I feel lonely building my business, does anyone else?.

Yup! Not a ton of my friends are entrepreneurs so it's hard finding ppl to talk to

Entrepreneurship is a lonely game

I do at the moment, I miss co-working spaces, coffee meets and being surrounded by other entrepreneurs.

Right now I find the best thing to do is talk with other entrepreneurs as much as possible, getting on the phone has been better for me than texting.

9 months ago I quit my job and started working on a new SaaS solution, alone, trying not to think about the time and keep being consistent, with no income and just enough savings.
I am halfway through and have no idea if people will like it. I made peace with that before i started working, knowing the journey will be long, unpleasant, and probably not that rewarding. i try to keep in mind that i need to do the best i can everyday so i can sleep smiling (watching funny videos).

I think this is more the norm for us indie hackers than not.
I worked around this by finding a like-minded indie hacker with whom I have some things in common (this could be product type/ technology stack / similar stage of product development etc)
We make a point to get on a video call very 2 weeks or so to catchup / give progress feedback etc.
For my particular "accountability partner" it was someone in my twitter circle, but had never met personally. I saw we shared similar interests, and just emailed him with a "let's chat" - we got on quite well, so we committed to a regular catchup appointment after that.

I'd love to figure out a way to help this.

Is it loneliness in general? Or as a knock on effect from coronavirus stuff?

I have it on my wish-todolist to set up some video type calls for indie hackers, would something like this be of interest?

Or what do you think would be helpful?

Hi Sophie, I’d say most people feel this, as it can be quite isolating.
It helps obviously to have a co-founder, a mentor or two and a Small group of fellow entrepreneurs who are going through the same thing.
Create a WhatsApp group and network a bit and you’ll have your support network in no time. 👍

I can relate I was self-employed for 14 years and only one of my friends is a business owner.Even then, he's doesn't have the technical knowledge I've gained. We live in different cities, but stay close friends and will get together and talk shop.

Since my 20s I’ve always enjoyed learning business concepts, marketing, etc. I’m a quick study and very curious so as a solo entrepreneur designer for all those years in a way solving other people’s business design and marketing problems gave me some relief. Although, still no one would ask about my business. Even worse, no friends or family have a design or graphic art / technical background so that’s another layer I’m missing.

What keeps me going, is the hunt. Believing some day I will create a successful SaaS business that suites my needs. Will I have that partner to build a business and satisfy my business passion, maybe? I have found, unless you have someone who understands “exactly the knowledge you have for what it takes” to run your business, unfortunately, that need may never be completely fulfilled.

Feel proud your business is profitable and you've accomplished this on your won. It's a fantastic achievement!

Sometimes the paths we follow in life we walk alone.

Same here! It’s hard without guidance! I’m from a place where entrepreneurs are few and far between.

Totally, I think every team feels it. Did you try to maybe form a group of people who are doing the similar things that you are doing? like a community?

Hi Sophie. You're not alone. Sometimes it appears as if no one cares. I believe this is what indiehackers is all about - provide a sense of community. As they say, failure is an orphan and success has many friends. So just keep pressing until you make it. There is no going back. Have you written a book? Book opens doors. So write one. Keep pressing forward until you hit the proverbial tipping point. Best.

100% - Unfortunately tons of entrepreneurs find themselves with nobody but their laptop and a bunch of 'online' friends... this is a dangerous place to be. it's essential to that you have a devoted tribe BOTH online and offline, not just one or the other. And usually that should extend beyond a GF/bf/husband/wife especially if your partner cannot relate and is not in the same line of work.

IndieHackers is a great community for this and I'm glad you feel safe enough to openly share this here!

Thanks for posting this @SBH ! It's important to have open dialogue about the demons of entrepreneurship, not just always talking tactics/strategies. I am not sure what you do exactly, but for those reading who are creative freelancers/agencies and wanting to connect w/ a likeminded overly ambitious community, I have been hosting my own FB group for the past 4 years and encourage raw/vulnerable posts like these:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/differenthunger/ Totally free to join and home to 1,800+ freelancers/agencies all over the world <3

Hi Sophie - Due to the crisis, I work from home. I have a regular job. I only work now and then on my own biz.

I meet my coworkers on a daily coffee break 15 minutes to chat and have a few laughs.

It is a great way to connect.

We use Skype, but Zoom is of course also a possibility.....

You could start a virtuel coffee break and invite other entrepreneurs to join. Of course there might be a problem with different time zones, but it should be possible to handle.

Just a thought.

Good luck. 🙏

That's why we called ourselves solopreneurs 😜Well, lonely.dev is a community where you may not feel lonely anymore.

I feel this, but I would also add that it's not unique to building a business. I've been working remotely since 2011 on projects large and small. In crunch times, I've been known to go entire days without speaking to anyone (living alone is nice, but definitely has its downsides). And for the projects that have good funding but no customers yet, building features in the dark without any kind of feedback is its own special madness.

Hang in there. I hope you're able to find community here and elsewhere :)

Following a daily, goal-oriented routine, that includes the following, helps me:

1. Write

2. Socialize (w/ someone you're not quarantining with)

3. Excercise

4. Meditate

May sound silly, however, I would also write down a list of things that make you feel good.

When you feel sh$tty, do one of those things.

When I need a boost, I love getting a smoothie.

