It can be lonely being an entrepreneur. Even if you’re not a solopreneur per se, you may have only one or two contractors or vendors you work with. Your role as the “boss” separates you from your employees. In either case, you can free up some time and relieve stress by shifting your mindset.

Everyone who interacts with you for your business is part of your team. By thinking of them that way, you’re more likely to feel comfortable delegating tasks — and be able to shun the isolation.

Who’s on your team?

The first step to breaking free from that isolated mindset is to re-conceive your team. Let’s say you’re a one-man- or one-woman-show. You may think, “Well, I don’t have a team.” But if you hire virtual assistants or freelancers, they’re part of your team. Your vendors are part of your team. And so are your clients. One might argue they’re the most crucial members of your team — without them, your business wouldn’t exist!

All these people on your team work together to achieve goals and solve problems. Once you start thinking of a team that way, you lay your foundation for strategically communicating with them. That’s the first step toward not feeling so isolated.

From Boss to Partner

That famous entrepreneurial mindset goes hand-in-hand with big dreams. But when you approach your team with those abstract ideas, it’s important to position yourself as their partner rather than their superior. How will your ideas play out? Who on your team is best equipped to support your overall vision? Remember, clarity launches the wheel of momentum, and that goes for your team as well.

Entrepreneurs also tend to have a high risk tolerance, but most of your team won’t. Your role is to motivate them with a clear, cohesive vision. If you’re considering your clients part of your team, think about the consistent experience you want them to have. Extend that to your entire team.

Overcoming Isolation

One of the biggest challenges for many entrepreneurs is sorting their ideas and making them actionable. This is no simple task. You need to align your idea with your vision and figure out who on your team can best tackle it. Then, you must communicate the idea clearly to them. That’s a lot of mental hurdles — the thought process itself can be very isolating.

So, the first step toward overcoming entrepreneurial isolation is to protect yourself from that. Create a process for capturing, evaluating, and actionalizing your idea. Many people use Trello or another Kanban-style tool.

Then, turn it toward your team. Your team should include people who can bring this idea to fruition — or let it die, if it’s not actually a good idea.

You need context and resources to put ideas into action. Once you understand that and learn to lean on your team, that relieves so much pressure. You’re no longer just the idea creator flying solo: you know you have the right people you can trust to make great things happen. Again, clarity leads to confidence on the wheel of momentum!

Wrapping Up

Conceiving all the people involved with your business as your team helps you achieve clarity, successfully delegate tasks, and create a consistent, confident framework for putting your ideas into action. It all comes back to the core idea of leadership: your role is to motivate others to do their best. By taking that position, you relieve the pressure on yourself to do it all yourself — or feel like the isolated boss. And that’s the best way to both overcome loneliness and achieve greatness as an entrepreneur.

This article is inspired by an episode of the Simplifying Entrepreneurship podcast (Season 3, Episode 3) in which I chat with Ari Meisel, founder of LessDoing.com.