Becoming a solopreneur grants you complete control over numerous aspects of your career path. You get to choose the type of work and the projects you want to work on, you have the ability to set your own work schedule, and you avoid having to answer to someone else – you are your own boss. However, the path of a solopreneur also invites bigger risks that can impede your ability to succeed. Guarantee your success as a solopreneur by following these five tips.

1. Develop a Purpose and Goals

When you start out as a solopreneur, you should have a clear purpose that will guide you throughout the growth process. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the purpose of my business?
• Who is my audience?
• Why does my audience need my service?
• What do I have to offer that potential competitors do not?

In addition to a strong sense of purpose, you should also develop tangible business goals to give yourself some structure and direction. Establish goals you will reach on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis that will guarantee the growth of the business.

2. Learn From the Experience

Even though you start out in business with a specific set of skills, it may not be enough to prepare you for the specific challenges and demands of running a solo venture. Keep an open mind throughout your career and use both your successes and failures as learning opportunities to improve your service.

3. Use Technology to Help

Running a business by yourself can overwhelm you with tasks, particularly those that do not match your skillset. Take advantage of the numerous technological resources at your disposal. Use applications to assist you with tax management, scheduling, and more. If possible, use automation when it comes to online marketing campaigns, invoices, email, client management, and other aspects that may consume more time than needed.

4. Learn to Collaborate

Just because you are a solopreneur doesn’t mean you will not collaborate with other people throughout your career. Establishing strong partnerships with clients is important, as they can provide a reliable work stream, a positive reputation for your service, and an assistance resource for more complex or elaborate projects. Also, make sure to interact with other solopreneurs or people with similar interests and concerns. When you maintain relationships with other peers, you can learn from them, provide them with your own knowledge, and open yourself up for necessary support.

5. Remember Your Humanity

When you are operating as a solopreneur, it can be easy for clients to think of you as a company, rather than a single human being. While you need to work with clients to maintain your business, you should remember that you are also a human being with needs and limits. Make sure that you receive pay according to the labor you provide and the inherent value of that labor. Additionally, just as you should hold yourself accountable for mistakes, be aware of when you need to take a break from work and celebrate after a success.

Choosing the path of a solopreneur has its share of difficulties, as you will essentially engage in responsibilities that entire companies undertake. If you have a sound business strategy and follow the suggestions above, however, you will significantly increase your chance of success.

Additional Resources:
https://startupnation.com/grow-your-business/roadmap-success-solopreneur/
https://smallbiztrends.com/2015/10/solopreneur-tips.html
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/5-things-successful-solopreneurs-always-make-sure-to-do.html
https://www.thedailypositive.com/how-to-be-a-successful-solopreneur/

A solopreneur faces several major obstacles on their path to business success. Not the least of these challenges is the shifting sands of the public relations world. A single business owner already runs all functions of his or her enterprise, and adding the PR hat to that wardrobe is difficult. That said, managing public relations doesn’t need to be a challenge, and solopreneurs are just as capable of running their PR as any other business.

What is Public Relations?

PR is not advertising. The two may appear similar to outsiders, but their content and function could not be more different.

Public relations serves to drum up credibility for a business, without resorting to direct marketing. Advertising, on the other hand, is less about establishing a good rapport with the public as much as it is about making the public awareness of a company in the first place. An ad is about selling; public relations is about enhancing.

Small businesses might look at this dichotomy and think that advertising is all they need to focus on – nobody knows they exist, after all, so what value does PR add to their company?

The reality is that public relations is also a form of marketing – but rather than relying on a plea for attention, it builds legitimacy through well-regarded channels. A good shorthand is that advertising is something like a commercial or the traditional ads in newspapers. PR material, on the other hand, is news like any other – even if the end goal is to draw in customers.

When Should a Business Use PR?

The most important step is to have something to share. It’s not enough to put out a press release if that release is void of any interesting or valuable content. Your company may have just released a new patch for its proprietary software, or you’ve started selling a new type of widget. This is newsworthy. General status updates are not.

Don’t be intimidated because your business is small either. An interesting piece or news article is sufficient, even if you’re the head of a three-person team.

How to Take Hold of Your Public Relations

It may sound surprising, but journalists agree – cold pitches work, but need some special attention to get picked up. First, you should address a specific individual for every pitch, even if you’re working from a template to send to multiple publications. Ignoring the personal when it comes to pitches means you may send a food journalist a release about your new line of grills.

