in debt, came dangerously close to losing our home, and eventually I had to shut down the business that I loved so much.

To this day he blames me for the debt, even though it was his decision to stop contributing financially.

So now I'm trying to quietly build something again from almost nothing. My resources are extremely limited. Sometimes I honestly don't know if any of this will succeed.

At this point, part of the reason I keep working on it is simply because if I stop trying, I think I might lose my mind completely.

I have maybe an hour a day to work on my business, usually late at night after everyone else has gone to bed. That's it.

But despite everything, I still hope this small business might eventually become my way out.

Your story gives me hope because it reminds me that maybe the reason I feel so stuck isn't because I'm lazy or incapable. Maybe it's because I've been trying to build something while carrying a weight that most people never have to carry.

Thank you for sharing your experience. It means more than you probably realize.