In an era when entrepreneurship is more accessible than ever, transitioning to a solopreneur life is not only possible but practical as well.
You’re a solopreneur if you’re an entrepreneur who does not have employees. You are your own boss — a business owner who has chosen to go it alone because this gives you more freedom.
Most people would never choose this lifestyle as it requires courage and fortitude, but it has many benefits, including flexible working hours and independence from an employer.
In some instances, a solopreneur business might simply serve as a transition between regular employment and a start-up business with employees.
With that in mind, here are 6 simple steps to help you succeed as a solopreneur:
1. Establish marketing strategies
It is time-consuming and expensive to convert web traffic into subscribers. It involves creating an email list, adding an email capture form to your website, and waiting for visitors to sign up. This can take weeks and cost a considerable amount of money for marketing campaigns. Pop-up SMS forms solve the problem by converting web visitors into subscribers via SMS or email in seconds at no cost.
2. Organize using tools
Since you are your own boss, you have to juggle all the responsibilities of running your own business. You need to handle various tasks, such as accounting and marketing. Fortunately, there are many useful tools for busy solopreneurs, such as Calendly, Expensify, Trello, and Shopify.
- Calendly allows you to schedule meetings with other people. You can share a link with someone to suggest a time to meet online or in person. This app helps you remain organized and on top of your workload.
- Expensify helps you keep track of all of your expenses. You can keep a record of receipts, mileage, time, and more from your mobile device. You never have to worry about losing paper receipts.
- Trello is a project management software. It allows you to organize tasks on boards using lists and cards. You can use it to manage your time, stay on track with what needs to be done, and keep in touch with your clients.
- Shopify is a popular eCommerce platform for small businesses. With it, you can create an online store from scratch. Customers can browse products, make purchases, check out easily, and have their items delivered to their doorstep quickly.
3. Consult with a mentor
Running a business poses several challenges for solopreneurs, from marketing to accounting. If you do not have the knowledge and experience to succeed alone, consider finding a mentor.
As someone who operates outside of the traditional corporate structure, the expertise and experience of a mentor can mean the difference between success and failure. Never underestimate advice from a seasoned business professional to empower you to run your business more efficiently. A mentor provides guidance, advice, and access to networks that would not otherwise be available to you.
4. Take some time for yourself
It’s easy to put your own needs aside when running a business. However, it’s critical to schedule some time off for yourself, too. While it might seem like you need to focus on your work as much as possible to make progress, this is only partially true. Unless you learn to pace yourself, you are likely to experience job burnout.
When you’re exhausted, you experience diminishing returns on your investment of time and effort. Even simple things take longer to get done. Set aside some time to do something you enjoy to refresh your mind and rejuvenate your body.
5. Stay focused
You need to stay focused on your goals. This may sound obvious, but there are so many distractions that can keep you from achieving your goal. It requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline to do everything you need to succeed. Avoid getting sidetracked by any unrelated projects and concentrate on those things that matter most to your business.
6. Outsource when you need assistance
Outsourcing to a freelancer can be a difficult decision if you can do the work yourself. Cost, experience, time constraints, and your workload are all factors to consider. Your main concern when outsourcing is evaluating the quality of work that a freelancer will produce.
When deciding whether to outsource your business, think about the pros and cons. Determine whether it is better to do the work yourself or free up your time to do other business-related tasks by hiring someone.
You’re Contributing to the Economy
Entrepreneurs play an important role in the American economy. They account for 81% of all small businesses. Because of a burning desire to work independently and set their own schedules, many individuals prefer to start their own business without having to worry about long hours, abiding by corporate rules, and getting paid much less than they know they are worth.