For about two years, I worked out of a cute coffee shop in San Francisco.

I’d wake up - usually without an alarm - and take the short walk from my house to the coffee shop and set up there for the morning.

At first, it was a dream. Everything you see on Instagram - beautiful cappuccinos and warm croissants.

I had complete control over my time. I could pop into the gym at 11am after my first block of work was done.

But after a while it started to wear thin.

I started to feel lonely and confused. On paper, I was living the dream. I didn’t have a boss, a commute, or anyone putting last minute meetings on my calendar.

My Saywhat co-founder and I would see each other in-person maybe once or twice a week. My wife, Caroline, had her own job. So most days it was just me, my laptop, and whoever else stopped by that day.

On the surface I had the freedom that so many people crave for. So why did I feel a bit empty?

What I craved for was companionship on the journey.

When I was working alone, something good would happen - a new brand partnership or a big win - and there was nobody to turn to who was invested in it like I was. I'd text Caroline and she'd send back a "nice!", and that was the whole celebration.

And when something went wrong, same thing - I’d text Caroline and she’d patiently listen, but it wasn’t the same as talking it through with someone who was in it with me.

Over time it began to weigh on me. I couldn't tell the difference between a hard week and a lonely one.

Over the past few months I've been scaling WM Media.

I convinced my wife, Caroline, to join me and we’ve grown the team to nine people.

And in a lot of ways the work has gotten more complicated. There’s more clients and more responsibility. My mind is full of things that I never had to think about when it was just me in a coffee shop like “how do we hire an all-star team?”, “how do we create a culture of excellence?”, “how do we scale this business into the world’s best in its category?”

But that's all worth it for me.

For a lot of people, solopreneurship is the dream.

I wanted the freedom that it offered for years, and then I had it. What surprised me was how lonely I felt once I was there.

So if you're feeling that, know that you’re not alone.

But also know that it is extra important for you to find community. People on the journey with you.

I resisted for a long time. It felt indulgent to spend money on something that doesn't obviously generate revenue. But don't put community in the nice-to-have category - I did, and it cost me at least one lonely year.

I hope you’ve never felt this, but if you have, go find your people.

See you next week,

Will

P.S. If you're in a community that's really worked for you, hit reply and tell me about it. I’ll share them with readers next week!

Will McTighe

Forwarded this email? Sign Up Here
Connect with me on LinkedIn | YouTube