When you first set out to grow a new business, the mere idea of it might keep you up at night. You compare yourself to other people on social media and get caught in a cycle of shame. Why aren’t you there yet? Are you missing some magic secret success ingredient? You spend your time wondering how you can succeed as a solopreneur.
Chances are, there’s no one “thing” they’re doing that you aren’t. It’s more likely they just started before you and have more entrepreneurial experience under their belt.
So in this post, I’m going to help you shake off comparisonitis and start feeling confident in the progress you’re making week to week!
I’m breaking down 9 strategies to succeed as a solopreneur without overwhelm.
Make sure you read to the end because I’ve got a bonus strategy that is essential to help you succeed as a solopreneur!
1. Forget about spending money to make money
If you want to grow your online business, the exact opposite is true. You have to create a business budget upfront for your expenses.
This is #1 on the list because it is so easy to spend unnecessary money in the beginning stages of building your business. Some of the things you may be tempted to spend money on immediately could be your logo, website, social media advertising, and more.
Be careful not to overspend when trying to budget your expenses.
When you spend unnecessary money early on, it can throw your budget out of whack. Instead, focus on your business goals, systems, and results first. Then, as your business grows, you’ll be able to allocate space in your budget for your logo, website, and additional expenses, down the line.
2. Hold off on telling everyone about your goal
This doesn’t mean you can’t tell your sibling or best friend about your goals to build a thriving online business.
But when you do that, you risk getting biased information from someone that’s not walking the same path as you. If your sibling or best friend has never owned a business before, why would you need their opinion or input on your goals?
Sometimes, when you tell your goals to the wrong people, they may not be as supportive as you’d hope and may instead try to talk you out of it. Surely, that’s not what you want, especially if you want to succeed as a solopreneur.
Instead, seek input and advice from peers that have already walked the path you are on. These are people that have already paved the way and can provide you with the pros and cons of your goals.
3. Supercharge your digital organization with the right tools
Before you dive in full force with your business, you should start with organizing different parts of your business. For example, have a plan for organizing your content you will publish.
Next, you’ll want a plan for organizing your client and/or customer files.
That way you’ll know exactly what to do and you won’t be shooting in the dark. Plus, the things you commit to are the ones you’ll follow through with.
If you’re really serious about growing your business, you have to hold yourself accountable.
Getting as organized as possible will help you do it.
4. Always have a morning routine
Regardless of what your goals are, having a morning routine is always smart. If you take the time to map out your day to day activities and goals, people will look to you as an authority and responsible business owner.
Pro tip: Write out your morning routine and assign time limits to each task in your morning routine. Once you’ve set a time limit for each task, turn on your timer each morning to ensure you complete your full routine. No room for BS here! It’s been said that what gets repeated, gets rewarded.
For example:
Three things included in my morning routine are: 1) Personal development reading, 2) Breathing exercise, and 3) Gym. I set my timer when I’m ready to complete my morning routine and commit to getting it done every day.
5. Get clarity and guidance when you need it
It’s easy to get stuck.
Maybe you’re putting the time in but still unable to reach your marketing goals. Maybe you’re struggling to make the changes you need to make.
It’s one thing to get stuck temporarily and feel confused about what you should be doing. But when it goes on too long, you can fall into a rut and lose your motivation. This is also when burnout can creep in, and you don’t want that, especially if you want to succeed as a solopreneur.
So if you’re struggling to get digitally organized in your business, it may be time to reach out to a coach like me for guidance and clarity.
When I first started out, my organization was good, however I wanted it to be great. I knew there was more room for me to grow in that area. So, I started seeking help from other online coaches. I invested in certain courses that would help me, and have been able to streamline my organization and develop the right systems for my business.
I knew I couldn’t do it all on my own, so I decided to get the right help from other coaches who were already experts in what I needed help with. As a result, I have a system for every part of my business.
There are many ways that a coach can help:
- Get clear on exactly what to do
- Hold you accountable to getting it done
- Help you with the tech side
If you’d like to work with me, click here to schedule a discovery call.
