How Not to Be Lonely at the Top

Isolation is the worst enemy. Collaboration is a path to success. OK, so how to actually get out of isolation as an antrepreneur?

There are four ways to do that, which I practiced myself and saw working. Plus, they are no secret, they were around for thousands of years, and they have been always working – because humans are social animals!

1. Accountability Setup.

Get one person, just one, to keep you accountable for specific venue, goal or project. The most important thing in this method is consistency. If you are to meet once a month for an hour, do it once a month – every month. If you are to call each other every morning at 8 am, put it in your calendar and stick to the schedule.

The higher the frequency of the touch points, usually the better efficiency you achieve. I’m a firm believer in a daily accountability. It’s so easy to lose a project from your sight, if you have the whole month before the next touch base. Especially, if this is some side gig. However, daily interactions keep the project in front and center of your mind.

I saw that from the front row over 120 times as an accountability coach.

I’ve had an accountability partner since January 2021, and it worked great for both of us.

2. Mastermind.

What is it? A few people meeting regularly and talking about their businesses. It’s different from accountability setup because it’s more than just accountability. Masterminding includes poking holes in your plans, pointing out your blind spots, and providing contacts and resources.

Daily mastermind is an overkill. The meeting should take about an hour, maybe even two, if the group is bigger. However, frequency still makes the difference. Weekly masterminds will provide more benefits than monthly ones.

3. Mentoring.

Find someone wiser and more successful than you and spend time with them. Preferably, your mentor has the experience in your line of business.

In the official mentoring setup, your meetings should be focused on your business. However, if you just want to pick a mentor’s brain, you can do this in a social event, or even over a lunch.

4. Coaching.

Coaching is not what most people think it is. It’s not transferring someone’s knowledge or expertise from them to you. It’s transferring your own knowledge or expertise from you to you.

A good coach is a great listener, so you can articulate your thoughts in front of them. Sometimes, in coaching you can hear what is going through your mind for the first time ever. Your coach will also keep you on track, don’t allow you to slip into the realm of excuses, limiting beliefs, and complaining.

Photo by Theo Decker in Pexels.com

You will discover your own solutions, which will work exactly where you are and with what you have – right now. You will also own those solutions, which removes a couple of main obstacles: low motivation or rebelling against methods imposed on you.

Read other articles in the How to Beat an Isolation as a Business Owner Series:
Three Collaboration Success Stories in My Business
How Not to Be Lonely at the Top
Solopreneurship Is a Myth