Those are the two reasonable boundaries but you want to bias towards suffering because suffering has a way of focusing the mind in the short term that comfort just doesn't offer. It's called sweat equity for a reason.
This works for some people but not all, fwiw. I know founders of very successful companies that paid themselves well from the start because they needed to focus on the company and not whether their credit card was getting paid off on time or what they were going to eat for dinner. For some, that sort of stress is completely antithetical to building a company. For some, it's a crucible. Not everyone reacts the same way to stress.
It’s a fine line though. A little pressure helps focus, but too much is imho extremely detrimental.
I did two startups earning almost nothing and at first I was super focused and driven but as time went by, worrying about paying rent or being able to afford the dentist (or whatever) had a drastic negative effect on my mental health, work quality and quantity and over time increased disagreements with cofounders (when you’re super stressed for long periods of time, it gets harder to work through things). Ultimately this led to the demise of both companies.
Pressure is a very useful tool in moderation. It helps you focus on what’s important and encourages clever solutions and innovations. But too much (especially worries about your personal survival like rent) I believe drastically reduces your chances of success.
If a founder is motivated by the mission objectives, then suffering only serves to associate those objectives with negative things. It is more likely to burn them out
Suffering is really too strong of a word. I think most people focus best when they are out over their skis a bit. It's not suffering as much continuously challenging that requires focus.
