Entrepreneurship is lonely, almost by definition. Investopedia says, “An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards.” It’s an individual pursuit.
Have you ever felt like no one from your personal life “gets” your work? Your family always asks about your business, but doesn’t really know what to ask. Your friends wonder why you work so much yet take afternoons “off.” A neighbor just doesn’t understand. They all mean well, but… you don’t get it until you live it. We make all the decisions. We do a ton of things we were never trained to do. We have no one to defer to. It is lonely.
When my mindset shifted to realize I wasn’t alone, everything changed.
Help is all around us. Meeting other entrepreneurs who do understand is incredible. I’ve been networking for the past 10+ years. I’ve built my entire business on those referral relationships. And though that is fantastic, the best benefit is my entrepreneurial friends.
Spinoffs from my networking efforts include two mastermind groups, a book club, a happy hour group, a standing puzzles & wine date, a cycling trio, and more that I’m forgetting. I have people that I can call, text, email, and bounce things off of whenever I want. (You know who you are, and I am eternally grateful for you.) We know when each other is going through a tough time and when we’re celebrating wins. Often both at the same time. I have an entire community surrounding me.
Help also comes in the form of vendors and a team. I believe that entrepreneurs are DIY-ers at heart. After all, we had the chutzpah to do a crazy thing like start our own businesses. That means we often do things we aren’t good at much longer than we should. It gives me peace of mind to know I have people helping me with my website, marketing, HR, gifting, operations, etc. Accounting would totally be on that list if it wasn’t my own specialty. My employees have also become an amazing support team. My goal is to outsource everything I’m not good at.
I know beyond doubt that without such a great network and team my business wouldn’t be doing nearly as well as it is.
The strange thing is that it is still lonely. You’re still the sole leader of a business. But it’s a heck of a lot less lonely (and a lot more fun) when you build your entrepreneur community.