Starting something on your own is way lonelier than I expected

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I relate to this a lot. the loneliness isn’t talked about enough, especially that quiet phase where nothing is clearly broken, but nothing is clearly working either. what helped me wasn’t more motivation, but creating external signals when there were none: - weekly check-ins with someone building too (even just a short call) - tracking one or two metrics only, to avoid reading meaning into noise - writing decisions down, so doubt doesn’t rewrite history later I’ve learned that uncertainty is actually part of the job description. if everything felt obvious, it wouldn’t be entrepreneurship, it would be execution you’re not behind, you’re just in the part no one posts screenshots about

I read a book called "Endurance" and it changed me. It's the true story of some guys in the early 1900's who went to explore Antartica and got stuck. For years, the world thought they were dead. WWI happened and these guys had no idea. Stuck on the bottom of the Earth. The Captain, Ernest Shackleton, was keeping them alive. Against every odd and setback possible, this guy's determination and ability to endure is what kept the entire crew alive. Not one guy died. Towards the end of the story, after years of being lost at sea, you cannot comprehend how Shackleton found it in himself to remain optimistic and get the job done. Really dramatic answer but the point is you have to endure. It sucks. It takes forever. Its lonely. But like, we aren't lost at sea and hunting penguins and sleeping on ice. If we want something, we can do it. It might be painful and take way too long -- but Shackleton traversed glaciers on foot, alone, while starving to death, to save his men. You can build a company.

I can relate to this. It took me 4 years to build my business on the side before I was able to ditch the 9-5 and go full-time. And of course, I couldn't really talk to people at work about what I was doing. Besides not wanting to publicize my plans to leave, people in the corporate world don't have the same mindset...they can't relate at all. What worked for me was networking in my niche. I started attending an annual conference in-person, built friendships through that, joined a couple of masterminds with people that were on a similar path. That was huge. In fact, I would not have succeeded without that community. I'm curious, what type of business are you building?

98% of the time YC won't invest in a company that doesn't have cofounders for this specific reason. It is extremely difficult to deal with the uncertainty and obstacles that you come across when you're building a company. While I'm grateful to have a cofounder who I can talk to when we're facing obstacles, there are times where I have to deal with the doubts in my own head. Here are a couple of things that have helped a lot... 1. Considering worst case scenario (it turns out it's not as bad as you think. I consider that whatever hardship I'm going through now is a life better lived than what I was previously doing just dreaming about building a business.) 2. WEESS Walk, Eat, Exercise Shower, Sleep By far the best remedies to get your mind realigned. 3. Change your environment I often work at coffee shops or hop in discord calls with other friends that work remotely so that I can have some company. I live in a pretty remote place, so being able to exist around other humans helps a ton. As mentioned before, try your best to remember this path is difficult but worth it. There's something really special about being able to live in uncertainty. The greatest things in life stand on the other side of fear.

Wanna connect on WhatsApp? - I’m going through the same, as are many others! I want to start a little group so we can support each other

I find it best to keep a part time job in a separate field from your entrepreneur endeavours works well. If you can survive on 2/3 days employment especially mixing with public and others , 2-3 days building your business on your own . Employment gives you social interaction and motivation to succed in business. Both feel like a mental refresh. Hope that helps 

You're describing the part nobody posts on LinkedIn. That middle stretch where you're not crashing but not crushing it either, just existing in this weird limbo of "am I building something real or wasting my time?" That's the loneliest part because there's no external validation, no team to bounce ideas off, just you and your doubts on repeat. The uncertainty is brutal. You're right that it's not about motivation, it's about not knowing if what you're doing even matters yet. And when it's your own money and time on the line, every small decision feels massive because there's no boss to blame or pivot away from. What helped me was finding other founders to talk to, not for advice but just to vent and hear that everyone else is also in the fog. Accountability groups, Twitter DMs, random coffee chats. Just knowing other people are grinding through the same quiet phase makes it feel less isolating. Also, celebrating tiny wins (even if they feel insignificant) helps break up the monotony. The fact that you're still showing up and building means you're doing it right. The grind phase is the filter. Most people quit here. Keep going, you're not alone in feeling this way.