(Skip this if you've already read this in the biznik thread. Otherwise read on to find the history behind this idea).

------------ So guys, a while back I started a thread about how to help us folks working by ourselves to stay focused and accountable to our work. There were quite a few who shared they also needed help with this. A few of us talked off-line about the pros/cons of various methods and concluded:
1)Creating some-kind of on-line forum or chat group would probably just increase the distraction problem.
2)Email list might work, but what most of us want is actual contact of some form with a real person who is listening and cares to some degree.
3)Everyone is going to have different needs.
4)One possibility would be a biznik event in which people met and chose a 'focus friend' (or whatever name). But then their is the awkwardness of choosing and not being chosen, etc. It's hard to see how that would work (but still open to it).

Conclusion: I've created an online survey where you share the basic details of your type of business, your needs, preferred method of contact (we suggest phone with occasional face-to-face and email), and the frequency you'd like to check-in. Once you fill it out, you'll get the link to see other's requests and then you can contact someone (by email) who seems like a match. They can then check your details as well to see if it looks like it will work for them. They may already be taken, but then again they may be open to multiple partners.

Hope this helps and works, I'm sure it can/will evolve. It'd be great if it somehow could be a feature of one's biznik profile even...wink wink (send an email to Dan/Lara if you'd like that.)