Three Dog Night nailed it: One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.
Many who decide to leave employment to fly solo in communication/PR/IMC often find it lonely. One day you have the camaraderie of fellow workers; then you are on your own with no one to talk with or to share ideas and/or approaches.
I believe that the potential loneliness and feelings of isolation among independent consultants, sole proprietors, and/or solo practitioners should be considered before a person decides to pursue entrepreneurship. I have had many conversations over the years with friends and colleagues who feel the same way.
I left corporate America in 1998 to start Les Potter Incorporated, my consulting practice. LP Inc. was chartered in the Commonwealth of Virginia as an S Corporation, or a sole proprietorship. That means I was it. If I did not attend my staff meeting, then 100 percent of my employees were absent.
As many who strike out on their own, I did not want the expense of an office at first. I worked from a well-appointed home office to save money. In so doing, I spent hours and hours alone. I am fine with that, a monk working alone in my cubicle with only classical music from my Bose Wave radio breaking the silence.
But others are not. There are many aspects of running a business successfully that entrepreneurs must deal with. But I believe that potential solo practitioners must take into consideration the lack of interpersonal contact that comes with the territory.
If you decide to go it alone, then allow me to offer some lessons learned to help you cope with the loneliness.
First, examine what you need to be fulfilled in your career. Are you mentally and emotionally prepared to go it alone? Can you truly stand to work alone away from day-to-day collegiality? If so, then proceed.
Some suggestions for those who decide to go it alone:
- If you have not already, join IABC and/or PRSA and attend monthly meetings. That not only gives you regular social interaction with fellow professionals, but also is valuable for networking and business development.
- Volunteer for IABC/PRSA committees, functions, etc., for the same reasons as above. Plus, it builds your credibility and expands your resume.
- Become active in civic groups for the same reasons that it is advisable to be active in professional associations.
- Volunteer for a nonprofit organization, a cause-related entity that is doing good in your community. Not only will you get the satisfaction of helping advance the human condition, but you will have social interaction, valuable networking, and possible business development.
- Find a place away from your home office at which you can work around people. For example, find a wired Starbucks or a pleasant restaurant and hang out there. Make it your remote office. Get to know the barristas, staff, and regular customers. You’ll have a sense of community that rivals any corporate atmosphere. But, coffee shops and restaurants are really in the real estate business — they sell space. If you hang out there taking up valuable space, be fair and support them with meaningful purchases.
- Social media is great for helping with loneliness and feelings of isolation. There are a zillion communication/PR/IMC blogs in which you can be part of a community, learning and giving and sharing all along.
- Social networks like PR Open Mic and MyRagan are ideal for building a sense of community. Plus, these networks are excellent for connecting with other communication/PR/IMC professionals and sharing knowledge for continuous professional development.
- Our little pal Facebook is great for keeping in touch, too. I love it for just that reason.
- And don’t forget email and telephone calls. Reach out to others when you feel lonely or isolated.
Reminds me of another song. Take us home, Carole King.
When you’re down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there
You’ve got a friend
Les, you are so right. It can seem glamorous to have your own business, to be your own boss, to decide what you’re going to work on and when. But you do need the self-discipline to work when you don’t feel like it; to resist the siren call of the refrigerator, or the Wii, or Facebook, or Twitter, or whatever else distracts you from your appointed tasks. If you’re going to spend all that time in your own company, you’d better enjoy it, and you’d also better find a way to get out and talk to other people sometimes! All that said, having my own business has been a terrific experience and I highly recommend it…if you’ve got a friend or two!
You speak the truth, Les and Sue. I spent about three years as a sole practitioner. Although the freedom and flexibility are attractive and even addictive, for me the benefits were outweighed by the inefficiency and isolation that come with working at home. Between getting kids off to school in the morning, going for lunch with my wife (who is a stay-at-home freelance writer) and pursuing my barbecue habit, I found I was only able to bill about two or three hours on a good day. And I desperately missed working with other people. I love the camaraderie and collaboration that come with a healthy office environment. So, a couple of years a go I gave up working at home and joined a small consulting firm and I’ve been happier, and many times more productive, ever since. I admire Sue for her discipline and determination, but the solo work life just ain’t for me.
Hi Ron,
Discipline, yes. Determination? Maybe that’s more related to personality. And clearly, anyone with a nickname of Rockin’ Ronnie has an outgoing personality that just will not function well alone in a home office! I can be distracted too, on occasion, by lunch with a friend or a midday run to the grocery store, and that flexibility is a wonderful part of the solo life. Just not every day! And as Les says, being active with IABC or other groups helps to handle the isolation. I’m active in two sub-groups within my local chapter of IABC (one for solo practitioners, one for people based west of Toronto), plus another association, and have built a network of support, found job leads and made some good friends I can turn to when feeling “down and troubled.”
Sole Proprietor Blues
Woke up this morning
Lord I felt so bad
Another day alone
Done billed all the work I had
Gotta get up
Gotta market
Gotta get me some new clients
You’d think it be easy
Ain’t exactly rocket science
Going solo sounded great
Sounded just about right
Gonna do it without a mate
Gonna work hard day and night
But I’m alone, I’m so alone
You know that ain’t right
No one here to talk to
Outta mind, outta sight
REPRISE
Got them sole proprietor blues
It’s just me, myself and I
Got nobody to share with
No matter how damn hard I try
©Les Potter 2008
All Rights Reserved
Les, this is excellent advice. Your tip about working in public places is good to share with students working on theses and dissertations too. The isolation is one of the hardest parts, but working in public places like libraries and coffee shops provides that sense that you are part of a community.
[…] gotta love Les Potter. Check out his recent post on working alone as a sole proprietor. This is one of the two questions I get asked most often by […]
As a sole proprietor, I am finding health insurance out of sight. Does anyone have an idea about getting lower rates. My policy alone went up $150 a month today. This doesn’t include my husband’s.
I’m late with my response, but I too was a sole proprietor and worked from home for seven years. I liked working from home, but I didn’t like feeling excluded. When my friends and family would call during work hours, I would have to cut my conversations short since production was first priority. I would sit at my computer and around quarter to five, I would get all excited because I knew my husband would be walking through the front door. I couldn’t wait to talk to him about all the things I experienced that day and any interesting topics I might have heard on the news. NEGATIVE. He was all talked out by the time he got home and did not show too much interest in what I had to say. I understood. When I was forced back into the working world (thanks to outsourcing), I was quite excited. It is a pleasure being in the presence of so many people of so many different backgrounds with so many different and similar points of view.