Let’s be honest… building an online business can be incredibly lonely.
When you first start, there’s this burst of energy and excitement. You’re full of ideas, maybe you’ve bought a new domain, sketched out a logo, and you can see the version of your future self who “made it.”
But then there’s the grim reality of silence.
No one’s watching. No one’s cheering. No one’s refreshing your website stats or open rates… except you, or maybe your mum. 🙂
Because when you’re building something online, most of the work happens in private…
The late nights tweaking copy (I’m so bad for this!)
The endless experiments that don’t quite work.
The months of building momentum that no one else sees.
It’s not like a normal job where you get immediate feedback… A pat on the back from your boss, or a coworker saying “nice work.”
And that invisibility can mess with your head.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll start questioning yourself:
“Am I doing this right?”
“Does anyone even care?”
“Maybe I’m wasting my time.”
But here’s the truth: it’s supposed to be hard!
Every “overnight success” you see online had a long, quiet prelude where no one was paying attention. The blog posts with zero comments, the launches that barely made any sales, and the YouTube videos that got 14 views.
You just didn’t see that part.
How to stay motivated when no one’s watching
The key is learning how to move forward anyway.
Basically, you have to build your own source of validation from within.
Here are a few things that have helped me stay grounded and consistent during those invisible seasons:
- Break everything down
Instead of thinking, “I need to build a business,” I focus on “I need to finish this one email,” or “I need to make this product slightly better.” Small steps and regular action turns into something big. - Talk to others who get it.
Even if it’s just one person. Having someone who understands the grind… Not to complain with, but to compare notes with. It can honestly make a huge difference. - Detach from the metrics.
Stats are lagging indicators. What really matters is whether you’re getting better at your craft… Writing, marketing, selling, connecting. That’s the part you control.
Just keep going
My personal mantra has become painfully simple:
“Just keep going. The path isn’t supposed to be easy. Those who carry on can’t fail.”
Most people quit when it gets quiet… and the sad thing is that’s often right before things start to happen.
Keep showing up. Keep building. Keep walking the path.
Because those that carry on can’t fail.