6. Level up your online marketing with Trello
Have you seen Trello?
It’s a project management tool that will help you keep every part of your business organized.
Trello is an incredibly powerful way to complete all your business tasks including streamlining your marketing tasks too.
Here are two examples of how I use it:
- Every time I publish a blog post, I use Trello to lay out the foundational details of the post in order to complete the first draft.
- Right after completing my blog post draft, I use it to track where I share the post online.
- I also use it for my weekly email marketing campaigns. I plan out the topic of each email and layout my talking points.
There are other organizational tools out there that will help you get results from your organization. The reason I prefer Trello is that I can manage all my business tasks in one place and it makes streamlining all of my projects that much easier.
7. Use content promotion
The next strategy is easy but not obvious.
Most people will tell you to post content every day.
I tried this, and here’s what happened:
- Burnout happened for me. As a solopreneur, we have many responsibilities when it relates to content. Some of those responsibilites include social media marketing, graphic design, web design, copywriting, and email marketing. Then there is scheduling photoshoot days. Plus, various administrative tasks.
- I was focused more on posting than I was on the right “type” of posts and growth in engagement.
Posting every day is possible, however you need to be in a position to sustain that type of responsibility.
What do I mean by that? If you’re working a 9-5, in addition to running your business, as a solopreneur, posting daily can become a challenge.
To succeed as a solopreneur, with various tasks and responsibilities, you need to have the right systems in place, and be using the right tools. I began outlining all my tasks, and created processes for each one, with specific tools.
That is when I found my sweet spot and developed my specific content promotion strategy.
Once I started applying my content promotion strategy, I was able to increase my engagement and grow my audience without spending all my time writing blog posts, social media copy, and emails.
Here’s how it works:
- First, I outlined each of my tasks for every part of my business using Google Docs.
- Next, I used Trello to outline my process for each of my tasks. For example, for every blog post I publish, I have all the steps outlined, from step one (ideation) a.k.a the pre-publish steps, to the final step of publishing the post.
- Once a blog post is published, there are additional steps that need to be taken to promote the blog post. These are my post-publish steps. An example would be promoting it on an Instagram or Facebook post.
I follow the above format for every blog post that is published.
8. Put it down on paper
There’s a lot that goes into building an online business, and a written plan will help you build upon your strategy and continue getting results.
What to include in your plan:
- Outline every task you currently perform in your business
- Use Trello to outline a process for each task. Whatever steps are included need to be included in the process.
- Once you have all your tasks outlined, you will then be able to follow your established process repeatedly.
Keep in mind that as time goes on, your goals will too. It’s important to check back in every 3 months. You may notice that you need to adjust your social media content in order to keep growing your audience. Or, you may realize it’s time to switch gears and dive into Instagram or Facebook ads.
If you’re specific with your goals, outline your strategy, and put it on paper, you’ll have something tangible to track and measure. Then plan your next steps.
9. Bonus! Download the Top 10 Tools To Grow Your New Online Business as a Solopreneur checklist
Wow, you made it all the way here. You deserve a cookie and my 10-point checklist, Top 10 Tools To Grow Your New Online Business As A Solopreneur.
Click here to download a printable PDF so you can keep these tools handy.
Wrapping it up
I hope this post showed you that every step you take is a HUGE win. 🙂
So raise your hand, reach around and pat yourself on the back! Growing an online business doesn’t come easy, but you’re doing it!
From your digital organization to content promotion…
…just keep going.
Every step is getting you closer to your finish line so you can succeed as a solopreneur. And at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.
So now I want to turn it over to you.
Which of these strategies will you be trying first?
Are you going to use content promotion?
Or Trello?
Let me know by leaving a comment below!
9 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Succeed as a Solopreneur Share on X
WRITTEN BY
Demet Nicole
Online Marketing Entrepreneur & Business Coach
As an online marketing entrepreneur and coach, Demet Nicole helps entrepreneurs create, organize, and brand online businesses, beyond the 9-5.
