How to stay motivated when you're building your business alone

Posted by Claire White ¦ Business Skills

I love the freedom of being self-employed and the benefits of working from home, but there are definitely times when I miss being 'with' people during the day. After several days on the trot of working from home, and particularly on Monday's when the house is quiet again after the hustle and bustle of the weekend, I can fall prey to those invisible little motivation stealing gremlins that slowly nibble away at my drive and focus.

I shared this feeling with other self-employed friends to see if it was just me - perhaps I was just making excuses for being lazy? - but it seems I'm definitely not alone. Building or running a business on your own is mentally tough.

So what's The solution?

It was surprisingly simple. I approached a friend whom I admire, who is on the same business wavelength as me and who runs a successful business from home herself, and asked her if she'd like to work together to be each other's business buddy. That was more than a year ago now, and since then, every Thursday lunchtime we grab a coffee and have a virtual video catch up on Skype.

The point to remember is that it's not just a chat.

We have a set agenda where we: 

• Take it in turns to talk about the successes and challenges of the previous week
• Each identify what we aim to achieve by our next session
• Both take notes so that we can hold each other accountable for the things we've committed to do.

The benefits of having a Business Buddy are huge:

As world-renowned work and life mentor Michael Hyatt said - "Going public has proven to be a great lever in moving toward goals."

• Recapping what you've recently done makes you realise just how much you've achieved since you last spoke
• The simple act of voicing out loud what it is you plan to do, helps you gain more clarity and makes you more likely to reach your goal
• You get the benefit of another person's wisdom and experience which often helps identify different solutions
• It's great just knowing there's someone there you can speak to, who understands.

So how do you maintain your motivation? Do you have a business buddy too? Have you found it beneficial? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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