Working by Myself, But Not Alone

Working from home has many perks, but one of the downsides is that you spend a lot of time by yourself. While some people may see that as a perk, humans are generally social creatures and they benefit from interacting with other humans in a business setting. Many years ago, I wrote a post called The Five Business Colleagues You Should Have about surrounding yourself with a variety of people — something I have been thinking about recently as I have been creating new relationships and leaning on different people in the process of creating my first product. So for today’s gratitude list, I am going to focus on the people that make this all possible — the people who keep me from being alone while running a company of one.

The People I Work With

I am an entrepreneur, and I work with other entrepreneurs. There are several people I have worked with over the years, developing a close bond, that have bounced ideas back and forth with me. I have people like Mark Bebout, that I know I can trust with any ideas that I am incubating and get suggestions on resources for the next steps; Michelle Carroll who I can discuss clients with and get support on projects from; Olga Ocon who helps me stick to my plan and be firm on billing. These are the people I will forever be thankful for in their assistance during my entrepreneurial journey.

Facebook Groups

I have recently joined both a work-at-home-moms group and the Adventures in Manifesting group on Facebook. Through these groups, I have met some fantastic women who I have made connections with, networked with, and learned from. It was a recent decision of mine to open up my Facebook profile to select business contacts, and I has been a completely positive experience so far. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to foster and grow these networks throughout 2011

Twitter Contacts

For everything from news and networking to humor and killing time, Twitter is the virtual watercooler for those of us who no longer have a watercooler to stand around. It really do get what you put into it, and lately I have been putting more effort into it and reaping the rewards in terms of increased value for my business and life. For my growing Twitter networking, I am grateful.

My Mom Friends

They may have no idea what I do or how I do it, but it sounds pretty cool to them and they are always supportive of me. If I ever need a cheerleader or a hug, my mom friends are there for me. Many of them have their own careers or businesses too, and they are more than willing to lend an ear if I have to work out a problem out loud. I can not express how much I appreciate having them in my life.

My Husband

Last (but not least), I am thankful for my husband. He is like clockwork — Mr. Steady N. Reliable. His regular paycheck has kept us afloat when I’ve had clients bail on me, and he listens to my frustrations even if he has no idea what I am talking about. He is always there with a hug if I need one, and to tell me to buck up when I need that. (Just today I said I wanted to just crawl into bed, and he told me “There’s no quitting. Those are your words, right? There’s no quitting.” I love that man!) I don’t know where I would be without the love, support, and sense of unity that my husband provides. Oh, and he’s an awesome dad too. Did I mention that my husband rocks?

P.S. – Please forgive my small business site that I linked above. It’s on my list for 2011, I promise!