Let’s talk about making friends as an entrepreneur.

It’s tough… and it’s a lonely kind of tough.

Today, I was feeling just a bit lonely and thought about making new friends through my church and my first thought went something like this: “My friends are a different type of breed.”

Let’s face it: It’s tough for entrepreneurs to find people to actually clique with who don’t own their own businesses!

Yes, I have friends who are not business owners, even my husband is in a 9-5 job and that is more than perfect for him! But I am finding that it is getting harder and harder to connect with people who are not business owners and I can count my close friends with my own two hands.

Yes, I know a lot of people. I know over 250 people (which is average, by the way), but that doesn’t mean I actually connect with all of them on a personal level. A lot of people, I connect with on either a business or superficial level, but rarely on a personal level.

Why is it so hard to make friends as an entrepreneur?

Here are my reasons which I believe it’s hard to make friends as an entrepreneur and how to combat the life as one.

Locality

Is location is the reason it’s hard to make entrepreneurial friends? Do you live in a mostly blue-collar town?

I am in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and there are not many entrepreneurs who live here… I mean there are brick and mortar businesses and more than enough MLMers, but online business owners? Not so much (if you’re in Cheyenne and an online business owner, I need to meet you!).

I know entrepreneurs who are here, but for some reason, we don’t connect often enough and I’m not sure what the deal is, but I know I am missing out on potential bosom friendships (hello Anne of Green Gable fans!).

What do I do? Attend several networking groups as often as I can. If you don’t have networking groups, then go to the Chamber. I know, it’s not ideal but if you don’t have a big entrepreneurial spirit in your local town, then that might be a place to go.

Look around other towns, cities or states as well. I live 15 minutes from the state border to Colorado and I have driven 45+ minutes to connect with entrepreneurs who are like-minded and have made many valuable connections.

And if I don’t connect with these people (because I rarely do)? Then look for other areas to find friends. I am in a weekly online mastermind with two lovely Colorado ladies and my power partner is in Denver. I have to look outside of my state and sometimes, and that’s what you have to do, too.

Look online for connections like your favorite Facebook group and throw it out there that you’re looking for biz pals and begin meeting people on Skype or Zoom. I have made connections through Facebook Groups and it’s neat to meet others around the world.

It’s a part of life

I have come to the realization that to a degree, friends are more selective due to the fact that it’s just a part of life. Gone are the days where we can be friends with literally anyone because we were still trying to find ourselves. But now, we know ourselves and what kinds of friends we desire to join our journey.

We want to be pickier because we might have had some friends on our journey at one time that held us back or had a negative impact, so we want to make sure we create a thriving relationship with new friends, so we become selective.

And that’s okay.

Our friends don’t have to be entrepreneurs as long as they can thrive with us.

It’s okay if not everyone is a business owner or even wants to be one; it’s okay if people are happy making $10.40/hour at Wal-Mart; it’s okay if people enjoy renting homes for their income; it’s okay if someone wants to be a stay at home mom.

You can be friends with these people and it’s about getting back to the basics of our humanity, as hard as that can be for us entrepreneurs (we think (to a degree) that everyone should run their own business) and going back to connecting based on our interests and hobbies.

I have a friend that I’ve been friends with for a few years now and even though we are lacking some things in common, I find myself enjoying her company as we can talk mom life as she has a little boy two months older than Anthony. It’s nice to have a friend where our conversations don’t automatically revolve around business and marketing tactics.

How do you make friends, whether they are entrepreneurs or not? What are some qualities you have learned to look for? Comment below or let me know inside the Facebook Group, Creative Influencers Cafe, where Creative Influencers gather to meet, partner up, have a cup of coffee with one another (virtual or present) and talk real life as well as business. Click the button below to join the group and get involved with the conversation where you’ll have an opportunity to meet your next bosom biz partner!

Make Entrepreneurial Friends inside the Creative Influencers Cafe