What's the solo business model of the future
The analysis & the answer.
In a world where every guru is telling solopreneurs to grow audiences, market harder and scale to seven figures, I’m saying the entire framework is wrong.
I am nervous about saying that but I say it because I’ve lived it.
The truth is, you trying to become the next Dan Koe (±$5 million per year as a solopreneur) is like a startup founder trying to build the next Uber or Airbnb.
Possible but doubtful. And an aspiration that shouldn’t necessarily be achieved for you to be a success & live the life you want.
As a solopreneur, you’ve been handed an entrepreneurship map and told to navigate a completely different territory with it.
Solopreneurship is NOT small entrepreneurship. Solopreneurship is a craft-based model and as a craft-based model, it’s all about what you sell.
And then there’s marketing.
First, what you sell. Then marketing, visibility, tooting your own horn.
The Internet tried to flip that.
Become famous, become viral, then start selling the same shit everybody else does because the “getting viral” part took all your time and you never gave the “what am I selling” question enough thought.
You’re a solopreneur, remember? No need to scale infinitely. No need to get ALL the clients and ALL the readers.
But you do need to do something you fucking believe in. Now more than ever.
(Woof, I’m a bit rough around the edges today. Sorry, just coming down of the emotion of reading another marketing guru.)
If you’re with me so far, let’s talk about what solopreneurship business model is best for the age of advancing AI so you know what to sell and how to sell it.
The 3 business models of solopreneurship.
The business models (or business pathways) in solopreneurship are:
Service-based solo business
Product-based solo business (this includes digital & physical products)
Content-based solo business (not content as a marketing tool but content as the core business function)
You can read more about these business models, their advantages and disadvantages, and which one might be the best fit for you here.
Which business model is most resilient in a world of advanced AI?
Obviously physical products are safe, so I won’t be focusing on these for now. If you’re selling handmade something on Etsy, AI is a tool for you, not a competitor.
But what about the rest?
A few years ago, I started to move away from the services business model which made me a 6-figure solopreneur and towards the content business model (specifically writing) which has always fascinated me.
It is a very slow transition and I’m okay with that. My content business still isn’t my primary source of income, and it’s largely because I choose to build a foundational theory of solopreneurship—a model of work used by millions that differs from traditional entrepreneurship and employment, yet doesn’t have the intellectual structure to support its participants.
This builds slowly. I’m applying for masters in System Dynamics. I’m working o a book. I spend hours researching and talking to Claude about each piece I send you.
But I believe in what I build and if there’s anything you need to cling on for dear life during the AI age, it’s what gives you a sense of deeper meaning.
Yet, I’m worried. AI is smart and it can produce infinitely more content than I ever can.
So do I stand a chance? Or do I need to go back to offering services? Or do I need to start offering digital products?
I figured if I’m wondering, you’re probably wondering, also.
So let’s dive in.