Running your own business is one of the most rewarding things you can do, however it can also be one of the loneliest.
When you are a solo founder, there is no colleague to turn to when a decision feels too big. There is nobody to groan with when an invoice goes unpaid, and nobody to celebrate with when a great client says yes. Most days, the only voice in the room is your own.
I know this because I live it. I am a freelance photographer and I run my own business, and I have felt the quiet that comes with working for yourself. Plenty of us in the Innovator International community feel it too, especially those building a business in a new country, far from the people who knew them before.
The quiet side of founder life
We talk a lot about the big challenges of building a business: funding, endorsements, cash flow, growth. We talk much less about the everyday ones, like going a whole week without a proper conversation with another adult who understands what you do.
Loneliness does not announce itself loudly, it slowly creeps in. Our motivation dips, small problems start to feel enormous, and ideas that would have been sharpened by a quick chat stay stuck in your head. We founders are resilient, but resilience works far better with company.
A simple idea that works
Recently I decided to try something about it. A friend of mine is also self-employed, a personal trainer, and we live a little way apart. We booked a co-working space roughly halfway between us, and we are going to spend a few hours there working on our own things, side by side.
There is no agenda and nothing to prepare. We will catch up over a cup of coffee, then get our heads down and crack on with our own businesses, with the comfort of having someone nearby. It is the feeling of working in an office, without the office.
The space we chose is Haus of Her Society, a women's working club in Codford, Wiltshire. It is well equipped and thoughtfully put together, and it is very reasonably priced. A half day is £14 and a full day is £24, with tea and coffee included. What I love most is the gentle hum of other people working around you. It is just enough buzz to lift the day without anyone expecting you to network or perform.
After we have worked our brains, we then plan to work our bodies too at my friend Jay's own gym nearby. Again, another thing that can feel fairly lonely at times with nobody there to spot or motivate you - here's my gentle nudge to you to be braver, make friends and find opportunities to connect. You'll be your best version of yourself for doing so!
Why not just use a cafe?
Plenty of us have tried the laptop-in-a-cafe routine. It works for an hour or two, and then the pressure creeps in. You feel obliged to keep buying coffees and cake you do not really want, and some cafes quietly limit how long laptop users can stay so that paying customers can have the table.
A co-working space turns that around. You are there to work, nobody is watching the clock, and you can settle in properly. You also get proper desks, decent internet and a space that feels like it was made for you.
Small plans, big difference
None of this needs to be grand. A few hours with one other person can change the whole feel of a week. You come away with a lighter head, a few new ideas and the reminder that other people are walking a similar road.
That is why we encourage everyone in the Innovator International community to meet up as often as they can. Our in-person events are a brilliant way to do it, and most of us leave them having made new friends and useful connections. But events only happen every so often, and loneliness does not wait for the next one. The more of these small, informal plans we make in between, the stronger the community becomes.
How to make it happen
If you would like to meet other founders, the easiest place to start is our community WhatsApp group. It is more intimate and private, which makes it a lovely place to say "I'm working from a cafe in Manchester on Thursday, anyone want to join?" and see who replies.
You can also post your plans on your own social media and invite people along. And if you let us know where you are planning to be, with the location and timings, we will gladly include it in our weekly newsletter so more people can see it and join in. Just send us the details and we will do the rest.
You have already taken the brave step of building something of your own. You do not have to carry it alone. Find a friend, find a table, find a few hours, and we will see you there.