As a solopreneur, your pitches and releases won’t be the same as those of a huge firm with established PR departments. But if you show flexibility with news sites and journalists, as well as a personable demeanor, you are one step closer to successfully managing your PR.

Don’t sweat if your initial contacts don’t work out. Sometimes it’s a matter of journalists being busy people. Other times you may have contacted the wrong person altogether. Either way, your best hope at success comes from follow-up and flexibility.

Additional Resources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2016/01/21/five-things-everyone-should-know-about-public-relations/#659966222a2c
https://www.fastcompany.com/3031515/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pr-to-do-it-yourself
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6498-pr-tips-from-journalist.html
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/313234

A Solopreneur’s Journey: Breakthrough Coaching Equals Scalability

Many people want to start their own businesses but are overwhelmed at the prospect of running a company alone. Others have invested their resources in a unique vision and find they have spread themselves thin by taking on too much. Solpreneur coaching can help those just starting out get their business off the ground. For those in the air, it can ensure a business maximizes its efforts in the current business, leading to more efficiency.

What is Solopreneur Coaching?

Solopreneur coaching is another word for one-on-one business coaching. It helps you tap into your potential as a business owner. A solopreneur coach will help you find your strengths, become a more effective leader, and train other leaders to undertake tasks like running different departments.

Solopreneur coaching can focus on anything you need it to, so before hiring a coach, it’s a good idea to think through your strong and weak areas. For example, if you’re great at talking to employees one-on-one but hate dealing with groups, a business coach can help you hone that skill. If your business isn’t getting enough positive attention, a business coach can help improve your PR skills.

Ways Solopreneur Coaching Helps You:

Goal Setting

When starting a business, everyone thinks about his or her goals. Many of these goals are the same – “I want to provide a service people need,” “I want to sell an innovative product,” or, “I want to see the boss in the mirror every morning.” These are great goals but most business owners get stuck when it comes to enacting them. Sometimes this is due to procrastination, and sometimes it’s because a goal seems unreachable and overwhelming.

A solopreneur coach can take the weight of goal setting off your shoulders. He or she will likely start by asking you a few questions, such as what your best- and worst-case business scenarios look like. You might even be asked to picture what your life would look like if you failed, not because the coach expects you to fail but because she wants you to have options should you need to try again. After this, your coach can help you prioritize your goals and come up with realistic steps to reach each of them.

Longevity

A coaching program can last anywhere from 3 to 12 months or beyond, depending on what you need. A good business coach is willing to stick with you through the long haul. He or she can provide the honest feedback you need and fill the role of confidant. Talking to friends, family, and coworkers about business troubles can be cathartic, but these people are ultimately not the ones you want to seek out because they are too closely tied to your daily life. A business coach can be both sympathetic and objective, for as long as you need.

Scalability

A business coach can help you improve your business’ scalability – its ability to handle a growing amount of work efficiently. As your scalability improves, you will be less likely to feel overwhelmed or have problems meeting your obligations. Additionally, a business coach can help you accommodate your business’ growth, which will bring in more potential clients and make you a better known name in your industry.

CLICK HERE to learn about my Breakthrough Solopreneur Coaching program.

Wide Reach Versus Precision: How a Niche Market is Ideal for Solopreneurs

Entrepreneurship isn’t right for everyone. Entrepreneurs typically want to create and grow a business. They are natural networkers, who may or may not want to hold on to a business after it grows. Solopreneurs, on the other hand, take a different approach to business development.

Solopreneurs are individuals who may not want to grow or sell their businesses. They often don’t want to hire many, if any, employees, and they are typically more interested in the work than in business development. Solopreneurship is a great opportunity for individuals who want to focus on a particular type of work, and who may want greater flexibility than a traditional business role could offer.

Finding Your Niche

If solopreneurship sounds more interesting to you than entrepreneurship, start exploring your unique talents and industry opportunities. Many solopreneurs cannot compete with companies in large markets. They can almost always provide more value to a customer at a lower cost. However, solopreneurs offer personalized attention and may specialize in a niche field that larger competitors will never adequately address. Whether you are a realtor or a writer, find that corner of the market where competitors can’t match your offer, and then develop your expertise.

