Successful Solopreneurs Have Something Others Don’t
Successful Solopreneurs Have Something Others Don’t
They’re crystal clear on what they want.
Everyone talks about perseverance. It’s crucial for solopreneurs. To determinedly keep going, even when results don’t come.
But I’ve found that the persevering (and ultimately successful) solopreneurs have something others don’t: clarity.
When you’re clear on exactly what you want and what you don’t want, it becomes easier to keep going.
When you’re clear on what brings you the most money, what brings you the most joy, and how you want your days to be, then everything suddenly falls into place.
Unfortunately, it took me years to get clarity.
In the beginning, I just focused on the money. I quit my job way too early, so I needed to start earning ASAP, or I’d have to find another job.
My ego wouldn’t stand that, so when I started getting freelance clients from Fiverr & Upwork, I dived deep into the freelance world and never questioned it.
I should have. Within a year, I was completely burnt out from trying to offer great quality at low prices. I worked way more than I did at my day job for just a little more money.
I got disappointed in solopreneurship, and I lost years wondering whether it really was my thing.
Now, I know all this pain could’ve been avoided if I had more clarity about what I wanted right from the get-go.
These days, solopreneurship is more popular than ever. Since it’s easy to start, people are jumping in head first, never even thinking about their short-term goals, let alone their long-term business plans.
But I know what’s the result of that, so I want to help you gain some clarity right now.
Your small step for today:
Get a notebook and a pen, and answer the following questions.
Each of these questions could take days to figure out, but for now, let’s just paint a rough picture of your bright solopreneur future. We’ll focus on the details later.
As you’re answering the questions, remember we’re playing the long game, so always double-check if you feel overwhelmed just at the thought of doing something. This means it will never last.
Why do you want to be a solopreneur?
Is it your forever thing?
Is it a stepping stone to a bigger business?
Is it a temporary solution while you’re looking for another job?
It is just a side hustle?
How do you plan to make money as a solopreneur? Choose no more than three ways and prioritize them based on what feels most fun to you.
Sell services (for freelancers, coaches, any service providers)
Earn from platform content (platforms like Medium, Vocal, NewsBreak, X (former Twitter), IG, Substack and others pay content creators)
Sell products (digital or physical, including books)
Sell memberships
Something else
How do you want to spend your days?
I used to offer coaching & copywriting only until I figured out I was much happier blogging. What makes you happy?
How will you promote your business?
Even if you don’t plan to earn money through platforms, social media and content platforms are a great way to build up your audience. How many social media platforms can you manage without going crazy? Which ones do you find most fun?
What are your short-term and long-term financial goals?
How much would you like your yearly income from solopreneurship to be in the next year?
How about in five years?
Can you see yourself realistically making that money based on the income streams you chose a few questions ago? If not, what needs to change?
Would you prefer to be the brand or to start multiple faceless businesses?
The benefit of you being the brand is that everything you do builds up & helps you build a name/reputation/email list.
The benefit of the faceless business is that you can try to make money in multiple unrelated ways. I follow a writer who uses one account to write about fruit (yes, fruit), one account to comment on the news, and one account to talk about her writing journey.
Who are the people you want to work with?
Tony Robins says if you want to build a winning business, don’t fall in love with your product; fall in love with your audience. For me, it’s all about solopreneurs. I love solopreneurship, and everyone who loves it, too, feels like a brother or a sister to me. I want to help them in any way I can.
Who are your people?
I promise you that filling out this simple questionnaire will help you optimize your to-do list and speed up your results by months if not years.
So let’s go!
Sending you tons of creative energy,
Maya
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