The Lonely Journey of Starting a New Business
And Why it Shouldn’t Be
“It gets so lonely, you know. When you have a vision, but nobody around truly understands what you want to create.”
Have you ever felt that way? When I first started creating Álula Magazine, it felt like I was fighting a lonely battle. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always had full support from family and friends, especially from those closest to me. Still, sometimes it was hard to fully communicate what I wanted to build. The business idea never fully came across the way I envisioned it in my head. So sharing about it felt pointless and lonesome. Until something changed. But let’s get back further in time…
The Backstory: When it was Just an Idea
Creating a ‘business’ started first as a desire, from the urge to travel. I wanted to travel nonstop, and when I shared this, I remember some negative comments came my way, “You can’t travel all the time. You have to get a job, settle. You can’t be on vacations all the time.” Ummm, well, I wasn’t thinking it would be an eternal holiday, nor did I want it that way. I’m one of those people who enjoy working (hello, fellow workaholics), so actually, I was thinking more about turning traveling into my job. But HOW?! After lots of jumping around the world, I was not only passionate about traveling. I wanted to build something out of it, something beautiful, inspiring, and meaningful. I wanted to be creative. But the reality was, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to create and how to make it a living.
I got stuck almost four years in that ‘HOW?’ A constantly opened question mark in my daily life. It was a period during which I still had other commitments, so it wasn’t wasted time either. I was about to finish my studies in Design back then, and I found a research stay that allowed me more traveling. During those months, I began sharing my short trips on social media, which became quite enjoyable. Telling the story behind a trip gave it meaning.
Once I graduated, and even if I genuinely wanted to dive immediately into converting those dreams into a business instead, I took a full-time job. Now, that was a smart move. I learned so much during that time. My designer skills improved enormously, and later I learned how to lead a team of creatives. I loved it! So many lessons compacted into an 8-hour shift each day. Plus, it was a remote position, which at first I thought would fit perfectly for moving and keeping up with travels.
That wasn’t precisely the case, personal matters came across, and COVID struck. Borders closed and all kinds of traveling banned. Worse timing for a travel-related business, I thought to myself. But, at least for the purpose of my dream job, it was like a moment to pause and start planning.
A Lonely Start
It was June, and we were all to stay home. Not traveling gave me enough time to think about what I really wanted to create. I still kept my job, and during my spare time, I began building the foundations of my business. I set my mind to figure out WHAT to do while the pandemic lasted and to be ready to jump fully into it as soon as it would be possible. Great plan!
Except it wasn’t. I hit a wall, locked in my tiny apartment, and with ideas just getting tangled, I was going nowhere. Days went by, no progress, only running in circles in an endless conversation with only myself. A lonely journey within four walls.
Months went by, with lots of ideas fluttering in the air. Every day I sat down to plan, write proposals, only to throw them away the next day. I knew the general idea of what I wanted to create; I just didn’t know how to land it to something concrete. I felt so frustrated.
Luckily, a conversation with an old friend led me to the right people. I remotely met other creatives, entrepreneurs, business people starting just like me who had similar fears and insights. Sharing the journey became less lonely. I thank these people for being a great impulse in the beginning. I went from being frustrated, stuck, and not making any progress to actually making the vision start taking form.
Let’s be lonely together
That’s how I learned; sharing my time with mind-liked people greatly impacted how I built my own business. Even if we all had very different projects, it felt we made ourselves company along the way. And so, in September 2020, it finally got a name: Álula. The branding became a natural and joyful consequence of the ideas that had been fluttering all that time. The aesthetics were also aligned with the mood I wanted to create, so the whole concept took off. And even if it was still only me in the project, it felt less lonely.
Now, I won’t say things got easier. Actually, every step is even more challenging, sometimes frustrating, others enlightening. I’ve discovered I enjoy doing some things and others I wish I wouldn’t have to do, but I do them regardless.
Why am I sharing this? Because sharing became the difference between enjoying the process of building a business and suffering it. I sincerely appreciate the support I received back when I started. I want to continue sharing this journey to feel less lonely and connect with other people going through the same process. So luckily, someone facing a creative block or roadblock in their business reads this and thinks, ‘Oh, I’m not the only one!’
If you’re starting, or wish to start something, listen: you shouldn’t feel alone because you’re not alone. Starting a business on your own feels lonesome, but it shouldn’t be if you find the right people to share it with. Creating your own business is quite a challenge. Slow progress is better than no progress, and sharing makes it more enjoyable. I promise.
