How to Run a Business as an Introvert If You Don’t Like Talking to People

“Not liking to talk to people” is a weird concept in life. But take it or leave it, some of us genuinely have a less-than-normal affinity for interacting with others. Not because we hate people; people are awesome (well, not always, but mostly, people are cool).

The real issue is energy. Socializing takes too much of it. And since humans are naturally wired to conserve energy, as introverts, we end up avoiding what drains us most: talking. If they ever need a president for people like this, I’d make a good candidate. I’m naturally introverted to an almost comical degree.

Growing up, I was the kid who preferred to stay home when my brothers went out to play football. Even to this day, it takes a lot of effort to get me to leave my house. I’m the type of guy who doesn’t want to be seen, heard or heard of. I don’t want to speak, and I prefer not to be spoken to.

My ideal existence is to float through life like a ghost with Wi-Fi: present, but completely untouchable. Kind of a weirdo I am, right? Probably.

It comes with loads of disadvantages in an extroverted world, and mostly, you can barely survive in business with that weirdness. But I’ve found a way to make it work for my use case. In fact, I’m so good at coping with this, I talk to people on different calls more than half the day, and have an aggregate sum of hundreds of staff members directly or indirectly.

How? There are two approaches:

Let’s discuss both.

Related: Being an Introvert Doesn’t Make You a Bad Leader. In Fact, It Just Might Be Your Secret Weapon.

Survival: How to get by

Most conventional advice tells you to “work on your weaknesses.” But sometimes it’s smarter to let weakness be weakness and find your way around it. This is especially true when you have limited time, resources or energy. Survival mode means learning to leverage your actual strengths while developing systems that compensate for your weaknesses.

For me, not having excessive social interaction isn’t avoidance; it’s efficiency. When I force myself into energy-draining situations, I lose the capacity to excel at three other important tasks. The key is building coping mechanisms that preserve your energy for what matters most.

I found invaluable guidance in The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, which explains that “introversion isn’t a handicap in business, it’s a set of strengths. By leaning into those strengths and using specific strategies, introverts can manage businesses effectively without trying to be extroverts.”

Here are some of the survival strategies that keep me functional:

1. Set clear expectations: It’s easier when everyone you work with knows that you’re not a naturally social person. They don’t see you not socializing as rude. And we’re now in a world where introversion is common; most people adapt easily once they understand your approach.

2. Lead with genuine care: If you’re naturally quiet, people might misread you as dismissive. Counter this by being genuinely kind and practicing radical candor. When people know you care about them, they’re more receptive to your feedback and less likely to misinterpret your communication style.

3. Find your preferred alternative communication approach: Identify your least draining communication method and use it strategically. My preference hierarchy runs like this: Chat > Voice Messages > Phone Call > Video Call > Physical Meeting.

   Example: About eight years ago, I worked with a group of about 10 Indian developers to build a software product. I told them no calls. I communicated everything needed through writing and wireframes. We never met, we never spoke, I don’t know what they sound like and the job was still done. I wouldn’t do that now, though, because I’m better, but what I’m saying is, writing did work even for something as complicated as software design.

4. Overcompensate with natural strengths: As introverts, we excel at listening, deep thinking and thoughtful analysis. These are powerful leadership qualities that often produce good results if used correctly.

5. Work with people who can do the talking: Businesses need communicators, so it’s important to have people who naturally excel at talking. This sounds like delegation, but it’s more of smart team composition.

6. Build systems that can do the talking: For instance, documentation. If you have enough documentation, you’ll do less talking. I often create new Notion pages daily to explain, document, and keep information accessible. With good documentation, you repeat yourself less and explain yourself once.

Related: You Don’t Have to Be the Loudest Voice in the Room to Make an Impact

Transformation: How to get better

I’ve mastered the survival phase and found a way to make things work without getting excessively disadvantaged. But recently, I’ve been trying to work my way out of my discomfort.

The goal isn’t to snap out of it completely and become an extrovert (that’s neither realistic nor necessary). And it’s difficult to unlearn something that’s been a part of you since you were born. But we can always get better.

According to science, the only way to get better at talking to people is by talking to people more, which is true, as annoying as it sounds.

Exposure interrupts that “I hate this” cycle. By repeatedly facing situations we hate, our brain engages in extinction learning: the process of unpairing “the situation = stressful.” This means that with repeated exposure, our body’s stress response gradually decreases as the system realizes, “Oh… this is not that bad.”

Here’s how I’ve been exposing myself to uncomfortable situations:

1. Reducing the chance to say no to calls: I hate calls. But recently, I informed most people I work with to start calling me anytime they have something to say. Most of them know I hate calls, so this was a weird new behavior. But when you want to stop hating something, you can’t give yourself reasons to avoid it. If I ask you to call me, I promise to pick up, and also promise to call back if I’m busy at that moment. It’s like a social contract. And when the phone rings, I pick it up without thinking twice. Over time, my brain will start to understand that people won’t bite me through the phone.

2. Practicing storytelling: I’m good at writing narratives but terrible at telling them verbally. I often forget key details or lose the thread entirely. To improve, I’ve started sharing stories I would normally write with people who care to listen. Gradually, I’m noticing improvement in my ability to organize, remember and deliver verbal narratives.

3. Video call comfort: I would randomly turn on my video when joining an online call. Someone recently commented, “Kay didn’t even like calls before, and now he’s asking everyone to turn on video.” I still dislike it, but the only way to stop hating it is to do it repeatedly.

4. Daily interaction challenge: I’m planning a 180-day challenge where I initiate conversation with one unknown person daily, physically or over the phone. I haven’t started yet; these commitments are easier said than done, but I’m building toward it.

5. Improv classes: This represents the highest level of discomfort for me, but I plan to take improv classes to practice spontaneous communication in a structured environment. If I survive improv, I can survive anything.

I’ve also started viewing conversations as problem-solving sessions rather than purely social exchanges. If you have something I need and I have something you need, we’ll talk. This framing makes it easier to be consistent.

Related: These 2 Overlooked Introvert Superpowers Are the Secret to Strong Leadership and Success, Stanford University Expert Says

Bottom line

We all have weaknesses. The first step is admitting them. From there, you can either:

1. Develop strategies to work around your weaknesses = Survival.

2. Actively work to improve = Transformation.

In most cases, the survival approach is more efficient and sustainable. However, targeted growth efforts are necessary for skills that are truly essential to your success.

The secret isn’t to deny your wiring or to force yourself into someone else’s mold. It’s to optimize what you already are while strategically stretching your limits. Ultimately, introversion isn’t a bug to be fixed; it’s a feature to be optimized.

“Not liking to talk to people” is a weird concept in life. But take it or leave it, some of us genuinely have a less-than-normal affinity for interacting with others. Not because we hate people; people are awesome (well, not always, but mostly, people are cool).

The real issue is energy. Socializing takes too much of it. And since humans are naturally wired to conserve energy, as introverts, we end up avoiding what drains us most: talking. If they ever need a president for people like this, I’d make a good candidate. I’m naturally introverted to an almost comical degree.