The Strategic Journey of a Solopreneur in the First Year

Laying the Foundation for Your Business

As a solopreneur, your first year in business is the most critical I believe. This is where you will most likely either make it or break it. Most people quit in the first 90 days, even less make it to 6 months, and a very slim percentage makes it to 1 year.

In this article I want to lay out the journey to better equip you to make it well beyond year 1.

1. Laying the Foundation: Months 1-3

The initial months of your solopreneur journey are all about setting the stage for success. During this phase, focus on:

• Defining your niche: Narrow down your target market and specialization. For example, instead of offering "general content creation services," you might focus on "content creation for auto detailing businesses specifically." The importance of super niching down is overlooked because it is often hard to do.

  How do I know what I am going to create content on for years to come? Well you can take a best guess on what you are currently passionate and skilled in. As you build a core audience you can branch out slightly but if you are all over the place from the beginning you will not be able to stabilize offerings for a specific target long enough to break through.

• Developing your brand identity: Create a memorable logo, choose your color scheme, and craft your brand story. For instance, if you're a sustainable fashion consultant, your brand might revolve around earthy tones and nature-inspired imagery. This is not the most critical thing but it makes it much easier as you build out.

Tip: Keep it as simple as you possibly can. Simple colors, recognizable logo (mine is puzzle pieces), and the ability for someone to instantly know that its you when scrolling through endless social media posts.

• Creating a business plan: Outline your goals, financial projections, and marketing strategies.

You will not get this %100 right and will continually be evolving as you go and grow but set some basic structure for yourself so you can have a guide. It is easier to work towards specific goals then to keep it “open ended”.

This is where it gets fun (if you make it fun)

With the groundwork laid, it's time to gain traction and start growing your client base. Key activities include:

• Networking and outreach: I recommend you focus on digital networking here…. Start reaching out to other creators in your space and ask for advice, or comment on their posts. Overtime you can work up a nice network that will support you in the beginning especially this can be beneficial.

• Refining your offering: This is one of the most beneficial things you can do. Based on initial client feedback, adjust your services or products. I am constantly making improvements and adapting my products I offer. The only way to know what is good or not great is to test, sell, and repeat. Your audience will let you know and you always want to listen. (I did not do this for the first year in business and I paid the price)

• Establishing systems and processes: I could (and do) write an entire course on setting up your systems but it is really simple. Take it piece by piece for example:

- Social posting systems
- Emailing systems (where are you going to send emails from)
- Newsletter (will you offer a newsletter to your weekly readers?)

These are just a few of the systems you want to focus on. My biggest mistake was trying to do everything I saw someone else doing right when I saw it. What happened was I would spend months setting up “systems” of which only %10 were used in the long run for my specific brand. The only way to know is to grow and the only way to grow is to try things but you don’t have to try it all at once.

I seriously recommend taking on 1 new system and sticking with it for 1 month before jumping ship. I would have multiple configurations set up at once and it was overwhelming. I would then go back to my original set up and would burn out fast. Avoid this burnout and take it slow you are not going to miss anything.

Now you can focus on growing (the right way)

Scaling and Optimization: Months 7-12

The latter half of your first year is about leveraging your initial success to scale your business. Focus on:

• Automating repetitive tasks: Implement tools and software to free up your time. For instance, a content creator might use scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to automate social media posts. This is sort of phase 2 of your initial systems. Here you can see what is working and what is not and make the necessary adjustments: Warning: This phase can be fun and frustrating but if you buckle down and are willing to adjust it will pay off in the long run.

• Expanding your service offerings: Introduce new products or services based on client demand and market trends. A web developer might start offering SEO services or website maintenance packages. I would tell you here is where you can either master your initial offerings of if you were lucky enough that they still are relevant to your brand at this point you can add more services in like 1:1 calls or sponsorships.

• Analyzing and optimizing: Regularly review your performance metrics and adjust your strategies accordingly. This is a constant in your business and you will find new things you never saw before the longer you stay in. I will tell you to pay attention to every detail and don’t plan to far ahead. You want to be actively writing, posting, or training on a weekly basis to it all stays fresh. Automation is awesome but you want some hands on. The more you are hands off the farther you can disconnect over time.

We covered a lot in this article but you do not need to race through it. Remember: Start small, very small… and overtime you will build piece by piece. I used to compare myself to the bigger creators and it was depressing until I realized the work it took compounding over 3-5 years to achieve that success.

I teach on this in much more detail in my programs you are welcome to explore them below when you are ready.

When you are Ready Here Is How I Can Help You

1. Part-Time Creator Content System: Learn how to build a better content system for your brand and business. Content strategy, psychology, and hands-on learning to master your content and get more growth.

2. Part-Time Digital Product System:   I will teach you how to build highly profitable easy to create digital products. (Ebooks, PDF’s, downloadables) Once you understand how, what, and why to create you can start targeting your products to solve your audience's specific problems.

3. Digital Business Growth Stack: How I run my business with no employees and Spend only a few hours a week.

4. Book a 1:1 Video Call With Me: I offer 15min coaching calls where you can ask questions and get real-time guidance on your digital products, content creation, newsletter, or your personal brand.