Being a solopreneur is hard as junk. It will often nearly kill you.
Seriously. I’ve almost died twice.
If you’re like me, you need some tips. And I’m going to give you some.
Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
You went into business to do your own thing.
Do. Your. Own. Thing.
Stop trying to run your business the way everyone else in your industry is running theirs.
Break up the norm. Make weird business cards. Make up words. Tell stories.
Be funny. Be entertaining. Make stuff up.
Unless, you’re an attorney or CPA. Then please, don’t make stuff up. (Except when you’re marketing and telling stories. Then we really would like you to make stuff up, entertain us, or be funny, instead of giving us the same old boring mumbo jumbo that nobody reads except the person who’s responsible for proofing the content before it goes on your website which last happened about six years ago.)
Take A Break
Being an entrepreneur really means you’re willing to work twice as much for half the pay. (You do realize this, right?)
The least you can do is take a break.
Me, I like to schedule an internal meeting with myself.
Then I block off some time and catch a matinee.
Usually something with lots of explosions and fire. Occasionally a thriller or something that makes me think. But usually just something with lots of explosions and fire.
You may enjoy a walk in the park. A trip to the mall. A drive through the country.
Doesn’t matter. No one will know. Just unplug from the Matrix and leave.
Go ahead, you deserve it.
Turn Off The News
The news is depressing.
Being an entrepreneur is hard enough without thinking about the pending collapse of the economy and the inevitable impact on your business.
Know what’s going on, but don’t dwell on it.
Focus on what you have control over.
You don’t have control over Cyprus.
Read
Read books. Books about your industry. Books about other industries. Books about entrepreneurs and leaders. Books about writers who write books about entrepreneurs and leaders. Books about how to write books. Books about books.
Read a few blogs, too. Magazines. Business journals. Inc.com Entrepreneur.com
Read fiction. Poetry. Short stories.
Reading makes you Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger.
I like to read Seth Godin. Dan Ariely. Tim Ferris. John Robb. And my good friend Jay Posey, who also has a book that you should read, but it’s not out yet, so help him get rich and famous by clicking here to pre-order your copy. Thanks! (I’ve read it, it’s great! You won’t be able to put it down once you start.)
Listen
Buy a few audiobooks on business, marketing, entrepreneurship, or what have you.
Listen to those while you drive instead of music, news, talk radio, or whatever it is you listen to while driving.
You can also subscribe to some free podcasts. I like Smart Passive Income, The Tim Ferriss Show, Hack the Entrepreneur (iTunes Affiliate links) and a number of podcasts on Rainmaker.fm.
It’s really the next best thing to osmosis.
Get Help
Find a fellow solopreneur or business owner and meet once a week to help each other.
Join a roundtable or mastermind group.
Get a coach or consultant.
Join a networking group.
Just don’t spend too much time alone.
You will drive yourself crazy and make a lot less progress.
Too much time alone and eventually you will start talking to yourself and believing things that simply aren’t true. Hypothetically speaking.
Write
Write about your experiences.
Ups and downs. Trials and errors. Successes almost successes. Failures.
Blog. Journal. Email.
Tell someone about it, or leave your notes for the next generation.
Like I said, being a solopreneur is hard as junk. You don’t have to be successful to help others.
Just tell them what you did and what you learned.
You’d be surprised about the impact you can have.
I know I am.