Don't Do This Alone

<p>Being an Amazon business owner can be incredibly isolating. No matter how much we love the people closest to us, it doesn’t necessarily mean they can understand what we’re saying when we talk about wholesale bundling or the latest terrors from Amazon. You might as well be speaking Greek.</p> <p> </p> <p>Then there’s the pandemic. COVID-19 flipped the world upside-down when it hit a year ago. For some business owners - myself included - the pandemic made being an online entrepreneur even more isolating. But there’s hope: we don’t have to wait for vaccines to roll out to safely and genuinely connect as entrepreneurs.</p> <p>In this episode, I contemplate the impact of isolation on our lives, businesses, and wellbeing due to the pandemic. I recall how our world looked before COVID-19 struck and how it changed the way we physically interact. I discuss how isolating it may feel when you run your own business and share what I learned from my own experiences with isolation from the past 12 months. I also highlight the power of finding a community of like-minded individuals where you elevate one another and help each other succeed.</p> <p><em> </em></p> <p align="center"><em>“Being an entrepreneur can be extremely lonely, even if you prefer being alone. Everyone needs someone who understands them; to be heard and understood is at the core of our being.” - Kristin Ostrander</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>This week on the Amazon Files:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The world before COVID-19 and how the pandemic has changed how we socialize</li> <li>Introverts and extroverts in isolation</li> <li>The relationship between loneliness and entrepreneurship</li> <li>My experiences with isolation and what I learned from them</li> <li>The etymology of the word “island” and the importance of communities</li> <li>Being a “T1D” and the joys of finding the people who speak your language</li> <li>Why I encourage entrepreneurs to find a supportive Amazon business owners community</li> <li>The power of intentional connection and supporting othe