Liz McGowen is a life coach who provides anti-burnout tools for entrepreneurs. She is a former clinical social worker, avid sports fan, and mother of three girls from Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Visit www.lizmcgowen.com or follow Liz on Twitter.

Annie, a personal trainer, began her business when she moved to Chicago. Just a couple of short months earlier, she had been part of a tight-knit staff team providing personal training to members of an upscale gym.

Although she was excellent at working with clients and soon built a loyal following, in the initial stage of her new business, Annie felt isolated and unhappy. She realized that she had no one to talk to about her transition and what was really going on.

Annie’s situation is not uncommon. The transition to entrepreneurship can be a difficult one, partly because of isolation. Many of us leave a fairly tight-knit world of colleagues behind. Then, for reasons of our own, or ones that life has forced upon us, we leap off the cliff into entrepreneurship.

For most of us, this is an unfamiliar world and we are utterly alone.

It’s rare that we can share our hopes, fears, defeats and triumphs. We certainly can’t honestly share our defeats or fears, because as soon as we do our family will freak out and our mother-in-law will start sending us “help wanted” ads on Facebook.

Explaining our triumphs is sometimes just as disheartening. After all, how can we adequately detail our absolute brilliance in selling out our latest class? It all just doesn’t translate to someone who wasn’t involved.

Let’s face it, the world is a lonely place for entrepreneurs. We work harder than we can ever imagine, often without the kinds of emotional support we deserve.

We worry that all our hard work just might be a labor of love, and that if we don’t succeed we’ll face ridicule and rejection.

So, how on earth can a new entrepreneur survive?
You can remember that your gifts are unique. Yes, that’s right, absolutely unique. It is highly unlikely that anyone else on the planet, let alone in your area of the world and your field of expertise, has the exact gifts you have. What is more, even if they did, it is even less likely that person would actually recognize what they have and use their skills in the exact same way that you do. So, it’s safe to say that you are unique in what you offer the world.

You can understand that all entrepreneurs struggle — it’s part of the journey. Every single entrepreneur I have ever met has war stories — the greater their success, usually the more dramatic the stories. Personally, I treasure those stories and love to hear them. Someday, you will have your own stories to tell; meanwhile, hang in there and keep moving forward.

You can know that every single entrepreneur has fears. No matter how big and cushy your mansion is, you will always have fears. Many of us share the same fear, or a version of it: We essentially are afraid we’ll end up living in a van down by the river. I’d like to point out that this is the classic urban myth of the entrepreneur – after all, do you actually know any river-side van dwellers? Any in your profession? I thought not. Yes, there are great risks, but I think you are smart enough and resourceful enough not to have this fear become reality.

Finally, you can realize that there are many points of connection between all of us. Entrepreneurs, like nearly everyone else, are always delighted to share their stories with those who will listen. I encourage you to seek out your fellow entrepreneurs and form relationships with them – whether in your area of expertise or in your local environment, or both. Figure out a time and place to talk with them – not in a sales-ey way, but in a let’s-have-a-conversation way. Learn what connects you, and strengthen that bond as you move forward. It is perfectly natural to want and need help.

You will struggle. You will have fears, but you are unique and connected. These four elements are true for all of us who are brave enough to strike out on our own.

Your own personal path as an entrepreneur is a journey that no one else can undertake but you – and I wish you the smoothest possible route to your success. If you enjoyed this article, please use the icons on the left to Tweet it, or Like it on Facebook.