Being an entrepreneur today is
often not quite the same as entrepreneurs from days of old, who
pioneered actual bricks and mortar developments and were surrounded by
the teams of people.
In this age of entrepreneurs
using the web to map out their own career and financial destinies, they
are often flying solo while they do it. Sure some have one or two people they might work with on a regular basis, but usually the bulk of their work is done alone.
A side effect of working alone all the time is that it can get, well, pretty lonely.
While alone time can be great
when you’re on a productive or creative streak and need to get things
done, it can also be extremely unhealthy if you aren’t careful and don’t
make an effort to connect with other people and put yourself out into
the “real world”.
People need people, whether they realise it or not.
Many entrepreneurs often have a large online network of friends which they connect and interact with regularly.
However this is not the same
thing as getting yourself out into the “real world” around actual people
and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Working from home and playing with all your Facebook friends just won’t cut it.
We therefore present our guide to combating loneliness when you’re a lone businessman (or woman).
Get out of the house
Take time for yourself
Take time to stop working and
focus on yourself. Schedule an activity away from your desk, simple or
planned. This could include:
- Get out of the house.
- Go see a movie with some friends.
- Have lunch with your spouse.
- Hit the gym with your buddy.
- Take a class with your sibling.
- Whatever.
The point is to pry yourself off
the chair you’ve been glued to the past several hours, don some halfway
decent looking clothes, get out and socialise. Connect with other people, whether they are strangers or people you care about, it’s all good for the soul.
Network offline as well as online
Take all those lovely
connections you make everyday online, while going about your daily
business duties, and start connecting offline too. You may find some of the solo-entrepreneurs that you chat with regularly live nearer than you think.
And if they live an hour or two away it’s the perfect excuse for a road trip. What could be better than making plans to hang out with like-minded individuals face to face, rather than monitor to monitor? You can even dress it up as a “business meeting” if that makes you feel better.
Find an unofficial business partner
Maybe you have a good friend who does the same sort of work as you, or offers complimentary products or services. Or maybe they aren’t a good friend, but you’d like them to be. See if there is a way you can work together to grow both of your businesses successfully.
As a side benefit, you can plan
weekly outings to actually physically work together, like meeting for
lunch for a business meeting, or teaming up at your local library to
work in tandem. Maybe one of you has a luxury home office while the other practically works out of a box.
The one that works out of a box
can come over and you can share some office space for the day, while
still doing all the things that need to be done in order for your
business to run successfully. The point is you’ll have some company while doing work you love.
The bottom line is to make your business work for you and fulfill all of your needs, including the personal ones. Everybody needs someone. Remember, even Superman had Lois.
