Eric and I have been working out of his living room, for a little over two months now.  For most of those two months, we’ve worked together, just the two of us, taking breaks to be with our friends and loved ones, and to do the things that keep us sane (cycling, snowboarding, writing, etc.).  However, the last two weeks have been much different.  We’ve started spending time with other friends founding companies, which has inspired both of us and made us feel more comfortable.

The loneliness struggle applies to anyone who is self employed, working in an isolated space.  It’s a challenging part of working for yourself, and not for a company.  And it’s weird for those of us that have worked at companies for all of our career.  We’re not used to being alone.

Eric and I need to continue to get out of our “office” and meet other people in the startup ecosystem.  This is somewhat challenging, though, because so many startup meetups are completely over the top and not worth going to.  But we both have friends in the startup world, and we need to reach out to them more often.  To share anecdotes, war stories, technology decisions, etc.

The same thing goes with any of you who are self employed.  Get out of your office and hang out with people.  It’ll inspire you and remind you why you quit your job in the first place.  Validation from other people can be part of that light at the end of the tunnel.