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