The people best equipped for the future of work are the ones most hesitant to enter it.
While traveling to my in-laws for the holidays, we listened to Yuval Noah Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.
In the chapter about work (When You Grow Up, You Might Not Have a Job), he discusses how AI and machine learning are advancing far beyond routine tasks into areas that require pattern recognition, decision-making, and even creativity.
And we know from experience that technology only ever develops faster. Even if new jobs emerge, can humans continuously reinvent themselves fast enough to stay ahead of machines?
What would a world without work be like?
The idea of universal basic income comes to mind. It’s been shown to work well in many small-scale programs, but it addresses only economic needs — not the psychological and social needs that work fulfills: purpose, structure, and identity.
Losing economic value could be deeply destabilizing for people and societies built around the idea of work as central to human dignity and meaning.
This only reinforced a belief I’ve held for the past few years.
Solopreneurship is the future of work — especially for top-level experts.
It’s simply the most flexible form of work.
Solopreneurs are:
used to disruption
faster to re-educate
more tech-savvy
identity-driven
self-motivated
Solopreneurship allows experts to contribute at the highest level of their abilities, retain full control over the outcomes they produce, and work in temporary, project-focused teams to support big goals.
But it’s precisely the experts who would benefit most from the solopreneurship model who doubt it.
Experts were trained inside systems — and solopreneurship (seemingly) removes systems.
Experts learned to operate where goals were defined, success was legible, authority was obvious, and progress was measured externally.
Solopreneurship removes benchmarks, feedback loops, and role clarity — so expertise doesn’t transfer cleanly.
On top of that, solopreneurship delays proof of concept and raises concerns about opportunity cost. Most of my readers aren’t in their twenties. They think: What am I not doing if I choose this? and How reversible is it?
In short, experts have more to lose.
Even though a disruption is looming, you — the expert — still have time. Maybe a few years. Maybe a decade. And staying where you are always seems less risky, even when it’s riskier.
My goal for 2026 is to move you forward to a place where:
you consciously choose solopreneurship (if you haven’t yet)
you build — or rebuild — the foundation of your solo business for long-term success in a fast-changing world
The theme of Smarter Solopreneurs for 2026 is:
How serious people build triumphant independent work in a crazy world.
In the next 12 months, we’ll talk about:
→ How to Decide What Game to Play (before it’s too late)
Solopreneurship offers too many options, and the 5am hustle bros shouting must-dos you don’t want to follow don’t help.
You need to understand the real economics of independent work.
You need to see AI as both an amplifier and a commodifier.
You need to learn to trust yourself — and a set of signals above all else.
→ Legitimacy in a Noisy, Devalued Internet
Once you tentatively choose a path, you immediately start doubting yourself.
This determines whether you speak up and how you show up online.
If legitimacy isn’t addressed early, you start to self-censor, chase vanity metrics, and lose yourself (and a lot of time).
This is where we’ll talk about focus as a moral choice, not a tactical one.
We’ll build models for sustainable effort vs. chronic over-exhaustion and address the time-horizon mismatch (yes, I blame the hustle bros).
→ Building Authority Without Institutions
This was the biggest shock I experienced when I first quit my job.
If you’re no longer backed by a company, a brand, or a title — how do you prove your worth (to others and to yourself)?
My wish for 2026 is that more serious people — often high achievers in companies and top experts in their fields — enter the solo business model with confidence and build the foundations right.
So that when workforce disruption arrives in full force (and it’s already started), you’re prepared to face it.
I’ll see you next week,
Maya
PS. If you’re a paid subscriber of Smarter Solopreneurs on the yearly plan, you’ll receive your Positioning Questionnaire tomorrow.
Focus on a new job or focus on building a business as a solopreneur? Maybe a force-functioning effort.
One of the scariest things about doing your own thing is giving up the illusion of safety. But you have little to no control over that safety the corporation offers.