Are You a Good Match for Solopreneurship?

Donna Amos — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 03:36:57 +0000

Cartoonist Jen Sorensen said a solopreneur is a, “captain of an extremely tiny dinghy (boat).” The Urban Dictionary defines a solopreneur as, “An entrepreneur who works alone, ‘solo,’ running their business single-handedly. They might have contractors for hire, yet have full responsibility for the running of their business.” Does this sound like you?
Solopreneurship certainly isn’t a new concept, but its popularity has definitely grown over the past decade. Although the word “solopreneur” is easily interchanged (and confused) with the word “entrepreneur,” there are distinct differences. Both also share some similarities. Nevertheless, just like entrepreneurs, aspiring solopreneurs must possess certain characteristics in order to be well-fitted for the demands and lifestyle inherent in solopreneurism.
Are you a good match for Solopreneurship? Let’s look at some primary characteristics that most solopreneurs possess.

You’re a Self-Starter

Solopreneurs by very definition go it alone and need no one else to motivate them or get them started. They may seek out advice or counsel, or learn from other sources. But solopreneurs are perfectly content going solo and handling all the chores that are part of starting and running a business. In fact, most solopreneurs prefer to handle the details of their business alone because they view it as their chosen journey to fulfillment.
Solopreneur Arman Assadi puts it this way: “We’re starting to wake up to the idea that there’s more to life than following the path that was laid out for you. We’re starting to wake up and get excited about ideas like loving the work that we do, and being able to contribute something to humanity, to your neighbors, even to your friend. Even if you help one person, people are feeling that sense of fulfillment that comes with it, seeing that it’s possible, and waking up to the idea that this is even possible.”

You’re a Hard Worker

No one works harder than a solopreneur. Everything in your business depends on you. If anything is neglected, it’s because you neglected it. This includes all the details and boring tasks necessary to running a business, like invoicing, taxes, marketing, and paying the bills. In addition to doing what actually pays the bills, practicing your primary skill or trade that earns the majority of your income.
Entrepreneur John Rampton has a valuable perspective in Entrepreneur Magazine. He said, “While entrepreneurs can work harder than anyone they know, a solopreneur is a worker by his very nature. If a task needs to be done, his first thought is to roll up his sleeves and start working. For this reason, this new generation of freelance workers and sole proprietors have emerged, with professionals content to run a one-man shop with no intention of bringing another person on.”

You Have a Great Idea or a Marketable Skill

Many solopreneurs launch their own businesses because they have a great idea that will fit into their chosen profession, or even an innovative twist that will disrupt the industry. Solopreneurs have that inner drive this makes them unwilling to surrender their idea to some company and allow it to reap the rewards of their creative thinking.
If it’s not a new idea, it could be the passion to leverage a marketable skill for your own benefit. Talents and skills that are in demand are ripe for solopreneurship in the current business climate. More and more, companies are realizing the benefits of contracting solopreneur freelancers to perform skilled tasks that they used to handle in-house.
Business advisor Meredith Wood offers this advice: “Whatever the case may be, you want to be sure that your great idea (or skill set) has the potential to move from dream to reality. Ask yourself: what is the differentiating proposition that will allow your business to stand out from the competition and remain viable long term?”
Are you ready to pursue a solopreneur’s journey? Need advice? Contact us at Solopreneur Solutions LLC.
What do you think it takes to become a successful solopreneur? Share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments!

The post Are You a Good Match for Solopreneurship? appeared first on Solopreneur Solutions.

Top Surprising Reasons Why Solopreneurship is Exploding?

Donna Amos — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 13:42:34 +0000

Solopreneurship is growing in popularity. The ‘solo entrepreneur’ is a savvy individual who builds and runs a business single-handedly, calling all the shots alone. In this age of global connections, internet-driven money-making potential, and highly specialized work, this go-getter is able to carve out a niche in their chosen industry and realize the dream of a self-supporting business. No bosses. No arguments. No limits. The solopreneur is most definitely here to stay.
But why are so many embracing the glories of solo entrepreneurship? And if you’re reading this blog post and wondering if you should take the plunge, what are your reasons for considering it? While the internet abounds with experts who can enumerate the reasons your bottom line will improve as a solopreneur, I think the intrinsic motivation is more responsible for the explosion of solopreneurs than freedom or finances.
Here are my thoughts for why solopreneurship is exploding.

It’s Possible

More than ever before, becoming a successful solopreneur is possible. The unique combination of factors have combined to make it easier than ever before to leverage your skills, experience, and passion into a profitable business with little-to-no start-up capital or investment. If you have a skill or service to market, there is someone, somewhere that values what you have to offer and is willing to pay you to do it. It’s that simple.
The internet provides a global forum for locating and contracting needed resources from skilled and experienced practitioners. Moreover, the tools needed to collaborate and produce what others need are available to anyone with an internet connection and a laptop, for little or no cost. More and more, the global community is seeking for that certain someone who can demonstrate expertise in a particular specialty, regardless of their location or ethnicity.
Solopreneurism is also more possible than ever because a growing number of successful solopreneurs are leveraging their success to show other potential solopreneurs how they, too, can become successful. Each week a new webcast, video series, coaching series, mentoring relationship, or other paid service becomes available to help budding entrepreneurs transition from dreams to reality. These gurus not only share valuable principles that can apply to every solopreneur, but many go further and provide specific ways to become a specialist and leverage your skills in particular professions, like writing and marketing.

It’s About Passion

Another top reason for the explosion of solopreneurs is passion. For decades, entrepreneurs were challenged with the question, “What would you choose to do with your life if you didn’t have to make a living?” Or, “For what would you pay for the privilege of doing?” Now more than any time in the past, those with the entrepreneurial spirit are able to translate their passion into a career. Making a living at what you love is actually doable; and many are choosing to do it.
Let’s face it; who is passionately slogging through monotonous days of struggling up the ladder in the corporate world? Alarm clocks were invented for those who must blast themselves out of bed each day to face a sad reality, not those who wake on their own eager to invest another day in their dream. When an opportunity presents itself to break free of the grind and go for broke, with a high probability of success, who wouldn’t take that chance?
And while financial remunerations are a large incentive, a growing number of solopreneurs are not passionate about simply making money. They measure success by a different set of criteria, one defined by what they value and cherish about life. For some it’s travel. For others it’s family. Still others want to impact their world in some meaningful way that lasts for generations, and solopreneurship provides the avenue through which their dreams can become reality.

It’s Personal

A third and equally important reason for the explosion of solopreneurs is that it’s personal. Solopreneurs are able to follow their own plan for success and not that of someone else. People at large are beginning realize the idea that there’s more to life than following a path constructed by someone else. We are getting excited about ideas like loving the work we do and being able to contribute something to humanity. We’re more than ready to carve out a life on our own terms.
Climbing the corporate ladder is following someone else’s path to help them achieve success. More and more, people are asking, “Did I deliberately choose to follow this plan and take this direction? If I choose a different, better path of my own making, where would I like the rest of the road — the journey of life — to take me?” Life is too short not to choose our own adventure, to have our own hero’s journey.
Speaking of personal, let’s get deep. You have unique skills, talents, experiences, and contributions that you can and must share with our world. You cannot accomplish that by being simply another cog in someone else’s machine. Your company can and will be completely unique. There is nothing else out there like it, just as there is no one else out there like you. Solopreneurship is the future, and the future is now. The opportunities are truly endless, and so will be your ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction.
I promise you. “Work” will never be the same again!

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