Karma- being a leader is lonely

Being a leader is lonely.

You miss out on collaborating on new ideas.

You think of ideas but can't share them with your team until they're fully baked and are ready for unveiling.

Half-baked ideas can take on a life of their own and hours can be wasted chasing the wrong goal.

Besides, it may create so much opposition that you aren't prepared to face.

You can't waste your energy and your team's energy on something you're not prepared to defend.

Yet you know your ideas will emerge more clearly if you can talk them out.

Your spouse or partner may not be your best friend when it comes to your business.

They may not have the business or life experience to understand your challenges.

They always have the needs of your relationship and family in mind and they could be competing for your energy and time.

I have clients tell me their spouse just wants them to close the business and focus more on the kids.

Any inkling of trouble in their business created more spousal pressure to close the business rather than their spouse being a helpful sounding board.

In ecommerce, much of our work is remote and that makes it challenging just to find the folks to connect with on a basic human level.

You have to seek out your people, those folks who understand the struggles and can spare a few minutes to lift up each other, but who are impartial since they really aren't invested in the outcome.

One way I conquer the lonely entrepreneur blues, is attending in person ecommerce and accounting events.

Last week I attended the Prosper Show in Las Vegas.

I've been before, and I have so many friends in the ecommerce space that I get to connect with at the event.

This year I was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak at the opening women's breakfast and learned so much from the other amazing women there.

It's so grounding to attend events like this and be around other people who get it.

I always leave feeling reenergized and inspired to move on all the new creative juices that start flowing.

There's just really something to be said for the support a community can offer.

If you're a woman in ecommerce, check out my Women-Owned Ecommerce Brands (WEB) site.

We've created a space for support, solutions, and friendships.

If this email resonates with you and you want to have that impartial support group, or just want to connect with like-minded people, hit reply and let's chat about it. 

I would love to offer some recommendations that may help.

Cyndi