4. Organize Your Own Functions

Once you've joined various associations and formed joint venture partnerships, take initiative and organize functions that bring you all together. These could be business-oriented networking sessions or purely social get-togethers such as a barbeque in local park. Either way, you're forging a relationship with people in your new arena, just as you did when you were working in a corporate office. The only difference is that now you must take initiative to forge these relationships. These are not people you are going to be seeing every day at office.

5. Join a Gym

You are, of course, health conscious and physically active, right? Of course you are! So, why not kill two birds with one stone ... stay fit and meet new people. If you establish a routine that allows you to be at gym at same time every day, you will run into many of same people and get to know them.

6. Use Internet

Making online friends is another way of staying connected with outside world. Be very disciplined here though. It's way too easy to spend a lot of work time on social email exchanges and in chat rooms. Don't fritter away your time, but do seek out and maintain internet friendships.

7. Background Noise

Sometimes, it's only silence that reminds you you're alone. If you come from a corporate environment, your workday was punctuated by constant background noise of telephones ringing, other people's conversations, hysterical laughter from other end of office and lunch trolley pages over intercom system. If you find absolute quiet irksome, turn on radio and have it playing in background while you work. Talk stations are good because it's like having other people in next room, but if you find yourself becoming so engrossed with talk topics that you stop working and start listening, switch to a music station.

There's no avoiding fact that making transition from a corporate environment to a home-based business is just that ... a transition. Most people will have to grapple with isolation monster in early days of their work-from-home career. But, as you can see, there are many ways of keeping isolation and loneliness at bay just by reaching out and forming new associations. Remember, just because you work alone doesn't mean you have to go it alone.

We as home-based or small business folk are one-man (or woman) bands, too. At first, we have to do it all if we want best outcome possible. And even when we can afford to have an assistant, sometimes things have to be done after hours or at a time when that person is sick, on vacation, or busy with something else. When you have "Whatever-It-Takes" attitude, you don't question it, you don't whine, and you don't put it off; you just do it.

Successful people have "whatever-it-takes" attitude because they are more interested in long-term gain than short-term pain.

So get out there and do whatever it takes to be successful. And you will be.