A previous post here on From Apps to Zen talked about how in the past year I have realised that I can't do everything by myself.

I have always wanted to create a super successful small business without the 'hassle' of employing others and worrying each month about making payroll and covering the rent. In terms of learning, I thought self-directed is best - I can read a book or blog and implement the suggestions by myself. Support is for losers!

As my life and work gets more complicated, I find myself re-evaluating these preconceptions towards support. At the end of last year, I asked five female peers and friends to join me in a monthly support group. We had our second session this week and I can honestly say that I got more clarification on my business in those two short hours then in all the 'thinking time' over the holiday period.

Attending Social Entrepreneurs Anonymous at The Hub last Friday ("my name is Sinead, and I am a social entrepreneur. It has been 5 hours since my last idea to change the world") organised by the wonderfully generous Patricia van de Akker, again I was struck by the power in group support of owning your actions and being accountable to others, as well as yourself.

And on Wednesday, in the final session of my From Apps to Zen mentoring group, I again saw group learning and support in action, not just from me, but between members of the group who commit to weekly actions to improve their digital well-being.

Being an entrepreneur is tough. Rewarding but tough.

And being a solo-entrepreneur I think can be the hardest of all.

So today, I would urge you to have a think about how you can create more support in your work and life.

And if you are lucky enough to have a business partner, team or support network, take a moment today to thank them for being there for you.

PS There is a new From Apps to Zen group starting in February in London. If you want to find out more about how to improve your digital well-being, join us.

[Image with thanks to m5 via Creative Commons]

Having worked as a solo entrepreneur for four years, I recently have come to a radical conclusion:

I can't do it all by myself.

Believe me, I've tried. For years I was happy to work independently, trusting that I would make my own decisions and solve my own problems, without input from others. Being part of the School for Social Entrepreneurs this year has played a big part in shattering those illusions. A combination of sharing challenges and ideas with my action learning set, mentor and tutor, as well as my classmates, has allowed me to open up a little more and start to ask for help.

In the past I would almost be dismissive of those who actively looked for external support but now I realise it's essential. As solo entrepreneurs we work so much in our head, chewing over the same concepts and issues, when sharing them and getting some objective feedback might be enough to really move forward.

2010 has been an interesting year for me - one of change and experiment - both professionally and personally. I look back to where I was in January and my whole world has changed. Some well known bloggers including the lovely Gwen Bell have set up a project for the month of December called Reverb 10. A daily prompt for each of the 31 days of December asks us to reflect on what has gone before and manifest for the coming year. The very first prompt (from Gwen) was about One Word. Looking back over 2010, what was the one word that encapsulated the year. And, this time next year, in December 2011, what one word would you like the year to represent.

My word for 2010 was Experiment. My word for 2011? Establish. Really establish myself as a thought leader around digital well-being and help people work towards leading a more balanced working life.

I have ambitious plans for 2011 including speaking at conferences, developing new services and going into new markets, but I have realised that surrounding myself with support mechanisms is crucial to my success. This is why I invited 5 amazing women - friends, colleagues and peers - to breakfast this morning to look at how we can support one another to make 2011 our best year yet. Over coffee and pastries, we came up with a format for monthly meetings that will support, but also challenge each other and our ideas and plans. The group will be a way of bringing problems to the table but also a way of motivating ourselves and being accountable to our goals - a good kick up the a**e when needed!

How can you make 2011 your 'best year yet'?

What external support can you build around you - a peer mentoring group, a mentor or coach, or even just a regular coffee with a friend who can tell you how it is, in order to make sure that this happens?

A entire year can slip away so fast. Make 2011 the year where you make significant progress in your life and work plans. And remember, you don't have to do it alone.

[Image with thanks to lululemonathletica via Creative Commons]

This week, 8fold were involved with new style of business networking event at co-working space THECUBE. Partnering with East London Business Place, THECUBE gathered members of the space with different skill sets together to network and provide advice to local businesses. The event was called CUBEAGENCY and I was thrilled to be asked to participate along with fellow Cubers such as Alison Coward from Bracket Creative, film and video producer Edward Schlesinger and Kate Warwick from PR Savvy.

In a Dragon’s Den style format (except we were nice!), business owners had the opportunity to pitch the 'agency' a problem or business idea that they needed feedback on. The diversity of the expertise of THECUBE panel resulted in real out of the box thinking and tangible ideas for the owners to take away and digest.

Although the businesses were extremely diverse in terms of sector and scale, a few common issues arose again and again; how best to market your company and win new business, especially using the web and social media was a shared concern.

In my experience, companies may be already using social media but are not seeing any benefits in terms of lead generation or sales. Much has been written on the Return of Investment of social media but it remains a difficult thing to quantify. A recent article by entitled Down with Social by Carbonmade founder Spencer Fry controversially proposed that social media is immeasurable and a waste of time. While I do not agree fully with his proposition, I do think that most small businesses can be much more targeted about how they allocate their time and spending a large part of your day on Twitter and Facebook may not be the most strategic move.

I will be examining all these issues and more in my From Apps to Zen mentoring group which starts at the end of the month. There are a few places left so do check it out if you are interested.

Well done to Araceli, THECUBE team and Alex and Mel from ELBP for a great and innovative event. If you are interested getting involved in events like this in the future, do have a look at THECUBE’s competitive membership rates.

Exciting (I hope!) news today at From Apps to Zen.

Everyone who knows me, knows that I love training. For me I see it a little like performing (its brings back memories of my dancing days!). I also get a real kick out of seeing that 'aha!' moment in people especially when you come to such a murky and complicated subject such as the web and social media.

However, there is one major draw back in delivering content through training - as much as you can get participants excited and enthusiastic about a topic, by the next day, when the harsh reality of the Inbox and the To-Do list hit, how many people actually take real action? 

I know this is an issue because I am guilty of it myself. Yes, me. Miss 'I am all about ACTION!'.

So how can we get around this problem?

I think I may have found the answer (with thanks to Enthuse Marketing) for giving me the gem of the idea - a group mentoring programme that is affordable, covers the basics of this stuff and will require you to take action on a month basis (or face the wrath of the group!).

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