3 Things You Need to Know About Life as a Single Entrepreneur If you treat your business as though it is everything you'll discover it's pretty lonely when it's all you have.
By Kimanzi Constable Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The relationships in your life have a positive or negative effect on what you do and how you live. The good ones push you to work hard and continue to be better. The bad ones make you want to stay under your covers and shut out the world. This can be friendships, business relationships or family, but the romantic relationships tend to have the deepest effect on us.
Most entrepreneurs reading this will have felt the effects of romantic relationships as you started or are growing a business. The supportive partners do what they can to help you and are a shoulder for you to lean on in hard times. There are also partners that make every step of your entrepreneurial journey feel like you're running through a foot of snow. You can't even talk about business around them without it turning into a moment you would rather not live.
There are times when you end those negative relationships or you are single for whatever reason. Being a single entrepreneur can be a time of tremendous growth if you have a plan. A hard break up can easily put you in a funk, but it doesn't have to keep you there. Once you can breathe again, realize that being single is a gift. Whether it was a breakup or you choose to be single, here are four things you should know about life as a single entrepreneur.
Related: 18 Things to Know Before You Date an Entrepreneur
1. You control your schedule.
When you're in a relationship, you are accountable to another person for how you spend your time and what you do. If you don't live together, you send messages or have calls throughout the day to let that person know what's going on. Being single means you have some freedom. You can work from morning to night. You can work when and where you want. You decide how you spend each moment and have the flexibility to change without having to inform anyone else.
Freedom is great, but make sure you keep a proper balance. If you read my story in this month's issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, you know that I'm recently single. The free time was overwhelming in the beginning. I would schedule work appointments and client sessions at all hours of the day. I would wake up at two a.m. and start writing. It took a month to realize that I was trying to use my business to replace my relationship—that doesn't work.
Having time freedom means you can create the kind of life you want. Have your times of work, but make sure you're getting out and meeting friends, enjoying good food and drinks, and creating amazing memories. There is much more to life than work and a business should allow you to live out all of your dreams. Use this time alone to become the best version of yourself in every area of your life.
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2. You can use this time to get more work done.
Being single means you have more free time to work on your business. As I talked about in the last point, you want to make sure you're keeping the proper balance. But, you can have a period of your life where you do more work than what you would do if you were in a relationship. Use this time to go after some bigger clients and projects. Use this time to do harder tasks that take longer to complete but will lead to greater returns. Set goals in your life and business that feel impossible and use this extra free time to make them your reality.
Related: Is Dating Becoming Just Another Networking Opportunity for Entrepreneurs?
3. This is your chance to do something you haven't done before.
Being single can be lonely at times. You may even miss someone that you once loved. It's easy to get caught up in those feelings and emotions and let them depress you. That's natural but it doesn't have to be where you stay in your mind. Remember, what you think affects what you do. This time alone could be your time to do things in your life and business that you haven't done before.
You can travel to a cool new country that's on your bucket list and experience a new culture. You can take a salsa dancing class or learn a new language. You can take a course at the local college and learn more about the craft that you love. You can use this time to experience things that terrify you but that you know will lead to growth in your life. All of these things expand your horizons and help you think differently. This is what will make you a whole entrepreneur.
The single life can be great or painful. You determine which it will be. Use this time as a single entrepreneur to accomplish your biggest life and business goals. Choose to not let your feelings of love lost keep you in a place that doesn't allow you to do your best work. You are amazing and will meet the right person once you have properly done some self-work. When you are where you want to be as an individual, you will attract the right person. And that kind of attraction will compliment what you have already done in your life and business.
