Congratulations If you are reading this blog post then you have either made the jump to becoming a solopreneur and taking control of your work life balance or are in the process of doing so.

Solopreneurs are entrepreneurs who have started their own business entirely by themselves. This means that they have no other employees and they ARE the company. They must rely on their skills, knowledge and tools in order to grow their brand, reach new clients or customers and earn money.

What Challenges Do Solopreneurs Face?

Solopreneurs can enjoy a huge variety of benefits, but is there any downside to solopreneurship? In short, yes, like many other paths in life, solopreneurship has its own fair share of hardships to overcome in order to find success. The truth is that starting out on your own as a ‘business of one’ can be a daunting task and takes hard work, dedication, persistence and self-belief.

Solopreneurship as a lifestyle is not for everyone, nor is it a quick fix that will instantly make you rich. Building up your brand and a set of quality services or products can be a difficult challenge. Unlike regular office jobs, you won’t be receiving any company benefits that are afforded to employees. Your work day may not start at 9am and end at 5pm and at times you might have to compromise and be flexible with your schedule.

The good news is, if you can avoid these pitfalls and stick with your business then you are going to be rewarded with something most people can only dream of, the ability to pursue your passion and earn money whilst doing so. You will also be able to take steps towards creating your own work life balance that fits around your schedule. Last, but not least you will also have the chance to help others to learn and grow by providing them with your services.

As a marketplace that caters to solopreneurs, EZwhale has the pleasure of working with some truly fantastic individuals. These intrepid solopreneurs have faced and overcome a variety of pain points and are cutting out their own space in this world, with a work life balance which suits them. Here’s their top tips for success:

Top Tip 1 — Don’t Dip In Your Toe, Dive Into The Ocean

If you want to achieve real growth, you are going to need to put in real effort into your new venture. You have to be willing to put in the hard work where it counts and compete in this international, online market. No one will hand you a successful solopreneurship business, you are going to need to take it for yourself. That’s why we recommend that anyone who is serious about solopreneurship dives into the ocean and takes the time to create a quality brand. This may mean spending some time on your sales and marketing by creating a detailed profile on EZwhale or other online marketplaces, creating a video to highlight your services and perfecting and constantly updating your services based on your client’s feedback.

Top Tip 2 — Be Persistent

Success cannot be achieved overnight, remember the saying ‘Rome was not built in a day’. As we said earlier, solopreneurship is not a quick fix to instantly make someone rich. Loyal clients and customers will not be found instantly and you will need to keep up your motivation and be persistent in your efforts to achieve success. Persistence is key in building your solopreneurship brand.

Top Tip 3 — Cultivate A Strong Mindset

Courage is not defined by feeling no fear, courage means facing your fears head on to overcome them. Having a strong mindset and courage in your actions will be a huge advantage for the successful solopreneur. Trying out new techniques and getting out of your comfort zone to market yourself and find new customers can be the key to future success.

Top Tip 4 — Don’t Be Scared To Fail

Too many people are afraid to fail, but this is because they do not see that each failure is a chance to learn. No one is going to get everything right all of the time, and the most successful people in life are those who have learned to fail fast, brush themselves off and then keep moving forward.

Top Tip 5 — Think Long Term

One of the biggest differences between freelancers and solopreneurs is that solopreneurs must make long term strategic decisions about their business. This is because solopreneurs are growing a brand and at times they need to take actions that will help them to grow their reputation or sign new clients. Thinking long term is about planning for success and a sustainable future for your brand.

Top Tip 6 — Don’t Compare Yourself To Others

In this day and age, social media is giving many of us a false impression of the success of our peers. Our advice is, focus on you, your business, your brand and your success. Comparing yourself negatively to others will not benefit you, and could even demotivate you.

Everyone has their own journey to follow in life and some find success easily, perhaps through luck, or through their skills and the opportunities available to them. Others may face obstacles they need to overcome or lessons they must learn in order to find success. We recommend that you simply live your best life, work hard on your passions and focus on your own path forward.

Top Tip 7 — Stand Out From The Crowd

Solopreneurship is growing at a huge rate all over the world. So when you list your services online, you may be competing with people all over the world with different levels of experience. It’s important to carve out your niche in this market and to make sure that you stand out from the crowd.

Thinking outside the box is one way to do this, perhaps by trying out new platforms, tools, techniques and strategies that your competition aren’t employing. This is why it’s important for you to keep an eye on your competition. This will help you to imagine things from a customer’s perspective, why should they choose you? Is there anything your competition is doing that you aren’t? Is there anything you can do that your competition isn’t currently offering?

Top Tip 8 — Know When To Take A Break

It can be tempting to spend all of one’s waking hours on finding new clients, working on your marketing and growing your brand, however, it is not healthy or balanced to spend all your available time working. You should make sure you get at least eight hours of rest each night. Also allocate time to spend with your friends and family and finally, make sure you are getting enough exercise. This will help you make sure that you don’t burn out and that you can sustainably continue with a balanced work schedule.

Being mentally and physically healthy will help you to move your business forward, whilst also ensuring that you are not overwhelmed with stress, and that you are living a happy and fulfilling life.