Everyone talks about the glamour of entrepreneurship – the freedom, the potential wealth building, the being your own boss. But there’s one aspect that’s absolutely crushing, and almost nobody discusses it openly. And if you’re an entrepreneur watching this right now, I guarantee you’ve felt it.
It’s the loneliness.
I’ve worked with entrepreneurs and founders at every level – from bootstrapped startups to multi-million-pound companies. I’ve lived through it myself. And this isn’t just my experience – it’s almost universal.
The thing is, when people think about entrepreneurial challenges, they think about funding, or competition, or market fit. But the real killer? It’s the isolation that comes with the responsibility.
Let me paint you a picture of what this actually looks like day-to-day:
First, your business literally lives and dies by the decisions you make. Not your team’s decisions, not your advisor’s decisions – yours. Every major choice traces back to you.
That weight? It’s relentless.
Second, you’re responsible for your team’s livelihoods. Their mortgages, their families, their futures – they all depend on your ability to keep this business running. That’s not just pressure, that’s existential responsibility.
Third, everyone expects you to be the oracle. ‘What’s our strategy?’ ‘Where are we heading?’ ‘What should we do about this crisis?’ They’re all looking at you for answers, even when you’re just as uncertain as they are.
And here’s where it gets really tough – the effort you put in far outweighs everyone else’s. You’re thinking about the business at 6 AM, you’re worrying about it at midnight. Your team clocks off, but you never really do.
This creates what I call the ‘effort trap.’ You feel like you care more than anyone else, like you’re carrying the entire weight whilst everyone else just… doesn’t get it.
Now here’s the cruel irony – when your business is doing well, you often forget about this struggle. You push through because ‘things are going well.’ The success masks the loneliness.
But the moment things shift – and they always do – when your mindset wobbles or the business hits a rough patch, that isolation hits you like a truck.
Suddenly, you have to continuously motivate yourself to do the things you know need doing. But here’s the kicker – there’s often no one there to support you.
Your team looks to you for leadership. Your family might not understand the business. Your friends? They probably went home at 5 PM and switched off.
So you’re left motivating everyone else whilst having no one to motivate you.
Here’s how to combat the loneliness in entrepreneurship
If this resonates with you, here’s what I’ve learned works:
First, find other entrepreneurs who get it. Not for business advice necessarily, but for that shared understanding. Join founder groups, attend meetups, find your tribe. You are the average of the 5 people you spend your time with and if you’re sharing the same journey parallel to those in your circles, you’ll find support in this.
Second, get a coach or mentor who’s been where you are. Someone who understands the unique pressures of leadership and can help you process them. I help navigate this and many other challenges that my clients face. We turn these where possible into opportunities. If you’re looking for a business coach for entrepreneurs, I can help.
Third, be brutally honest with at least one person in your life about what you’re going through. The act of verbalising the loneliness often diminishes its power.
Fourth, schedule non-negotiable time for yourself. Not productivity time, not business development – actual time to decompress and remember who you are outside of your business.
Look, entrepreneurship is incredible, but it doesn’t have to be a lonely journey. If you’re feeling isolated in your business right now, you’re not alone – ironically.
Sometimes just knowing others are going through the same thing helps.
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