Solopreneurship: The Badass, No-Bullsh*t Approach to Building a Business That Makes You Jump Out of Bed
Empower Your Vision and Creativity With This Revolutionary Road to Success
This article originally appeared on the Visionary Solopreneur Substack newsletter.
In a previous post, I gave an eye-opener about why the traditional “build a huge company” type of entrepreneurship is like drinking piss straight from a stallion’s dickie.
If you haven’t read it, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Go and bookmark that edition and you will thank me for unchaining you from the old paradigm.
Today, you want to sit at the edge of your seat and get your notebook because I’m gonna send some missiles of solopreneurship goodies your way.
Solopreneurship unchains you to build a kickass, unstoppable empire with zero f*cks given and no regrets
Now, let’s start by talking about solopreneurship — the sexy, badass cousin of entrepreneurship.
There aren’t movies, yet, that were made about solopreneurs. Maybe your story will be the basis of one in the future.
It’s hard to outright define what solopreneurship is.
Many will have the wrong notion that this is an “I am building a business in my own world. Get the f*ck out of my face and let me build in peace” kind of thing.
But no, it’s not that. So let me just describe it in a single sentence to help you understand and then later I’ll expound.
It’s a business where you don’t need huge monetary capital, leave your job, betray your best friend, be in rivalry with other solopreneurs, and lick the ass of investors in order to start making some serious dough from it.
This does not mean it cannot “scale” like a traditional entrepreneur business
Personally, first and foremost, my own motivation for becoming a solopreneur and succeeding in business isn’t to be a billionaire (or even a multimillionaire) that owns mansions, fancy Lambos, and flashing that shiny bling-bling.
All I want is to have the freedom to do the things that make me happy, spend as much time as I want with my wife, friends, family, and loved ones, and work on projects I truly enjoy with or without making money from them, and serve my community and church.
I don’t know about you, but for me, such a business has reached enough scale when it reaches a point where the cash flow that it puts into the solopreneur’s pocket is more than enough to allow them to have this freedom.
That cash flow does not need to be a million dollars a month, not even a million dollars a year.
But if millions are your fancy then it can be that too.
Your solopreneur business doesn’t need to serve millions of people to give you this freedom. A few hundred loyal recurring customers are enough for this.
This makes your solopreneur business intimate and more personal.
It still has its own set of risks
One risk is churn. A few or many of your recurring customers can and will stop buying from you.
But you can easily mitigate this risk by having a few, independent of each other, solopreneur business machines.
When one has a low point, the others can pick up the slack.
Now let us go to the advantages of a solopreneur business.
Two Comma Dojo subscribers get exclusive access to e-books, video courses, and other awesome solopreneurship content. So click the button now and don’t miss getting these goodies.
The capital requirements are low.
This means you can kiss those pesky investors goodbye.
And we’re not just talking about a little bit lower capital — we’re talking way lower.
This is especially true if you start as a creator (which I recommend you do). As a creator, all you do is use the internet to “create” awesome content (articles, videos, templates) for your potential customers.
I don’t know about you but that sounds to me like you can do it for free or a few bucks at the most!
You can still have a job while you’re in “startup mode”
As a solopreneur, you can keep your 9 to 5 until the money your business puts in your pocket is at least equal to your salary.
Or, if you are one of the blessed few and are in a job that you can say you sincerely love, then you can keep it as long as you like without affecting your business’ momentum.
That’s one of the main jewels of solopreneurship. It can put you in a position where your job doesn’t hold you by the balls. You have the option to leave if you desire.
No fear about how you and your family will get your next meal if you resign.
On top of that, as I mentioned in my previous article, your job can provide you with the working capital you need during your solopreneurship business startup phase.
No employees! No problem!
You don’t have to deal with other people’s drama.
Instead of employees you can use automation tools and collaborate with other solopreneurs and freelancers for tasks in your business that are too boring for you, repetitive, or others can do better.
Imagine waking up every morning, working on projects that genuinely excite you, and calling all the shots.
You can work in your pajamas if you want — hell, you can work naked if that’s your thing (just don’t be a perv!!!).
The point is, you’re in control, and it’s freaking liberating.
And the cherry on top? You can run your business the way you want — no corporate bullshit, no board meetings, just pure, unadulterated freedom.
Let’s now obliterate the myth of the lonely business badass and unleash the true Power of Collaboration
Now, don’t get it twisted — solopreneurship doesn’t mean you’re a hermit, living in a cave, and doing everything yourself.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
You’ll collaborate with other solopreneurs, creating a badass network of like-minded individuals.
You’ll work with freelancers and subcontractors (who are also solopreneurs, by the way) for monotonous tasks, like bookkeeping and website maintenance.
And you’ll even co-create products with your customers, tapping into their knowledge and experience to create the ultimate offering.
It’s like a big, happy, entrepreneurial family, but without the awkward holiday dinners.
And you know what?
This network of collaborators can be even more powerful than a traditional team of employees.
You get access to a diverse range of skills and perspectives, without the hassle of office politics and employee management.
