Lonely at the helm isn't it?

What do most SME business owners and entrepreneurs talk about when together?

There are many consistent themes - regardless of their age, experience, business activity, etc.

Disregarding sport, I find the most topical currently is still about funding/banks/economic conditions, etc.

The most consistent, however - when they feel comfortable to display some honest emotion - is just how lonely it is when you are the one that everybody - & I mean everybody (inside & outside the business) - look to for answers, direction, etc.

Let's be honest here - we all know that we don't & can't have all the answers. In a lot of cases we don't even know the questions! So, what do these people do about that sense of isolation & loneliness?

Well, an awful lot of them don't own up to it - they think it's some sign of weakness & so they typically adopt a quite "macho" & sometimes abrasive style of management (& yes, I'm afraid this is predominantly a male trait!). These rarely turn out to be happy or successful businesses over the long term.

The more enlightened look around for some kind of support mechanism. They use either coaches/mentors that typically work on a 1-to-1 basis with the business owner or membership organisations - such as ACE/Vistage/Entrepreneurs World - that enable peers to meet and facilitate their sharing of experiences, ideas and contacts.

If you are finding it lonely up there at the front - what are you going to do about it?

If you have found a satisfactory answer, please share it with us.