I recently saw a blog post shared by Emma Read VA that discussed ideas of how you can avoid getting lonely when you work on your own and it got me thinking about when I started my business from my bedroom back in 2013.
At the time I had gone from a full time job with a media agency working with around 20 people, and a part time job in a restaurant working alongside 10 other people and serving 100+ customers per shift so going from that to living in my own little room with no colleagues or customers that I could see (because it was all online) was a massive change for me so how did I cope.
The first thing I did was to fill my days with networking in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire; unlike a shop with opening and closing times I was able to type up blog posts and schedule social media posts any time of the day or night so I could do as much networking as I wanted.
I worked from home for 3 months, as this kept costs low when I was setting up the business but I quickly found myself talking to my fish and this was when I knew working from home, alone, was not for me so I spent 2-3 days a week working from a coffee shop. I opted for Starbucks because they offer free refills on coffee all day making it reasonably inexpensive; shortly after this I rented some office space with a large telecoms company.
Another thing I did to avoid being a ‘Billy No Mates’ was to ensure I kept in touch with my friends and family; when you start a business it is so easy to through yourself into the business and never see or speak to another sole but by keeping your social life around you, you are also keeping your sanity and that is really important.
Speaking of being social, joining groups on Linkedin or Twitter hours is another brilliant way of avoiding losing your sanity and becoming a ‘Billy No Mates’; by engaging with real people on line you are able to feel like you are not alone – and this can also lead to real meet ups too.
Do you have any other top tips for avoiding becoming a ‘Billy No Mates’ when you set up a brand new business or go self employed for the first time?
