I started my journey thinking entrepreneurship is all about freedom and money. But honestly, some days feel really quiet and stressful. No team, no boss, just you making every decision.
Some days I feel motivated, but other days I question everything.
Curious to know
How do you deal with the lonely side of building something on your own?
Why does no one talk about how lonely building a business can be?
byu/Pro_Automation__ inEntrepreneur
Posted by Pro_Automation__
21 Comments
That’s so true. It takes a-lot to run a business.
A lot goes behind the close doors especially when you are one man army.
What hurts more is when there are no results even after putting lots of efforts.
You’re kidding? This is one of the most posted topics in this sub.
A lot of people experience that part and rarely mention it enough.
One thing that helps is deliberately creating points of contact outside your own business: meetups, industry conversations, founder groups, even a few people building at a similar stage.
They won’t replace a team, but having people who understand the uncertainty helps a lot, especially when you’re carrying every decision alone.
peer groups help a lot.
Personally, I’ve always been a lone wolf. I don’t like working corporate, but I’m not a fan of working with other people. Never liked group projects at school either.
So for me, the loneliness is a blessing. I have a team of 4-5, all family, and that’s it.
I just talk to my friend or sister. But on days when even they are busy, it gets lonely and sad.
Success is often built when nobody is watching. I am pretty sure that Usain Bolt spent days alone on the track before the applause.
My 2cent, but u will almost never outcompete a whole gang of founders so might as well find people by any necessary means. You will almost never grow as fast if you dont team up.
It’s probably buried under all the pretty successful headlines. Until you get your business up and running to a certain point, you are constantly in doubt and no one would understand you because most people around you don’t even think of or want to build their own business.
One thing I didn’t expect about building a business was how quiet everything gets. Everyone sees the wins but not the small decisions you make alone. The unreal part is you can be surrounded by people and still feel like no one fully understands what’s in your mind. Curious to know when did this feeling hit you more? In early stage or later?
I feel like having a co-founder helps a lot, not only to get more work done, but emotionally. If there are 3 co-founders that is the sweet spot, but being 2 at least is a great improvement over going solo. Of course the issue is find a great co-founder, because bringing a bad one can make things even worst that being solo.
Enjoy the process of building and the game of better, faster, or cheaper.
Are any of you real people? This is the most common post on this sub, and 60% of the responses are bumper sticker quality meaningless platitudes.
It’s lonely working by yourself because you’re not around any people. Deal with it by interacting with people. Figuring out how to do so while building a business is part of the business.
It’s very frequently discussed. It’s in books. There is research about it. It’s a known mental health consideration.
Bro, if we’re taking time to talk to a stranger on the internet, we too are lonely.
Try reaching out. Sometimes you end up finding like-minded individuals. I reach out to people a lot. And when that doesnt happen at least you have your past times that bring you joy. For me it’s going to the community center and playing basketball or doing some martial arts.
Having those past times is important
I feel this.
It feels incredibly lonely, I question my business model, question my ability – do I even have what it takes, I question my desire as to whether this is even worth it for the freedom and money. The chronic stress is unbearable but your faith keeps you going.
The only thing that keeps my faith rn is the amount of hyper successful people who say they’ve all good through this, Chris Williamson on the lonely chapter, Alex Hormozi on the entrepreneurial lifecycle. Patrick Bet-David’s video below sums it up perfectly.
https://youtu.be/uptQmxT_pnA?si=e9tKFdf4fj1B2dRy
It’s a dark place entrepreneurship.
But the greatest thing about darkness is it only takes a single fire to cut through it.
Just got to keep going and not give up.
It is lonely as you are very unlikely to have people who can truly empathise with you rather than you are physically lonely, as in you have no relationships with others at all.
An obvious fix is to join groups and speak to other business owners more. Begin to build relationships with people who do understand where you are and can relate.
I would disagree with your assessment no one talks about it though. I think it’s pretty well established and discussed. Hence why these groups, networks, etc. exist.
If your looking for socializing go out with friends on the weekend and spend time with your family after working.
Building a business is lonely and most high paying jobs are also lonely.
Well that’s honestly that’s something my business partner must have felt more frequently before I joined in.
I myself was working a full time role until about 3 months ago when I joined her company as a partner. Only speaking from a few months of experience, but what I can suggest is trying to get someone else on board?
Just from an energy point of view, it works wonders if you can find the right person. When she is stressed, I tend to stay calm and collected, when I’m feeling very reactive and brash, she usually takes a more level headed approach. It really does balance out and works wonders both ways.
Why doesn’t anyone discuss the loneliness of creating a business?
How Do I?
When I first started out, I had this idea that being an entrepreneur meant freedom and financial success. But sometimes the reality is that it’s very lonely, without anyone else and no one telling you what to do.
Sometimes I am energized, and then there are days where I am unsure of everything.
Interesting to find out
How do you manage the loneliness of building on your own?