~ by Alan W & Candice R
Being an entrepreneur is tough. You don’t just own the business, you are the business. You probably wear way more hats than you’d like. Many hours of hard work. 24x7x365. Minimum wage. Constantly thinking about your business day and night. Often neglecting those close to you. And yourself.
And that leaves you feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and alone. On top of that, friends and family, well, they just don’t get it. They might not even know what you do or can’t keep up with your latest endeavor, sometimes even suggesting you get a “real job.”
But it doesn’t have to be like this. Imagine having a place where you belong. A place where you’re part of a community of creative entrepreneurs who understand the struggles you go through everyday. A place where your friends will hold you accountable, celebrate your wins, and help you overcome what’s holding you back. A place where mentors help you with all your business challenges because your success is their main priority. We need to surround ourselves with like-minded individuals who simply understand. More than that, who we can collaborate with to be better, to reach the destination of our end goal, to inspire us on our journey.
YOU need to CREATE this. How?
1. Look within
From your employees to suppliers to clients, be purposeful with who you connect your business with because those that understand you and can actually help you outside of what you initially are connecting with them for.
2. Reach out
Think about who YOU can help on THEIR journey as a creative entrepreneur. It may be a former client or employee, a supplier, or someone completely unrelated to your business. This is not about what they can do for you but about what you can do for them. You may very well have had the same struggles and can impart advice, or you may simply offer much needed perspective. Sometimes when you help others you help yourself in the process.
3. Seek inspiration
There is inspiration all around us if we are open to receiving it. Not everyone alleviates entrepreneur loneliness through in-person connecting. Fellow creative entrepreneurs connect in varying ways and content is a way to find those out there who experience what we experience, who share an enlightening perspective that makes us feel at home and fuels us with the will to keep going. In the same way, consider sharing your story with the world too.
As you fight your way to reaching your business vision, surround yourself with those who get it. Slowly over time this whirlwind will form around you consisting of like-minded individuals who (knowingly or unknowingly) lift you up and support your ongoing success. You need not endure the journey alone.
Work with Alan W
Work with Candice R
"Solving niche challenges founders face”.
Illustrator: Lisa Williams (Instagram: @artist_llw)