We are team of 12 people and growing slowly BUT as the business owner with no other cofounders, I am lonely as hell. Friends and family are no good because at best, they can provide some mental support but no one can discuss your real challenges in the business. Sales, marketing, support, ops, accounting, legal, finance, strategy. oops where do i begin my day.

I have tried to go to local meetups. They are mostly filled with people who have their own vested interest (not that I blame them) . Can still be useful but you have to try many different ones.

So I just hang out at places like IH, HN etc and try to sort of meet other like minded folks.

You're not alone. There are definitely a lot more resources now like IH so I am grateful for that. However, it is very unrelatable for most folks so it's normal to feel that way. Just keep pushing forward, and reach out to other hackers, your friends and family when you feel like you need to talk to someone. Not everyone will relate and that's where the loneliness sets it, I get it.

Same feelings. Very few friends run their own business, so I come here. It helps to see others passionate indie hackers/entrepreneurs in here. If you want to connect let me know -- always willing to help and share things I've done in our business.

P.s. I'm launching a free weekly live workout via zoom program then networking after. If you're interested, let me know.

This is one of the reasons , I've never been able to build anything. I get so many ideas every now and then, but they end up being in my head.

Of course. Last year, I was building it in a co-working space and had something to distract me when I got too deep into the works. Now there is YouTube and it is not helping.

You're definitely not alone on this, I get the same feelings regularly. I'm lucky to have another co-founder, which in the worst of times is still moral support for a lonely venture.

I remind myself that even though there isn't much reward yet, I'm much happier building something on my own terms than I am working for others. I also try not to compare myself to other indie hackers / product hunters who seem to have overnight success, but in reality have had multiple lackluster/failed projects while building a following.

Yes, think a lot of people get like that, normally (with no lockdown) I joined a lot of entrepreneur coffee meetups...

Perhaps, there are such zoom ones?

What are you working on in the U.K.?

here is pretty good!

I've gone through times like this as well when I feel really lonely and kind of isolated. Im running a startup with my boyfriend and while most of our friends are working 9-5 well paid jobs, we chose a completely different path. In the beginning I really felt that they didn't understand why we were doing this, and since they didn't have the same experience, there was nobody to ask for advice or bounce ideas with. Most people who haven't gone through the same kind of journey of starting a business simply wont understand most of the things you're going through.

I would say that this hasn't really changed much for us, but we have accepted that this is the situation, and are using communities like Indie Hackers to connect with others in the same situation and get inspired :) If anything, we have realised that our support network might not be the people we would have assumed would be there for us, but rather complete strangers we meet on the internet, hehe.

You have to enjoy your own company. Solitude is a big part of being successful. Find a braintrust or something like that you can meet with every week and share thoughts with.

This isn't super useful right now because of lockdown but I absolutely swear by meetups. I used to go to at least one meetup a week and just chat and meet people, after a while you see the same people at the same events and become friends so now I have a bunch of people I zoom from time to time and share ideas with which helps massively.

I'm not sure where you are based but in London (UK) there's all kinds of different meetups, not just for entrepeneurs and founders (those people can be kinda dickish anyway) but things like blogging, coding, agile, coaching, marketing. Generally I've found that if someone is self-driven enough to go out of their comfort zone and attend meetups they usually make great people to discuss my business ideas with even if they don't style themselves as "entrepeneurs".

There a lot of slack communities out there, I registered in many of them, and then I never felt part of it. It always feels like people go there when they want to sell their product, that's mostly it.

Have you heard about Mastermind groups? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_group

It's basically a way of getting some of the benefits of working in a team being a solo-player. Holding each other accountable on progress, discussing ideas... Like having a team where every member plays a different game but support each other.

I feel the same way, which is why I'm attempting at building a community of makers on Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/bypoolside/shared_invite/zt-5t4bbt68-TOlATKUxEwzGXMqbXZiCpg

I'd like for it to be a place of discussion and support. Perhaps even regular video calls?

How would you feel less lonely? Does this community help, or do you feel the need for more warm bodies in the same room?

You're not the only one but, you should feel pretty at home on IndieHackers.

We also started https://consultily.com/morning-motivation that 160+ have recently signed up for, this may help you.

The best way is literally to talk to similar people. Anyone can feel free to reach out if there is anything I can do. [email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannikhansen/

Is it because you can't meet with your business partners or because you don't have have business partners at the moment?

100% I recently posted here about just that, and the roller coaster of emotions that we go through. It's also hard if you are competing against well-funded goliaths ha. Sometimes I wonder if this is all worth it, or if I should just get a j.o.b.

It can at times. I, personally, reach out to family and friends. I also post on sites like this. Wish you all the best and keep going. Throwing positive vibes back at you.

You certainly aren’t alone. I think the biggest thing for me is talking to as many people as possible so I find those that “get it” and limit those that don’t. Having validation, support and connection is important to everyone but it’s crucial for entrepreneurs, especially if they are early and their concept is just in the beginning.

I tend to dive into my craft even more when I feel this way. I would suggest a great book Start with Why by Simon Sinek. He has a TED talk if you want to cliff notes. As they say, having a strong why can over come almost any how.

-Best

Dear Sophie, anyone can feel lonely and I started new community for help remote peoples in different situations
https://devbug.io/
I want to provide 24/7 support with basic income, tools, and suggestions for each people in the community. Everyone need different approach in their things and community should helps (I have multiple ideas how to do that).
Any suggestions how to improve site info, etc?