Learn How to Succeed Alone — and Watch Your Business Thrive

When you first launch a company, especially as a solo founder, it can feel like you’ve buried yourself deep in the ground. It’s isolated, it’s quiet and if you’re working early mornings and late at night, like I did, the darkness can quite literally envelop you.

It reminds me of the story of the seed, lying alone in the soil. “Where is the sun?” it wonders in alarm. “Where are the other seeds? Why is it so quiet? (Let’s assume for the sake of this parable that seeds can feel these things).

But over time, the seed grows roots. It pushes upward, little by little. Eventually, it breaks through the surface. That’s when it realized — it wasn’t buried. It was planted.

Like being buried versus being planted, loneliness and solitude are two sides of the same coin. The difference lies in your mindset. As May Sarton aptly put it in her book, The Journal of a Solitude: “Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.”

For founders, learning to view solitude as an opportunity can become one of your greatest advantages. Here’s why.

Related: 5 Solopreneur Mindset Shifts and Why They’re Critical to Your Success

Solitude vs. loneliness

When I was first building Jotform, I spent more time by myself than I ever had. It wasn’t that I was alone — quite the opposite. Not only did I build my business in the dense crush of humanity that is New York City, but I also mostly worked in public, bouncing from coffee shop to coffee shop as I laid Jotform’s foundation.

And yet, despite being surrounded by people, I was very much on my own. Occasionally, being so deep in my own world made me panic. What did I think I was doing? Why did I think this idea would work?

But embracing solitude and sitting in its discomfort is a choice. Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky has written extensively about how the body’s response to stress depends less on the stressor itself and more on how we perceive it. If you view a challenge as a threat, your body floods with damaging stress hormones. But if you see that same challenge as an opportunity, your physiology changes — you become more resilient and more focused.

The same principle applies to being alone. Loneliness — the kind that eats away at you — comes when isolation feels imposed or out of your control. It’s stress framed as a threat. Solitude, by contrast, is stress reframed as opportunity. It can be restorative and even powerful.

Like being buried versus being planted, the external conditions may look the same. The difference is all in your mindset.

The hero’s journey

Every founder starts off alone. It’s not a sign of failure. It’s a rite of passage.

In storytelling, this is called the Hero’s Journey — a narrative structure that appears in myths and movies across cultures. It begins with an ordinary person living in a familiar world, until one day they’re called to something bigger. To answer that call, they must leave the comfort of the known and step into uncertainty — alone.

Founders go through the same thing. You leave behind steady paychecks, clear expectations and a sense of predictability. By necessity, this transformative time is one that has to be endured alone — that is, after all, where the growth comes from. Moments of stillness spawn creativity, but even more than that, the act of being alone builds strength and resilience. Studies have found that those with a higher “solitude capacity” tend to be emotionally stable, ambitious and open to new experiences.

The goal isn’t to spend all your time alone. But being comfortable with solitude forces you to learn to trust yourself. For solo founders in particular, there is no skill more valuable. You learn to solve your own problems, make your own decisions and be your own biggest cheerleader. My advice? Structure your solitude. Use that time for deep work. Acknowledge the discomfort and resist the urge to grab your phone and scroll the pain away.

This early solo stretch might feel like a lonely detour, but it’s not. It’s essential. It’s where you clarify your vision and develop the self-reliance that will serve you for the rest of your journey.

Related: Introverts and Extroverts Both Need Solitude to Do Their Best Work. Here’s Why — and How to Give it to Them.

It’s not forever

As the father of three kids, I sometimes miss the days when loneliness was even a possibility. But the fact is, I left that time behind when my business eventually started growing. Now, I have teams, collaborators and constant conversations filling my schedule — there’s always someone to meet with, something to review and decisions to make. The solitude I once had has been replaced by the hum of shared momentum.

And while I’m grateful for all of it, I also recognize what those early quiet days gave me: space to grow, clarity of purpose and the ability to move forward without needing external validation. That time alone built the foundation — not just for my business, but for the leader I eventually became.

As your business grows, the solitary phase will naturally transition into collaboration and teamwork. But early on, don’t rush to fill the void of loneliness with noise. Embrace the quiet, learn from it and let it shape you into a more resilient, focused and effective leader.

When you first launch a company, especially as a solo founder, it can feel like you’ve buried yourself deep in the ground. It’s isolated, it’s quiet and if you’re working early mornings and late at night, like I did, the darkness can quite literally envelop you.

It reminds me of the story of the seed, lying alone in the soil. “Where is the sun?” it wonders in alarm. “Where are the other seeds? Why is it so quiet? (Let’s assume for the sake of this parable that seeds can feel these things).

But over time, the seed grows roots. It pushes upward, little by little. Eventually, it breaks through the surface. That’s when it realized — it wasn’t buried. It was planted.