Building a business can feel like you’re carrying a weight no one else can see.
You make decisions daily that affect your team, your customers, your finances, and your family. You are “on” all the time. And even when things are going well, you can still feel alone, unsure, and overloaded.
In a recent 2000 Cubit Rule conversation, Jacob Dyke, founder of Anchored Coaching, explained why isolation is one of the most common challenges for entrepreneurs, especially Christian entrepreneurs, and how to overcome it without adding more pressure to your life.
This post pulls together the key takeaways, plus practical steps you can apply this week.
Why isolation hits entrepreneurs so hard
Entrepreneurship is a unique kind of pressure. Few people around you understand what it’s like to:
- Build something from nothing
- Make constant decisions with limited information
- Carry financial responsibility and uncertainty
- Work long hours without clear “off” time
Jacob described it simply: you can end up on a screen for hours, with no real conversation, no objective input, and no place to process the weight you are carrying.
That is where isolation becomes dangerous. It creates an echo chamber.
When the only voice you hear is your own (or the loudest negative voice in your head), fear grows. Doubt grows. And it becomes easier to drift from wisdom, community, and even from God.
The Bible’s warning about isolation
In the episode, Mark referenced Proverbs 18:1, which says a person who isolates himself “rages against all wise judgment.”
That is strong language, and it matters. Isolation is not just a personality preference. It is often a spiritual and practical vulnerability.
Scripture also points to strength in community: a cord of three strands is not easily broken, iron sharpens iron, and when believers gather in Jesus’ name, He is present.
The point is not “be social.” The point is “do not do life alone.”
Two kinds of isolation: horizontal and vertical
One of the most helpful distinctions Jacob made is that isolation is not only about missing people.
Sometimes you feel isolated because you are disconnected from God.
So there are two relationships to rebuild:
Horizontal connection: people
You need relationships with other leaders who understand the weight, and who can speak wisdom into your decisions.
Vertical connection: God
You need time, margin, and attention for God’s presence, not only for strategy, but for alignment, peace, and strength.
This is part of why the podcast is called The 2000 Cubit Rule, making space to follow God’s presence rather than rushing ahead.
How to overcome isolation without overwhelming your schedule
If you already feel overloaded, the idea of “join a group” can sound like another burden. Jacob’s advice was simple and realistic.
Start small, then build
Do not go from zero to 1,000.
Pick one small step, once a month, for three months. Then evaluate.
Examples:
- One monthly breakfast with two other Christian business owners
- One monthly online community call
- One local meetup or chamber event you attend consistently
- One coach conversation every two weeks
Depth beats breadth. Getting deeply connected in one place is often better than chasing 25 places lightly.
Choose community that fits your season
Jacob mentioned options like local relationships, online communities, peer advisory groups, and coaches. Different seasons call for different support.
If your biggest challenge is decision fatigue and overwhelm, coaching can help you slow down and prioritize.
If your biggest challenge is loneliness and discouragement, community can help you reconnect emotionally and spiritually.
Overwhelm usually means misalignment
Jacob laid out a simple framework: overwhelm often comes from one of three gaps.
1) You do not know where you’re going
If there is no clear “north star,” everything feels urgent and nothing feels meaningful.
2) You are not working on the right things
You might be busy all day and still not move the needle.
Jacob gave a real example: early on, he believed a website was the most important thing. But without an audience, without distribution, and without a clear outreach plan, it was mostly invisible effort.
It felt productive, but it was not producing results.
3) You lack systems and accountability
Even with clarity, you still need rhythms, check-ins, and simple systems that keep the right work moving forward.
If those three areas are aligned (vision, priorities, systems), you become hard to stop.
The power of better questions
A major theme of the conversation was questions.
A good question forces you to pause. It slows the swirl in your head. It helps you “zoom out,” like stepping back in a forest to see more than one tree.
Here are examples of questions that unlock clarity:
- Where am I trying to go this year, really?
- What needs to be true for that vision to become real?
- What are the one or two levers that matter most right now?
- What is the next small step I can take in the next two weeks?
- Where am I filling my day with “busywork” that feels productive but is not?
This is also where faith becomes practical. As Mark mentioned in the episode, journaling prayer and asking God questions creates space to hear His direction.
Sometimes God gives strategy. Sometimes He gives peace. Sometimes He recenters your heart. But the space matters.
Integrating faith into business, what it looks like in real life
This part of the conversation was especially important because many believers love Jesus but struggle to connect faith to Monday morning decisions.
Jacob described it as starting with hunger: a desire to honor God with your work.
Then it becomes action: building rhythms that keep you connected to Christ, because fruit comes from abiding, not striving.
Practical examples:
- Wake up 30 minutes earlier for prayer
- Take a half-day “walk with God” once a month
- Pray over clients during lunch
- Pray with your spouse over decisions and direction
- Protect Sabbath-like margin that restores your soul
This does not eliminate hard work. Entrepreneurship still requires grit. But it does redefine the source of your strength.
A simple weekly action plan
If you want this post to turn into results, start here:
- Choose one connection point this week
Text two Christian entrepreneurs and schedule a 30-minute call. - Block 30 minutes for vertical alignment
No phone, no email. Pray, read, listen. Ask one question and sit with it. - Write your north star in one sentence
Not perfect. Just clear enough to guide your next step. - Pick two priorities for the next two weeks
Only two. If it’s not in the two, it waits. - Add accountability
Tell someone what you will do, and when you will do it.
Connect with Jacob Dyke
- Find Jacob on LinkedIn: Jacob Dyke
- Subscribe to his newsletter: Anchored Entrepreneur
- Website: https://anchorcoaching.co
Where SheepFeast fits into the problem
Isolation and overwhelm do not get solved by “more hustle.”
They get solved by structure, support, and spiritual alignment.
That is why SheepFeast exists: to help Christian business owners bring discipline to their business through a Christian Business CRM, plus the training and community support to help you grow without burning out. If you are trying to build alone, you do not have to.