Lonely Entrepreneur

I never thought that starting a company, a movement to eliminate loneliness, would add to my own feelings of being alone.  The irony of that statement is not lost on me and I tried to come up with a joke about it, however I’m not that funny!

I have been essentially working on my own starting YANA (www.YANAcares.com) for the past few years…setting up the legal structure, talking about YANA with anyone who would listen and sharing our message, giving away YANA wristbands and various YANA items (tee shirts, hats, blankets and jewelry), getting our website up, strategic planning, etc, …all the while longing to collaborate with others, to work side by side with someone or a team.  Being an entrepreneur can be a very isolating and lonely experience.

Luckily for me, YANA now has two amazing employees, Anne Wagner (Chief Marketing Officer) and Lauren Fiske (Marketing Coordinator) and I get to interact, share ideas and collaborate with them on a daily basis.  It has been wonderful working with Anne and Lauren and my feelings of loneliness building YANA have diminished greatly!

As I reflected about my situation creating YANA, I wondered if I was the only entrepreneur experiencing loneliness.  So I did what any resourceful person would do, I Googled the subject.  Well I take comfort in knowing I am not alone as there are countless articles (http://onforb.es/12e8Bkk, http://bit.ly/15zqKXV) on the subject as well as a Facebook page (http://on.fb.me/11ZiJu1).  Many delve into the reasons why entrepreneurs feel alone and what one should do to help alleviate those feelings.  Helpful suggestions included:

        1.     Prioritize your life outside of work

        2.     Embrace your social sphere

        3.     Take up a hobby

        4.     Don’t always wear your business hat

        5.     Build networks, find mentors

…And the list goes on.

However I find the most helpful way to decrease or eliminate loneliness, not just for entrepreneurs but for most people in varying situations, is for a person to recognize the position you are in, to understand and acknowledge what you are going through, and to be there for you.  Whether an entrepreneur, or celebrating an achievement, or going through a difficult moment in life, everything is always better when you know you are not alone.

At YANA, we realize we can’t accomplish our mission on our own.  While we try to eliminate loneliness and create a better way to express you care about another, we are also trying to inspire people to be more empathetic, more understanding, more compassionate.  We hope to inspire YOU to reach out to another and let him or her know you care, and that you are there for him or her through the celebratory moments as well as the difficult ones.

So as you go through each day be sure to practice empathy, understanding and compassion.  And don’t forget to share these four words, You Are Not Alone.

YANA,

Wayne