Five ways to beat the loneliness of small business

Running your own business can be a solitary game.

The buck stops with you, and sometimes it seems there are few to who you can turn.

There isn’t a team of others to consult with for advice or support.

In the current uncertain environment, not having a clear path can be daunting.

I know this from experience.

When I was in my 20s, I built up a very successful business on my own steam.

The highs were mine, but the lows were mine too.

The problem was, by the time I got to my 30s, I had no more left to give.

I was burned out.

I lost the business, and more importantly, my relationships.

But now I am older and wiser, I know there are ways to minimise the impact of the challenges of operating your own business.

I am again operating my own business – more successfully than before – but I don’t work myself to the bone, second-guess myself all the time, or feel exhausted by the end of each day.

I know from experience, running your own business can be the best decision you will ever make.

Acknowledge the difficulties but determine the best way to create the best path for you and your business.

Here are five ways to beat the blues of running your own business.

Join a group of like-minded small-business owners

There are others who are going through your experiences right now, and others who have been through it before.

They are great resources to lean on and learn from.

Our Business Accelerator Mastermind is a community.

We provide help and training, but we are also a sounding board and a cheerleader to tell you the right things at the right time.

Through systems and structures for your business, you can help build revenue streams that generate income while you’re not working – and give you another sounding board for the small business issue you are going through at the time.

Find a mentor or a “board”

A mentor is someone who has been through a similar journey and come out the other side.

They might not be in the same field or industry.

They might not even be in small business.

But they must have had the right life experience to know how and when to make decisions, and what information to base those decisions on.

Corporate boards try to bring people experienced in different areas of law, HR, specialised technical knowledge, tax, communication and engagement together.

You can do the same in an ad-hoc way.

Attend industry events and seminars

You may be a jack-of-all-trades in your business, but you need to keep up your specialist skills to flourish.

And attending industry gatherings means you will also get to know others in your field.

They can pass on subsets of their skills, or be another sounding board for your experiences.

Events and innovative ways of doing things can also help you forge new paths.

Acknowledge your wins

When you’re tracking your income and you have a low month, don’t forget the bigger picture.

Keep track of your recent gains – whether in income, meeting new contacts, or the achievements you have made so far – to ensure the “voice in your head” doesn’t fill you with doubt.

Track your accomplishments on a calendar or a file to refer back to later.

It all helps to keep you motivated for the next task, and the next big win.

Be kind to yourself

You didn’t choose the path of running your own business as the easy option.

Turning up to a workplace with a guaranteed salary is easier than the unpredictable and ever-changing world of going out alone.

But you did it anyway, and you should acknowledge the benefits and the burden of that.

Be realistic and be kind to yourself.

Surround yourself with people who encourage you and believe in you, and always know there are people out there to help.

This was one of the reasons I started the Business Accelerator Mastermind: helping great people to achieve their great aspirations.

About Mark Creedon Mark Creedon is Director of Metropole's Business Accelerator Mastermind and business coach to some of Australia's leading entrepreneurs - each who call him their "unreasonable friend"
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