{"id":5007,"date":"2023-07-14T00:08:08","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T00:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/startups\/three-things-to-know-before-you-become-a-solopreneur\/"},"modified":"2023-07-14T00:08:09","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T00:08:09","slug":"three-things-to-know-before-you-become-a-solopreneur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=5007","title":{"rendered":"Three Things To Know Before You Become A Solopreneur"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

James Clift is the CEO and founder of <\/em>Durable<\/em>. James’ mission is to make it easier to run a business than to be an employee.<\/em><\/p>\n

When it comes to work, the traditional path the world sets for us is to go to school, get a steady job and then slowly work your way to the top. But these days, following tradition doesn\u2019t always mean stability. In fact, amongst individuals with bachelor\u2019s degrees, there has been a 111% increase in concerns surrounding job security. So, how do you future-proof your career? Make it into a business.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been an entrepreneur since I was in high school. Back then, I built websites for people. In university, I founded a window cleaning company. After graduation, I started looking for a \u201creal job,\u201d the kind of job where you wear a suit to work and sit in a cubicle in an office. As I scrolled through page after page of job postings, I realized that I didn\u2019t want to follow that path. I wanted a career where I was in control.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve now been a serial entrepreneur for over a decade, and today, I\u2019m a solo founder. The road hasn\u2019t always been an easy one, but I\u2019m so happy that I pursued this path over any other.<\/p>\n

Here are the three big things anyone needs to know before they start out as a solopreneur.<\/p>\n

<\/fbs-ad><\/p>\n

1. You don\u2019t need anything to get started\u2014just the customer.<\/h2>\n

When I launched my current business, nothing was perfect. I created a pitch deck in one day. Our website wasn\u2019t very pretty. And the tech product itself had a bunch of bugs. You\u2019d think these were all nails in the proverbial startup coffin, but that wasn\u2019t the case at all because what we did have was the customer.<\/p>\n

I could see an underserved portion of the population, and I was building a product that directly catered to their needs and wants. The fact that the very first iteration of my tool wasn\u2019t perfect didn\u2019t matter\u2014all that mattered was that I had the perfect customers.<\/p>\n

People so often get caught up in the details. They don\u2019t want to launch a product or a service, even a website, until it\u2019s flawless. But the fact is, perfection is a moving target, and entrepreneurship is a nonlinear trajectory. Don\u2019t waste your time on overthinking things like being incorporated or designing the perfect logo. Focus on nailing your customer base.<\/p>\n

2. Move fast, learn faster.<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, then you\u2019re not shipping fast enough. Everything was so quick to launch and imperfect when I first started my business, meaning that nothing was ideal. Looking back now, I\u2019m definitely a little bit embarrassed, but it was for the best because I was able to learn and pivot a heck of a lot faster than I would have if I\u2019d just let my ideas percolate in a vacuum.<\/p>\n

One of the early features I launched at my current company was a banking product. I thought it was a great idea, but what it really did was add too much complexity to the business overall. Customers weren\u2019t trusting the service, and we needed more maturity as a brand before people would actually make use of it. I still believe it\u2019s a good product, but it was too early in the timeline for us. So, we decided to pivot into what was actually drawing people in, making website building easier.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019d spent months tinkering with the idea and spending precious time and energy on the tool, that wouldn\u2019t have changed customers\u2019 opinions. It just would have taken longer to get their feedback and realize where I really needed to put my energy when it came to shipping products.<\/p>\n

3. It doesn\u2019t have to be blood, sweat and tears.<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a narrative out there that to be a successful business owner, you have to subscribe to hustle culture\u2014you have to rise each morning before the sun and \u201cgrind\u201d until dark. You work seven days a week. You haven\u2019t seen your family in months.<\/p>\n

When I founded my first company, I subscribed to that \u201chustle culture\u201d narrative. I thought that I had to be the person in charge of everything. What I quickly realized was not only was I not good at every single thing, but it was also completely inefficient. I was spending hours every week on administrative tasks when I could have been spending that time connecting with customers or working to grow the business. After a little bit of research, I discovered a slew of tools that could automate <\/em>these mundane everyday tasks I had been wasting my time on\u2014apps for creating presentations, research, note-taking and even content writing. People are concerned that AI could mean the end of jobs. I say you should leverage AI to make running your small business easier. AI tools have proven to make people 14% more efficient (paywall) in their work, and solopreneurs should take advantage!<\/p>\n

Of course, launching a business is hard work. But it doesn\u2019t all have to be a slog. In fact, once you have some momentum, you have a lot of freedom over your schedule and time. Recently, I met a business owner that works for eight months of the year and travels for four. One of the great benefits of solopreneurship is that you make your own schedule, and you aren\u2019t beholden to a typical 9-5 anymore\u2014you can work where and when you want.<\/p>\n

In summary, solopreneurship has no formula. There is no singular way to execute. Enjoy the flexibility and the freedom. Work on what\u2019s most important to you. Anything that\u2019s outside of your wheelhouse outsource.<\/p>\n

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Clift is the CEO and founder of Durable. James’ mission is to make it easier to run a business than to be an employee. When it comes to work, the traditional path the world sets for us is to go to school, get a steady job and then slowly work your way to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5007","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-startups"},"yoast_head":"\nThree Things To Know Before You Become A Solopreneur | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"James Clift is the CEO and founder of Durable. James' mission is to make it easier to run a business than to be an employee. 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