‘It takes a village to raise a child’. A solopreneur version of this old saying is that ‘it would take a passionate purpose and creative mind to raise your own business’. Raising your own company alone is a tough job in parenting. Although they don’t weigh the same in many things, a solopreneur is nothing but a ‘first-time’ parent to its own business. It is a fine journey but a challenging one, too. As your business concept might have started at home while you’re on vacation, or perhaps at the dining table, you will continue to explore and develop it on your own. Starting out a business alone is never easy. That’s why we gathered some best-in-class ideas and tips to become a solopreneur to help you along the way. Indeed, working with innovative startup founders like you is our cup of tea. We’ve partnered with millions of businesses run by solopreneurs internationally. And we realized that there are amazing things we can share with aspiring ‘business-parents’ out there. We will also answer a few questions such as ‘what is solopreneur, what’s the difference between solopreneur vs. entrepreneur. All these and more about what you need to know to become a solopreneur is what we love to share.
Image taken from Samir Goel website
What is a Solopreneur?
Before we get straight to the solopreneur definition, we want to make sure that we talk about a real business run by individuals. It is not just a hobby turn to business kind of thing. We’re talking about a true business owner who runs a real business. Of course, we don’t mean to belittle other small businesses and startups built out of the entrepreneur’s hobby or interests. They are absolutely cool. Let us understand that a business just for hobby's sake isn’t a real thing. So, what does it mean by solopreneur then?
Solopreneur, according to the word itself, is someone who runs a business on its own. The word ‘solo’ is the key term to identify this kind of business owner. A combination of the words solo and entrepreneur is a solopreneur, which simply means an entrepreneur running a business solo. Someone independent in working business errands, a solopreneur can be a make-up artist, a photographer, a designer, a professional, or anyone using skills to make a living. A blogger is one good example of a solopreneur dealing with digital marketing services or the likes, but not all of them can be called solopreneurs. Some prefer to be called freelancers – that is where real-business, side-gig, or hobby comes in between.
Image taken from Oriana Castro website
Understanding the Difference Between Solopreneur and Entrepreneur
We understand that a solopreneur works solo – an Upwork article defines it as a one-person operation. On the other hand, an entrepreneur may run a business with the help of multiple workers.
A simple way to differentiate between solopreneur vs. entrepreneur is that not every entrepreneur is a solopreneur. A solopreneur is a founder, innovator, manager, and worker all simultaneously. It may sound too consuming and exhausting, but yes, some people can do these tasks alone without having supernatural powers. In most cases, a solopreneur runs a business that caters to a specific niche, a purpose-driven cause in the form of service, product, or a unique concept. Entrepreneurs may also focus on a particular niche, but some may need a team or multiple staff to be in the frontline or back them up.
Image taken from In Plan View website
Tips to Become a Solopreneur
To become a solopreneur is not a promising path if you don’t have these ideal traits. Now that you know the solopreneur definition, it is pretty interesting to dig deeper into the secrets of a successful business. So many individuals have tried, but only a few really finish the race. These tips for solopreneurs will make you one of the most successful ones who have taken their businesses to the top.
- Be Passionate and Innovative
- Have a Clear and Realistic Vision
- Set Business Funds
- Be Systematic
- Don’t Get Exhausted
Being passionate and innovative can be two rare qualities but significant to a solopreneur’s success. Running your own business is a success at the very beginning. If you think of starting your own business because it is cool to do so, you must be on the wrong path. You don’t start a business for fame or coolness. You must do it with purpose and passion. Passion is something deeper than ambition – it drives you with the purpose of helping other people or bringing ease to them in some ways. For instance, if you are a mother with a four-year-old picky eater, you may come up with a product that will entice children to eat by themselves – a bunny spoon or a squishy pouch looks like a great idea. Being passionate about wanting to do something for the benefit of others is a win-win. Moreover, one of the tips for a solopreneur is to become innovative. You have to level up your tactics to become a game-changer instead of old ideas that don’t sell.
1. Be Passionate and Innovative
Being passionate and innovative can be two rare qualities but significant to a solopreneur’s success. Running your own business is a success at the very beginning. If you think of starting your own business because it is cool to do so, you must be on the wrong path. You don’t start a business for fame or coolness. You must do it with purpose and passion. Passion is something deeper than ambition – it drives you with the purpose of helping other people or bringing ease to them in some ways. For instance, if you are a mother with a four-year-old picky eater, you may come up with a product that will entice children to eat by themselves – a bunny spoon or a squishy pouch looks like a great idea. Being passionate about wanting to do something for the benefit of others is a win-win. Moreover, one of the tips for a solopreneur is to become innovative. You have to level up your tactics to become a game-changer instead of old ideas that don’t sell.
Image taken from Bryan/Fusco website
2. Have a Clear and Realistic Vision
Create a vision for your business. As a solopreneur, having a clear and realistic vision matters. Since you will be leading your own company, you have to outsmart the obstacles that may come along the way. You may not be able to foresee all of the challenges, but it helps that you are well-prepared enough to absorb or conquer the outcomes of your plans. Attainable goals are as good as realistic vision. When you are determined to achieve these goals with the vision intact in your mind, you are absolutely taking the right path. To become a solopreneur is to overcome challenges and focus only on reaching success.
3. Set Business Funds
Setting business funds or budget is very important from the beginning up until your business is well-established. As a solopreneur, you might need to save some money for future business endeavors, brand and marketing, and product development. There may be instances when you need to set aside leisure travels for your business. Once your own business is stable enough, you will reap the fruit of all your sacrifices and self-deprivations. As the solopreneur definition states that you’ll be working on your own, setting business funds will allow you to do things independently. Setting a budget can help you understand what your resources are. If you need to apply for a loan or financial assistance, setting a budget in advance will help you determine so. You will need to take the right initiative and risks at times but always keep your vision above any plans.
Image taken from Unlocked Capital website
4. Be Systematic
While there are so many tips for solopreneurs that really work, this one is our favorite. Being systematic means, you don’t need to do things repeatedly. You use automated tools for billing, accounting, etc. This is very important as your business grows. When you have developed specific policies and keep them where you can always pull up anytime, that is systematic. Having your own website where people can see the development of your business is a smart idea as well. A business website doesn’t only serve as your online presence but also like a media kit. If you are promoting brand-awareness, it is good to have many options of tech tools to help you come up with a strong brand. Strikingly is one of the go-to website builders with ready brand and marketing tools.
5. Don’t Get Exhausted
You don’t need to do it all. Yes, you read it right. Just because the solopreneur definition states that it's an entrepreneur working solo, it doesn’t entirely mean you can’t get any help from your friends or family members. Technically, you don’t employ them for doing something like a brand logo, product development, promotional materials, etc. You can ask for help. If you get too exhausted doing all the tasks, you make it a blurry vision ahead – focus on a clear vision for your own business. There are so many ways to get things done without you doing it. Indeed, a solopreneur with so many talents is great, but it is wiser to save your skills on more significant steps you make.
Image taken from Strikingly website
Final Thoughts
As one of the top website builders, Strikingly has made several feats in helping our users create the best platform for business, personal portfolio, online galleries, eCommerce, and landing pages. Most of our successful websites are owned by solopreneurs who took courage in building a global website from scratch. With us, you don’t need to do it all. We have a team of experts to back you up. Moreover, you can enjoy the best web services and features to achieve your goals. Starting your own business is a long and painful journey, but when you get it right from the beginning – your vision for success gets more straightforward as you draw closer. Join our multiple users across the globe. We’ll help you get started with your own business. Sign up with Strikingly now!
