I am the Best Boss I’ve Ever Had!
What I’ve Learned in 13 Years as a Solopreneur
What I’ve Learned in 13 Years as a Solopreneur
Today, October 16, is #NationalBossDay, and today I celebrate ME!
What I’ve Learned in 13 Years as a Solopreneur
In 2008, right in the middle of the #GreatRecession and after two previous careers in education and corporate sales, I decided I never wanted to work for anyone else ever again. I knew being a writer and an editor was not the same as having a writing and editing business, but I was confident that I had the experience and expertise needed; I just had to learn how to turn those competencies into a viable, profitable, and self-sustaining business model.
My daughter, herself a world-renowned writer, poet, and spoken-word artist with several published books, had developed her own business as a consultant to other creatives. In May 2008, as the family gathered Indiana for the graduation of my nephew from Purdue, I discussed my self-employment idea with my daughter. She told me: “Mom, you can do this!”
So in the month of June 2008, I say in front of my computer for the whole month and taught myself how to go into business. I studied every website, read every book, developed my business and marketing plans, and made my own little one-page static website. The only “Plan B” that I had was my husband’s “good government job,” which at the time paid him $70K plus full benefits.
Two people could actually live an OK life on that salary (I know, “first-world” problems), but I have worked since I graduated from high school at age 16. I didn’t know how to live without having a job/career of my own.
So, on July 7, 2008, I opened the doors to my new writing and editing business. I got my first client that very first week. Two months later, I secured my first international client, and suddenly, I was a global enterprise!
The Five Things I’ve Learned from Being My Own Boss
You will often work harder for yourself than you ever did as an employee, but it is all yours. The good parts of running your business are yours, and the bad parts of running your business are yours. Own them both.
Do not work all the time. You usually have the freedom to set your own hours, but that doesn’t mean you are supposed to be working all the time. Set a certain amount of time for the other parts of your life and stick to those times to do other things besides work.
You cannot do it all. Even as a solopreneur, learn to stay “in your lane” and do the things you know you’re good at and find other contractors to hire on an as-needed basis to do the other things that are necessary but that you may not be good at. For example, I am NOT a graphic designer. I don’t know how to use Adobe™️ InDesign™️, but my graphic designer is an expert with that app. Why should I spend my time trying to learn and use it when she can complete what I need to be done in less than 1/2 the time and with her level of expertise? I also learned early to hire a part-time administrative assistant to do the “back office” work.
Schedule no more than three MITs (Most Important Tasks) in one day. It really is nearly impossible to do more than that and do them well. Make that one of your MITs includes at least two uninterrupted hours for “Deep Work.” For me, my Deep Work time is for all of the writing involved in my businesses, including the print and ebooks I plan to publish each year.
Enjoy the journey. You went into business for yourself because you wanted to work on something you love and are passionate about. Don’t let the inevitable problems steal your joy. Every day, remember at least one thing that went right that day and write it down in your journal or planner. That way, you can go back and refer to those entries when something gets you down during the day.
According to an article published in Entrepreneur magazine, up to 50% of new businesses fail within five years. Through hard work, persistence, belief in myself, and learned how to adjust and pivot as necessary, I am proud to say that I have made it to over thirteen years as a solopreneur and being my own boss. I wouldn’t trade the experiences for anything in the world.
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Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.