It's easy for entrepreneurs to get lonely - increase interactions with people outside of your business
As I prepare to head down south to Virginia today for a tradeshow that starts there tomorrow, I am faced with the realization that it is very easy to be lonely as an entrepreneur.
Don’t get me wrong, entrepreneurship is a fast paced and exciting lifestyle, but at the end of the day, many entrepreneurs are left with nothing but their company.
Entrepreneurs are loners.
We work all day and through the night. We cannot grasp the concept of a 9 to 5 job, and therefore our hours are usually 9 am to midnight. Many times, a weekend comes and goes and we don’t even come up for breath.
Needless to say, we meet many amazing people as entrepreneurs. I have been to networking events and met countless entrepreneurs who have made hundreds of millions (and billions) of dollars running a company they started. Entrepreneurs love to network with other entrepreneurs, but when networking is all said and done, many times, all you take away is a business card and future contact you can use for a business need later down the road. Also, even once an entrepreneur grows their company to a scale where countless employees surround them everyday, it is still easy to be lonely, after all, it is difficult to ever become true friends with employees.
I am not lonely, but I can see how easy it would be for me to slip into a state of loneliness if I am not careful.
That’s why entrepreneurs must keep an open mind and realize that interaction with people outside of their business venture is important.
To be honest, I am having difficulty taking heed to my own advice, but by writing it down here, I hope to encourage myself to increase my interactions with people unattached from my life as an entrepreneur.
What are some other ways that entrepreneurs can combat loneliness?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I would only agree that it is hard for an entrepreneur to have a friendship with an employee if the employee is really against entrepreneurship itself or against your businessmodel. But if there is enough besides your job you have something to build on. You may have less friends, but those that stick with you are normally really good ones. Don’t you think that you would be more productive if you would spend a few hours less in the office and go to a party to socialize and gain energy? And what about conflicts within your social circle at work as an employee? Those conflicts will affect you really hard as you just can’t walk away. I would prefer pressure from the competion. How about you?
@Brian – You touch on a subject that is definitely something I know a lot of entrepreneurial minded people have to stare in the face. When I was finishing up graduate school, I always made time to attend Happy Hour events on Thursday nights, and go out at least one weekend night. It kept me refreshed, and it was good to be around friends.
Now that I’ve moved east and am working full-time, I find that it is significantly harder to work on all the projects I am passionate about, and maintain steady friendships (or meet new people in my case.)
I’m consistently connecting with new, passionate people online that inspire me, but there’s something to be said for that human contact outside of this space. There are weekends where I don’t do anything, but catch up via phone with old friends back home, and work my ass off. But there are other weekends when I force myself to get out one evening and go meet new people and cultivate new relationships.
There’s probably hundreds of posts out there that discuss balance, and that’s what it ultimately boils down to. That’s why I work hard to increase my efficiency to ensure that I have more time to connect with others.
Keep rockin’ man; you’re producing some kick ass content!
@Jens,
Yea, you make some good points. I do think that you are more productive when you spend a little time away from the office to party and socialize…just sometimes for entrepreneurs it is difficult to separate themeselves from their business. And yes, pressure from the competition is a lot better than pressure within your social circle at work. Pressure from competition makes you better, pressure at work stresses you at.
@Ryan,
Good to see you here! And thanks for your insights and complements!
Cheers,
Brian
So true! I get lonely all the time while starting my business, its just part of the lifestyle. No office to hit up happy hour on friday with.
But I also have noticed that due to this I have looked back at friendships I let slip away over the years. Struck up a conversation on facebook or something with someone I havent seen since high school. I think this is important. Just never let work consume your life. Remember were doing this because of big dreams and the thought of a happier life. Don’t forget that there still is plenty of time to have fun and your business will be there even if you head out on a friday night.