I wouldn't call it setbacks, but I've been starting my own companies since I was 24, and the first 3 didn't go anywhere. We paid ourselves minimal salaries, and in one we even raised significant VC money, but eventually liquidated it for pennies on the dollar which all went back to the VCs. I only started making actual money at 35, and even then it wasn't comparable to some of the compensation packages you see on this subreddit. I was making 115k as the CTO of a decent sized eCommerce company.

5 years later, I have a NW of around $2M, having done well with some investments, started my own SaaS business which I eventually quit my job for to work on full time, and which I'm already receiving acquisition offers for on a regular basis. All the work and experience I've had at previous companies set me up to have this trajectory. So I don't consider it setbacks at all, just part of the process. It sounds like you're on a similar path, and even further ahead than me when I started trending up. Keep creating your own things and you'll be rewarded eventually.