Victoria Repa, co-founder of BetterMe, has said she lost most of her friends when she started her business, describing it as both a consequence of building the company and a painful experience.
In a LinkedIn post indexed to September 2, 2024, Repa wrote, “I lost most of my friends when I started my business.” She described people who doubt your success, try to prevent you from making mistakes or turn away when you succeed. She didn’t identify any of those friends.
Her later posts describe friendships that remained and losses that still hurt. In a birthday post indexed to November 14, 2024, she described herself as “Surrounded by great friends and a strong team.” On Instagram on August 5, 2025, she wrote, “I’ve lost friendships along the way,” and, “Loss hurts.”
Repa later asked her followers whether walking away from a friendship had ever brought them pure relief. The question gives no account of a specific friendship ending or how Repa herself felt afterward.