3 ways for freelancers and solopreneurs to enjoy the benefits of a co-founder without the risk or commitment

Recently I’ve been toying with the idea of giving up the entrepreneurial life and getting a job.

Folks, I haven’t had a job since the year 2000.

For a while now, something in my business life hasn’t felt right. Sure, there are always things in our businesses to improve, ideas to act on, skills to learn. But it wasn’t just that.

I even started finding myself jealous of my (employed) husband’s team meetings on Zoom.

I realized I’m lonely. I miss the buzz you get sharing ideas and tackling problems with other people. I do this with my clients—and I have awesome clients—but that’s me working on their things. I want that dynamic on my own projects and for my own business. There are also things I’m not that good at doing but would propel my business forward if I could just get them right.

For some people, having a co-founder or a business partner gives them this. But that’s a big commitment and risk.

Here are three ideas to help fill this gap for the commitment shy among us:

1. Join a community

The best communities are full of camaraderie and knowledge sharing, and are co-created (at least to some extent) by its members. This means there’s an enormous potential for pretty much whatever you need—as long as you’re willing to be a supportive part of the community.

2. Hire for the skills you don’t have

In the spirit of keeping things low on the commitment scale, consider subcontracting over a permanent hire—at least to start. Or outsource to companies that specialize in the skills you need.

3. Collaborate with like-minded folks

Short-term or informal collaborations are a great way to have a ‘partner’ without the commitment—or to test out a relationship to see if it could develop into something more formal down the road.

And who knows? Maybe you’ll even find a new #BBF (best business friend).