Solopreneurship 101
Twelve points of clarity for being a successful entrepreneur.
First off…
Yes, it is okay to take a day off, and not make being a workaholic “trendy” or “normal”. (Preaching to the choir here folks.)
But, that doesn’t mean my mind always takes a day off. And here’s what is on my mind today.
Being a solopreneur is hard work, especially when you are doing everything on your own. Late nights, early mornings, back-to-back work with very few breaks sometimes, exhaustion, ups, and downs. And if you’re an empath like me, you feel the pain points of clients more deeply than most.
But here’s the thing: you don’t know what it’s like until you actually LIVE it for yourself. All the time I see and hear “I have my own business!” And my question is “but do you though?” Here’s what being a business owner/solopreneur is and what it is not.
1. You ACTUALLY work for yourself, you are your own boss. You answer to no one but YOU, and you hold YOURSELF responsible for when things go right, and when they don’t. You are the 100% founder, owner, and operator.
2. You built it from the bottom up, from scratch, over years and years of hard work and if you’re fortunate, you get a lucky break from the right person seeing you and your hard work, and providing you with a life-changing opportunity.
3. You are able to keep ALL of the profit you make rather than giving the majority of it to a corporation/franchise, etc.
4. You don’t spend money you don’t have (or shouldn’t).
5. In time, you have a handpicked, vetted, qualified, legitimate team of people who are happy to work for you and increase your productivity rather than people you force into working for you so you can get ahead. You don’t step on their backs, you walk beside them.
6. You don’t turn up your nose at people who you deem are not “fitting” to be within your circle, but rather are willing to network and make yourself available to them because you never know what friendships, team building, and business partners you may obtain over time. (I mean, have we not learned anything from how isolating the past year and a half has been?)
7. You have support, as well as being the supporter. Doing it alone without a support system can make the journey so much more challenging. With a truly solid circle of people to genuinely cheer you on and not dump you when the going gets tough, or when your bank account is running low even though you’re working harder than ever, or when you have to decline hanging out with them because you have deadlines to meet and goals to achieve….that’s what you need. Not people who say “I’ll support you in whatever you do!”….and mysteriously are never heard from again.
8. You build trust with the people you wish to serve by DOING THE WORK, and asking them what THEY want, rather than forcing on them what you THINK they want. It’s NOT ABOUT YOU. It is about you serving the people with the expertise and gifts that you have and also investing in them.
9. Did I forget to say you DON’T make it about you? Well, I’ll say it again. DON’T. Celebrate your accomplishments, but celebrate the accomplishments of others that you served and whose lives you had the privilege to change for the better. It is not about how much materialism you are able to flash on your IG stories and Facebook posts. It is insensitive and unethical to do that when people are suffering and barely making ends meet! STOP.
10. LISTEN to the people when they tell you where they need support. They just want to be heard. Just as you want to be heard.
11. LISTEN to the professionals who have been where you’ve been and remember where they came from. Study them. Contact them. Learn from them. Take notes. Be teachable. Ask questions. Apply yourself.
12. And last but not least, be objective. Don’t respond according to feelings and opinions, but according to facts, common sense, and absolutes. Remember, that you are also a consumer, just as your people are consumers. Think about how you would feel if you were them listening to you.
And that my friends, is not even reaching the surface to scratch about what I’ve learned about what entrepreneurship is and what is it not. It’s not about a paycheck and all about you. The amount in the bank is a reflection of your service to the community and should go back into the community rather than temporary and wasteful earthly things or as a means to an end of greed and pride.
