The five skills of a winning solopreneur

A major advantage of being a solo (single) entrepreneur is that you get to make all the decisions by yourself and you are in charge. Conversely, the main disadvantage of being a solopreneur is that you get to make all the decisions by yourself and you are in charge!

It takes a special kind of discipline and single-mindedness to build a successful business on your own. Solopreneurs are often frustrated by the constraints of corporate life and keen to thrust that wonderful business idea onto the world. The first step are always the hardest, but the rewards could be bountiful. Running a business, solo, is not for everyone. Here we list five useful skills that you ought to develop to be a success.

Be serene
Don’t expect the life of a solopreneur to be smooth sailing. There will be days when you feel isolated, scared and lost, it’s so easy to allow negative thoughts to prevail. The ability to be composed and serene in the face of these thoughts is vital. Likewise, there will be days when you feel euphoric and invincible from having attained an important milestone or landed an important account. Having the ability to take a step back and enjoy the high times as well as plan for those low times will help level out cash flow, and your head.

Value the perks of working on your own
Choosing where and when you work is a huge benefit of the solopreneur lifestyle. Take advantage of the power of creating your own time, from not having to conform to ‘office hours’. Create a little mystery and professionalism in your dealings with clients, that after work drink up can simply be tagged as you being ‘in a meeting’. But remember this when you have to put in more hours than usual.

Develop the art of single-mindedness
Having the ability to focus when you need to complete an action is an important skill to develop. Working at home, it can be all too easy to get distracted by day time TV, that bit of gardening you’ve been putting off for weeks! Train yourself to have a routine to signify ‘work mode’. Even though it’s tempting to pad around in your pyjamas all day, simply having a shower, and heading to your workspace goes a long way to getting into the right frame of mind to work. Having said that, if you need to put the washing out on a sunny day, why not? You are the boss!

Be your own cheerleader
It’s normal to struggle under the weight of being responsible for running your own business, but try to find ways of motivating yourself and keeping your spirit and energy levels up. Vision boards, affirmation messages are all good ways to remind you why you started your business in the first place. Get into the habit of having a plan for what you want to achieve every day, even if you don’t achieve all of them, you will certainly get through some, and that is better than nothing. Surround yourself with positive influences too for those days when you struggle.

 Dust off your juggling skills
Chances are that as a solopreneur, you wear many hats within your business. As well as being the founder/CEO, you may be the salesperson, social media lead, copywriter, cleaner, chief-tea maker, the list could go on. It will sometimes feel as if there’s not enough of you to go around, but a shift in your mind-set may be all you need. Embrace this period as you are growing as an entrepreneur and developing your skill sets. Every business start-up will go through a learning phase and by proving your mettle, you land clients/work and increase your acumen. Your business model growth should hopefully see you paying for these roles before long. Remember, never be afraid to ask for help and support. After all, if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Image credits: www.123rf.com.