Solopreneurs who are just starting out may want to recognize their general field, and then start researching product and service offerings in that field. Instead of seeing a large target market and assuming that field has enough room for another competitor, look for where those companies fall short. Those areas represent your opportunity to build a thriving business. As a sole proprietor, you may not need hundreds of clients to turn a profit, and specializing in a niche will improve your competitive standing.

Networking and Benefits of Being a Solopreneur

Networking and marketing are important activities for all business people, but the success of the entire business rests on a solopreneurs shoulders. As the only face of a company, a solopreneur has an advantage. They are in complete control of how, when, and where consumers see their brand. Solopreneurs can take advantage of their unique positions in the marketplace by:

• Building thought leadership – Solopreneurs have to sell themselves as much as they sell a product or service. Building thought leadership in publications and online can improve a solopreneurs visibility, particularly in niche fields.
   
• Creating personal relationships with customers – A solopreneur may not take interest in traditional entrepreneurial networking activities, such as pitching to investors and creating marketing materials. Instead, he or she may focus on word-of-mouth marketing in a local community or among a list of potential clients to build a successful business.
   
• Keeping their customer base as focused or as broad as they want – As a solo practitioner who resides somewhere in between a freelancer and a small business owner, a solopreneur has a certain level of flexibility. Unlike the entrepreneur, a solopreneur may only engage in networking activities on an as-needed basis.
   

Finding your niche and learning how to network are two primary keys to building a successful solo business. Spend time cultivating these two skills, and you can always outsource other activities such as accounting and marketing along the way. For individuals who don’t necessarily want to manage a team or create strategic growth plans in an established business, solopreneurship represents a fulfilling business opportunity.

LEARN MORE: Breakthrough Coaching for the Solopreneur/Entrepreneur

Additional Resources:

• 4 Differences Between Solopreneurs and an Entrepreneur Working Alone
• Six Strategies for Successful Niche Marketing
• The Advantages and Disadvantages of Niche Marketing

Networking Holds the Key to Your Solopreneur Success

Taking on a solo enterprise can be a daunting – and often lonely – prospect. It’s not wise to sequester yourself away and commit to a career without help. Networking is an important contributing factor to your initial and continued success. How do you network as a solopreneur? It’s actually easier than you think. Check out how strategic partnerships can benefit you (and your business) as you both grow.

Find the Right People

Technology makes finding like-minded individuals a breeze. Thanks to today’s interconnected world, you can collaborate with people who share your vision virtually, from anywhere on the globe. Join a problem solving forum, or create a community where you can meet with others and share your ideas. You can search for meetings by industry or discipline using a website like Meetup, which connects people both face-to-face and virtually.

Seek Out Formal Help

Part of being a successful solopreneur is to never stop innovating, and one way to achieve that is to be committed to your learning. You don’t necessarily have to go back to school and get your MBA to achieve this (though that’s a great option). Look into extension courses and business classes through your local community college, or tap into online resources like coursera.org. These types of programs will link you to like-minded individuals with whom you can swap ideas, or just commiserate over a beer or cup of coffee.

Another avenue for formal help is leadership or solopreneur coaching. Coaches can help you design a business plan, hone your vision, establish your brand, or help you with your weaker aspects of running a business.

Don’t Meet With People Who Think Just Like You

We tend to be drawn to people who share our values or think like we do by nature. It’s comforting to share opinions and trade ideas with people who are just like us, but it’s not always beneficial. Communing with those who are different from us can be a valuable exercise. Meeting people with different perspectives serves a couple of different purposes:

Explaining your business plan or vision to someone from a completely different industry can provide you with a much needed dissimilar outlook. It’s easy for someone with industry experience to agree with you or understand your perspective; but explaining your idea to someone else entirely is much like pitching to a customer.

If you’re faced with a vexing business problem, running it under a fresh set of eyes can help you come up with creative solutions. Think of another person’s differences as complementary to your own. Getting a diverse set of opinions allows you to see your issue through a unique lens, and craft a creative solution.

Keep Business Cards Handy

You never know when a valuable networking opportunity is going to arise, so keep your business cards on hand at all times. What started as a causal business lunch or simple meeting could turn into a strategic partnership in time. Always be prepared to hand out your name and number. Keep a stash of other people’s cards in your desk—you never know when you’ll need to pick a brain or ask for help.

Click here to learn about my Breakthrough Coaching for the Solopreneur/Entrepreneur program.

Additional Reources:

• Where to Find a Community If You’re a Solopreneur
• 5 Great Solopreneur Networking Tips