Entrepreneurship and isolation, do the two go hand in hand?

Question: 

Sir, I am both entrepreneurial and social.  As a recent university graduate I miss being among other people.  Being around others invigorates me.  As I grow my business and hire new employees will I feel reinvigorated?  Does it matter if the people you work with are your “equals” or are people you hired?

Answer:

Isolation is not a pre-requisite for Entrepreneurship, although it is easy to fall into this mindset. 

Something that is very difficult to predict prior to starting your own business is how lonely it is potentially going to be. You’ve got two employees, neither of which even vaguely understand what you’re all about. You’ve got 10 customers and 3 suppliers and they’re not interested in your personal welfare either. So what to do and who to turn to?

Entrepreneurship is about being invigorated and invigorating others.  We all need it.  Even the high energy performers get their energy from somewhere.

One  key to successful entrepreneurship is to surround ourselves with inspiring, high energy people.  We musn’t be too proud to get our energy from someone else, even if they are subordinate to us.  So look around at the different groups of people that you interact with and seek out the inspiring ones from each group.

* employees
* suppliers
* customers
* entrepreneurial contacts from same or different industries
* family
* regulatory bodies
* mentors
* etc

It doesn’t matter where they’re from or what ‘level’ they are at.  If they are motivated high energy people then you want them around you.

There is one final point to remember however.  Entrepreneurship involves providing your fair share of motivation and high energy.  Don’t forget, this is a two way affair.