Alone-ly

I see you there. 

Working alone at your cluttered desk, finishing plans into the late hours of the night, far after the family has gone to sleep. Forever trying to get ahead or at least be on schedule while also keeping the workflow going and new clients coming in. 

Answering phone calls during the birthday party with your husband or wife’s disapproving eye, handing out your business cards at BBQs, forever explaining what you *ACTUALLY DO*, not what they perceive you do. Feeling that huge sense of accomplishment at fulfilling your client’s very detailed wish list, looking around for someone to high five but realizing, hey, it’s just you (or you and the family “office” dog who’s always lying at your feet). 

I see you. I know it’s not easy going alone. Being a sole proprietor working from home comes with so many benefits but also comes with the pressure of balancing everything on your own. No coworkers to share the stresses of the project with, no supervisor to give you a pat on the back- just you manning the ship. 

While your name may be the only one on the business card, know that you are not, in fact,  alone. You are part of a vast network of courageous, hard-working (and if I’m honest a little crazy) men and women who decided that owning their own business was worth the struggle, the sacrifice, the long hours, and the unpredictability because it is what makes us FEEL ALIVE. 

But when you have that moment of feeling alone or when you need that shared enthusiasm over a successful project, or a simple (albeit digital) high five- head over to the “water cooler” so to speak in my new Facebook group for some solidarity. Share your struggles with that one super demanding, exhausting client, troubleshoot a problem, and share your triumphs and victories.

Despite our “lone wolf syndrome” (as my wife loves to call it) of demanding that we do everything ourselves- we still need community. Scratch that- LIKE MINDED community. This isn’t going to be a trivial Facebook group where you watch from the sidelines and hear flakey commentary but instead receive real, evidence-based advice that you will actually use in your business. Take it from a partner in crime, a soldier in the trenches alongside you. 

Don’t go it alone.

Click the link in the comments below to join.