Loneliness is one of the huge elephants in the room when it comes to starting a company. Oh the other one is networking

2025-09-01

Loneliness is one of the huge elephants in the room when it comes to starting a company. Oh the other one is networking. Don’t get me wrong. Creating a company is one of the most satisfying yet daunting things you can do. But almost no one mentions the loneliness that can come with it, at least while you are getting started as it involves spending a lot of time in creator mode and in my case, working with customers but mostly remote. Also, how do you get out and meet people that have a problem you can solve? In my case, I’ve been fortunate—lucky in the sense of being well-prepared and in the right place at the right time—to create video courses with Pluralsight and others. But now that I’ve moved beyond just course creation into founding a platform— Lupo.ai , for AI-assisted video generation—I’ve encountered a new challenge: that sense of isolation and the challenge of meeting new people, especially in 3D. Even though I collaborate with others, we’re all remote, and my recording studio—while fully equipped and a real blessing—can feel pretty lonely at times. Everyone is just a face on a screen. But today something really good happened. A friend suggested I join this network called BNI, where small entrepreneurs support each other in growing their businesses. So yesterday I called the organizer and by pure chance (is this one of the components of luck?), their yearly event was today. I attended their big yearly event and the presentations were great, but what really stood out were the people. I met some wonderful and fantastic people! Many of them are on the same wavelength, all trying to get their businesses off the ground, actively networking and helping each other grow. Their motto, BNI (Business Network International) , is to pay it forward. And it shows. Of course, there is even a bigger advantages to spending most of my time remote, the networking opportunities and the chance to spend time and collaborate with other entrepreneurs. But the “feeling part of a community of like minded people” is something I needed in my business life. So, now a new era in my life begins, one where I think I’ve found something that will make a huge difference in my life: BNI. Big shoutout to Steven Carvajal Ruffley for leading the chapter and being so welcoming. It is a pleasure to run into you after so many years.