Imagine asking Jordan, your solo founder friend, for last month’s revenue. You get a number in two seconds. Then you ask when Jordan last told someone how the business is really going, and you get a long pause and a quiet tear.
Working alone has real, tangible perks. But for a lot of us, solopreneur loneliness creeps in somewhere around the third week of eating lunch at the desk, and the holidays tend to make it worse. Here’s why it happens and what helps.
How common is solopreneur / WFH loneliness?
29.8 million Americans run businesses on their own (Founder Reports).
56% of microbusiness owners in a UK YouGov survey said they’ve felt isolated running their business (Startups Magazine).
About half of U.S. adults report loneliness, and the Surgeon General compares the health risk to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day (HHS).
Colorado alone has more than 72,000 solopreneurs (BoostSuite).
Isolation vs. loneliness
Isolation means you don’t see many people. Loneliness means the connection you have doesn’t match what you need.
A coworking desk or a busy LinkedIn feed doesn’t always fix it. You can be around people all day and still have no one who understands what you’re carrying. In a Mindful Founders survey, one founder said what she wanted most was "finding someone local who can relate to my struggles in the same industry."
Why working alone wears you down
No one to think out loud with. Every pricing decision and client call happens in your head, so small worries get bigger.
Nobody sees your wins. You land the client, then close the laptop and make dinner.
Money stress stays private. Financial stress was a factor for 72% of solopreneurs considering quitting (Founder Reports).
Burnout is easier to miss. No one notices the 11 p.m. emails or the skipped meals. See 7 Common Burnout Patterns Among Entrepreneurs.
The holidays. Plenty of people around, few who get what you do, plus slow client months and year-end taxes.
What Can Help
Join a peer group. Check out our Mindful Founders Inc. Peer Support Circles for entrepreneurs here - https://www.mindfulfounders.org/peer-support-circles. Make it recurring. A group that meets every two weeks builds trust a one-off event can’t. Put it on your calendar like a client call.
Tell one person the real numbers. Revenue, pipeline, how you’re sleeping. Think shark tank plus a coach.
Cowork virtually. Working on camera alongside others cuts the silence without much small talk. A good fit for introverts.
Set a weekly minimum for yourself. Two real conversations a week that aren’t sales calls.
Volunteer with a local charity you care about.
Work outside of the house at a local coffeeshop or McDonalds.
Know when to get more help. If it turns into ongoing hopelessness, changes in sleep or appetite, or losing interest in things you used to enjoy, talk to a therapist or your doctor. Peer support doesn’t replace clinical care.
Free support from Mindful Founders Inc.
We (Mindful Founders Inc.) are a Colorado-based nonprofit supporting the financial and emotional wellness of business owners with fewer than five employees.
Our community programs are free:
Founders Scale & Support Circles: confidential online peer groups, every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. MT.
Introverts Business Collective: a Meetup group for introverted business owners who don’t love traditional networking.
Self-awareness quizzes: three short quizzes to help you spot your own patterns.
Coming in 2027: QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) workshops! QPR is an evidence-based, emergency mental health intervention designed to spot and interrupt suicide crises, often described as the “CPR of suicide prevention.”
FAQ
Is it normal for solopreneurs to feel lonely?
Yes! In one YouGov survey, 56% of microbusiness owners said they’d felt isolated running their business. It comes with doing a team’s job by yourself.
Does coworking help with entrepreneur loneliness?
It helps with isolation, less so with loneliness. A small peer group that meets regularly and knows your business usually does more.
Are there free support groups for solopreneurs in Colorado?
Yes. Mindful Founders runs free online peer circles focused on Colorado founders, and anyone can join.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feel overwhelmed, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.
