Don’t Be A Lonely Entrepreneur, Use Your Advisors
I don’t know any lonely entrepreneurs. Yes, we have to do a lot on our own, but most entrepreneurs I know are extremely busy and well connected with people. Nevertheless, the author of this article focuses on networking kinds things you can do to stay in the loop and avoid being alone a lot. I have another idea: Schmooze with your advisors.
Face it, as an entrepreneur you learn quickly that running your business requires a lot of skills you just don’t have. So you hire or seek the counsel of a bunch of specialists. An accountant, a lawyer, maybe a marketing guru, and a banker, and probably a few other professionals. Great! So go be with them regularly! Buy each one lunch one day a quarter and get them talking about what they see in your business, or in the economy, or in their own industry. Any insight might be able to help you. It’s just lunch, they shouldn’t charge you a fee for their time. I wouldn’t charge my clients who buy me lunch occasionally.
While you’re with those professionals, figure out which one (or which ones) you can share something very personal with. After all, there are a few things that do make an entrepreneur feel really lonely, such as something that scares you, or some aspiration that seems always to be out of reach. These are the kinds of things that you cannot share with employees or spouses, but it’s good to have someone to talk to about it. You might find a very sympathetic ear in that lawyer or marketing guru across the table from you. Sharing can lighten your sense of loneliness.
Entrepreneurs are going to save the world, and Argent Place Law wants to help. That’s why we are a team of entrepreneur-lawyers who provide Legal Business Counsel to Entrepreneurs just like you. Think how great will it be to have a legal team with entrepreneurial experience on your speed dial so you can ask questions like, “I’m going through a rough patch, do you think you’ll let me buy you lunch so I can talk about it?” Call Argent Place Law to find out.