Picture it like this: you’re Iron Man, and your network of collaborators are the other Avengers.
You’re all superheroes in your own right, but when you come together, you form an unstoppable force that can save the world (or at least create some kickass products and services).
The creator economy is the best environment to be in as a solopreneur
Solopreneurship is the freaking rockstar of the creator economy. This is why we also hear of the term “CREATORPRENEUR”.
Solopreneurs all need to be creators in this economy.
The internet, software, and now AI has given you and me the superpowers needed to create massive value for any target customer we can imagine.
This is a power that would have made John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie own the whole world had they put their hands on it.
Imagine not having to build gigantic infrastructure just to create and distribute products all over the world — reaching your customers at the speed of light.
Your creativity is unleashed like a wild beast, and you get to call the shots on everything from branding to product development.
It’s like being a kid in Lego Land, with endless opportunities to create valuable content and make a real impact.
You won’t need a marketing team to create buzz for your business.
As I will share in a future post, you will be your business’ top marketer, you have to be.
Nobody else should know your business and, more importantly, your customer (potential and current) better than you.
The digital ecosystem is what makes this kind of “entrepreneurship” scalable.
You don’t need to create a brick-and-mortar kind of business anymore just to “be in business”.
Digital products are something you can create even after you just had a quick shit in the toilet.
What are examples of these products? I will provide a quick list here and then in a future post, we will tackle this deeper when I talk about my Two Comma solopreneur plan.
- E-books
- Courses
- Google Sheets, Notion, Trello, or Canva templates
- Paid online communities and membership sites
- Affiliate for other entrepreneurs’ products
- Build your own Micro SaaS such as mobile apps or browser extensions
I would recommend starting with #5 — Affiliate Marketing as this allows you to focus on the foundation of building an audience and an email list (which every solopreneur should be a master of). This is actually Phase 1 of the Two Comma plan.
Generate a credible cash flow from Phase 1 and you can have the necessary firepower to move on to creating your own products (the rest in the list and much more).
People are hungry for learning and self-improvement, which means there’s a massive audience out there just waiting for your unique insights and expertise.
You are in the best position to serve them — create, create, and create.
I hope so far your solopreneur desire is starting to get so aroused you want to start banging your keyboard.
You can validate any ideas quickly — prevent waste of time and money from creating products that will only be good as toilet paper
In the past, businesses make detailed business plans before launching only to learn later on that their plan is shit.
You cannot theorize your way to success in business.
Even in the startup world where they preach the science of lean, we still find entrepreneurs who glorify acting before learning what really works — they start hiring massively, and expand offices without proving first that their business works.
And the proof is always with customers handing you their cash.
As a solopreneur, you don’t need to waste your scarce resources of time, energy, and money.
Social media allows you to validate your ideas accurately without having to commit any resources to your business.
Let’s put out a little example — an ebook for home remedies
Say you want to know if this ebook idea of yours will sell.
You can join Facebook groups of health enthusiasts, read their posts about their health concerns, and genuinely engage with them.
Then make a post asking whether they would spend money on a book about home remedies.
You’ll get your answer.
Heck, you can even pre-sell the book even before you write it if you get some positive response.
This may be a simplistic example but you get the point.
You can try out new ideas, pivot your business, and adapt to the market without breaking the bank.
Putting this all together — gird your solopreneur loins
So, there you have it — the exciting, bold world of solopreneurship. It’s a path filled with freedom, opportunity, and a hell of a lot of hard work.
But, trust me, it’s worth it.
To recap, here are the reasons why solopreneurship is awesome:
- It’s a business that does not chain you but can scale and give you financial freedom.
- It won’t break the bank — you can fund the startup phase with a tiny portion of your salary.
- You won’t need to have a zoo full of employees — you will collaborate with other solopreneurs and this is much better.
- You create and distribute products all over the world even in your pyjamas.
- You can validate your ideas quickly and ensure you don’t waste time and money.
So, what are you waiting for? Put on your superhero cape, assemble your team of collaborators, and get ready to conquer the world, one kickass solopreneur venture at a time.
Now, it’s your turn to join the solopreneur revolution!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article and any personal experiences you’ve had with solopreneurship.
Share your insights in the comments and help build a community of knowledge and support for fellow solopreneurs.
If you found this article valuable, don’t keep it to yourself — spread the word! Share it with your friends, family, and colleagues, and let’s inspire more people to embrace the power of solopreneurship.
Two Comma Dojo subscribers get exclusive access to e-books, video courses, and other awesome solopreneurship content. So signup now and don’t miss these goodies
You want to dive into Solopreneurship? Try Affiliate Marketing!
Being a newbie in affiliate marketing is hard but for me, after taking this challenge I discovered superpowers I didn’t know I had.
In this 5-day challenge, I learned about a proven plan, plug-and-play funnels, simple but very powerful affiliate strategies, and most of all a community of other affiliates that empower each other.
Tired of struggling with affiliate marketing? Then check out this 5-Day Challenge. It might Change your life!
Disclosure: If you purchase anything by clicking the link above I may make some affiliate commissions.
