I recently celebrated my first anniversary of starting a business. There are some things about being a solopreneur that turned out to be harder than I thought they would be, some things that weren't as difficult as people told me, and some things that were absolute surprises and delights.
Related: Christy Wright's Top Tips for Starting a YouEconomy Business
My business is still in its infancy, but it was an educational start. Here are just a few of the many lessons I've learned along the way so far:
1. There is (a lot of) stress. But there is also control.
One thing I think I underestimated is the stress that can come with the business development side of being a solopreneur. It's just me, so I don't have the pressure to support other people's livelihoods, but if I don't hire the company, I don't get paid. And it's quite a different feeling than getting a regular monthly paycheck from a corporate employer.
That said, I really like the absolute direct link between my efforts and my reward. I like that if I'm willing to work more, I can make more money. This feeling of control makes the long or odd hours worth it, because it is my choice and my decision.
2. There is flexibility.
I also like the flexibility that comes with this type of career. I tend to work in sprints and find that without the endless meetings of corporate life, I can mostly work when I'm most productive and stop working when I've exhausted all my mental energy. My work time is now much more focused, allowing me to squeeze in a lot more productivity in fewer hours.
In an office environment, I've always felt like I had to be physically there for a number of hours, even though I actually had nothing to do or was already mentally exhausted for the day, which was just wasted time. I work from home now, which makes this “sprint scheduling” feasible and also allows for other side benefits, like wearing comfortable clothes most of the time, eating lunch in my own kitchen, having my dogs curled up at my feet while I work and of course the occasional impromptu dance party just because .
3. It doesn't have to be lonely.
Another thing other consultants warned me about was the feeling of isolation – either feeling lonely being alone all day or missing the feeling of being part of a team and having other people to bounce back with. I actually didn't find it to be a huge problem for me personally for two main reasons.
First, I'm an introvert, so I really like being alone most of the time (plus, I spend time with my husband and my very energetic 3 year old son during non-working hours). And second, I proactively schedule regular one-on-one networking meetings as well as professional events. I try to have coffee or lunch with business contacts (new and existing) once or twice a week and attend a formal or informal business event at least once a month – things like Meetup, CreativeMornings , NewCo, ProductCamp, etc.
4. It still takes a village.
This last point ties into another challenge that I have identified as a solopreneur:how to stay current and current in your area of expertise and continue your professional development. These local events I mentioned along with attending carefully chosen professional conferences can provide a great boost not only to creative energy and inspiration, but also to technical and specialized learning.
I had somewhat taken for granted access to the vast resources of a corporate employer who truly invested in people development, including regular training programs and access to top notch experts in various fields. Now I try to nurture my own informal network of experts to help fill that need:people I can use as sounding boards, subject matter experts and mentors – a list as varied as previous bosses and colleagues, friends from college, my author/artist/life coach sister, and even my math-savvy father-in-law. It's my personal "village" and it's one of my most valuable resources.
The other powerful resource I rely on is my professional network – the collection of all my previous peers, team members and managers who also left our former corporate employer to work for new companies, agencies or even start their own business. I can't imagine how I could have succeeded in my freshman year without those connections. Not only did my first clients come from these contacts, but almost my entire list of projects to date can be traced, directly or through referrals, to this professional network. Consulting is indeed a relational activity, and I am very happy to have had 14 years to develop these relationships before starting my own business.
5. You have to ask.
The last lesson I learn is to ask. It's amazing how far you can go by just asking:ask for introduction, ask for help, ask for information, ask to meet, ask for company. As the saying goes "the worst they can say is no", and I'm amazed at how often people say yes.
Most people really want to help, especially those who are starting or start again, and I was amazed by the courtesy of close and casual contacts – and even contacts of a contact – to volunteer their time, advice, feedback and facilitation of introductions. I've also tried to pay it forward by sharing my time and advice with others in my network as well as mentorship in my local startup community.
I've only been a little over a year in this adventure, and I know that many more lessons, challenges and pleasant surprises await us. I guess the #1 thing I learn is to enjoy the journey and embrace the possibilities. When we are children, we think we can do anything; our whole lives are ahead of us, and it seems possible that we could be a ballerina-princess-doctor or, my son's current aspiration, a firefighter-astronaut. As we go to school, we learn – or we are told – what we are good at and what we are not. Over time, our funnel of opportunities seems to narrow until we are defined by one university and then one job description. My leap into freelance work has widened that funnel even further as I now have the freedom to write my own job title and description, or even have multiple job titles. And for that, I am deeply grateful.
Related: 5 Death-Defying Adventure Lessons Taught Me How to Face My Fears as a Solopreneur
