So You Want to be a Solopreneur

The term "solopreneur" has been around for a few years, but if it's new to you then you might get some funny looks when you tell friends and family what you're up to.

A solopreneur is simply a solo entrepreneur - someone who is committed to building a business on their own, as an independent business owner without full-time employees. Nearly 10% of the workforce in the U.S. fits this category, and the numbers worldwide a likely much larger.

Solopreneurs come from all walks of life and a wide variety of industries

Some careers that lend themselves to solopreneurship especially well include:

I'm sure with help from this community we could create a much longer list, but you get the idea. While any of these professionals can easily be performed as an employee, many who go into their fields relish the opportunity for independence their career choice allows.

Is Solopreneurship Right for You?

If you're thinking about striking out on your own, I highly recommend taking the Solopreneur Readiness Quiz I developed. This is a quick self-assessment to help you decide if solopreneurship is right for you.

Being fiercely independent certainly helps, but that's not the only criteria for success. In fact, being too independent may be a liability of you a reluctant to partner or seek help when you need it. You see, solopreneurs aren't loners. They're simple people who have made the commitment to control their own destiny.

As a solopreneur, you get to decide:

• Your schedule (as long as it aligns with your client's needs)
• What you do from day to day
• Who you work with (I like to say, "life is to short to work with jerks!")
• How much you want to earn
• How fast to scale or grow your business
• Where you live and work
• When to take time off
• When to change directions or reinvent yourself
• How successful you want to be

It's Not All Roses

Don't get too excited, all these rewards come from hard work. You'll have to stretch and get outside of your comfort zone.

To be a solopreneur means you have a sales job, not matter how you look at it. (More on that later from one of our expert bloggers). You have to understand your finances and you must run your operation like a real business: getting customers, asking for money, paying the bills, and doing great work.

That last one bears repeating: Doing great work is essential. You can't coast along and expect to win repeat business. You have to deliver every day in order to build a reputation and earn referrals.

There will be rough patches, unexpected setbacks, disappointments and frustrations. If you have self confidence and don't take these things personally, you'll do just fine.

Are You Ready for This?

If you think the solopreneur life sounds appealing, come along! It's an exciting journey and the Solopreneur School community is here to help. The expert bloggers and I will be posting lots of advice to help you overcome the inevitable obstacles, find new opportunities and learn to thrive.

As our community grows, we'll add new offerings like solopreneur courses, webinars, workshops and soon, a global Solopreneur Summit.

Pack you sense of adventure and join us in the new world of work!

We'd love to hear from you! What career lead you to solopreneurship? What are the biggest challenges you face? Share with us in the  comments below.

Photo via Stocksnap.io

Joey Sargent

Joey is the founder and CEO of Claravon Group and the creator of Solopreneur School. A consultant, business coach, speaker and author, Joey draws on her expertise in strategy, branding and marketing to help entrepreneurs accelerate growth and improve profits.