How Introverts Rule as Entrepreneurs

While many people think you have to be an extrovert to be a business owner, it turns out that’s not true. January 2 is World Introvert Day, so I suggest all of us entrepreneurial introverts unite! Separately. In our own homes. (Staying at home is probably one of the more productive things to do when you need a lot of time for recharging.)

Different kinds of introversion have different time management skills

Although our culture tends to consider introversion as the binary opposite of extroversion, in reality, it’s more like a spectrum. There’s a point for every person where they’re not doing enough socializing because we humans are social mammals and our ancestors survived by banding together. 

Having said that, “enough” socializing for some people (typically introverts) is nowhere near enough socializing for others who are more extroverted. 

Similarly, there’s a point at which you’ve done too much “peopling” and need to rest by yourself for a bit and recharge your energy. Someone who’s more introverted will hit this point a lot faster than someone who’s extroverted.

For business owners, that means that you’ll perform best and have a solid, productive day when your social battery is charged the optimal amount. Those of us who are introverts need to build more recharging time into the calendar, though some may need more every single day and others might be able to save it for the weekend. We also might attend fewer networking events than our extroverted friends, and be pickier about which events we go to.

The productive day for introverted business owners

Being an introvert, contrary to popular belief, doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t like parties or networking events. You might prefer smaller events, or maybe you’ll go to a large party and talk only to a few people. Or maybe you feel comfortable in a very small networking session with maybe two or three other people.

At your workplace, if you’re constantly dealing with customers you’ll probably need more time after work to decompress. However, other entrepreneurs, depending on their businesses, may be able to deal with clients online and automate much of the interactions, which can make life a bit easier for introverts.

And introverted or not, having some play time actually helps you have a more productive day! Give your brain a rest and do something else that you enjoy but doesn’t take the same kind of brain function.

Networking can be a productive thing to do… even for an introvert

For some introverts, networking events strike fear into their very hearts! But when you think about networking in terms of building relationships (instead of being the dreaded social butterfly), you can choose who you want to get to know better. Going to events that are specifically designed for introverts or ones that feature smaller breakouts might be more comfortable. 

In most groups, it’s not necessarily the event itself that brings results but meeting someone that could be a prospect or a referral source and getting to know them outside the event. Many introverts are good in one-on-one situations, and having coffee or lunch with someone you met at a networking event is a low-stakes way to get to know them better that’s less stressful for you.

Recap:

Introversion is a spectrum, not a binary choice. Networking and socializing are important ways to stay productive for introverts too, but may require superior time management skills so you don’t run out of charge from “peopling” too much without a break!