17 Universal Truths You Need To Know If You Want To Be A Successful Solopreneur

It doesn’t matter what success looks like to you, there are some universal truths you must remember if you’re going to become a successful solopreneur.

1/ It’s easy to get so caught up in the work you forget to celebrate the wins; so make time to celebrate.

I didn’t celebrate my first $100, my first $1,000, my first $10k month or my first $100k year. I honestly didn’t even notice I’d achieved the last two goals until well after I achieved them because I was too busy to stop and look.

Unfortunately, I made a few mistakes hiring staff early, so those larger goals didn’t even cause a blip on my radar because it wasn’t enough to pay wages.

I regret that now, because I created the 6-figure company I’d been working towards for 7 years, and I never even took the time to enjoy it. I wasn’t able to feel proud of myself because I was swimming in debt.

Now, I look back and feel proud of my achievements, but I know it would have been much more motivating to celebrate those wins at the time.

2/ Never underestimate the value of that one person who will support you through thick and thin.

If you’re an entrepreneur who’s in a relationship, that is the most important relationship in your life. Your person will pick up the slack when you’re totally consumed by work and they will be your shoulder to cry on when things aren’t going your way. Regardless of whether they are in the business or not, your person will be your rock along your entrepreneurial journey.

It doesn’t have to be your partner either. It could be your parents, your siblings or your best friend. Regardless, if you have a person like this in your life, don’t undervalue them, because they will be your rock during the hard times that will come.

3/ Unexpected challenges will arise, even if you expected unexpected challenges to arise.

Hofstadter’s Law states: “Everything always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law a.k.a. the fact that it will take longer than you expect.”

The same is true for facing unexpected challenges in business. It does not matter how many unexpected challenges you expect, there will always be unexpected challenges for you to face. The trick to dealing with them is not to try and expect every possible thing that could go wrong, but to improve your resilience and learn how to make good decisions when things inevitably do go wrong.

I’ve found that improving my personal resilience — through journaling, meditation and psychology — has given me the foundation to deal with unexpected challenges and pivot quickly when required.

While we’re discussing it, always allow extra time for everything. Take your first reaction, double it, and tell the client you’ll deliver the work by then. Hopefully, by factoring in additional time, you’ll be able to pleasantly surprise people sometimes, and your work won’t be as late when things go awry.

4/ Quality tools won’t fix everything, but they do make things run smoother.

Building a business is tough. It can also be expensive. $15 here, $49 there and $33 somewhere else all ads up, and suddenly you can find you’re spending close to $1k per month on software that’s supposed to make your life easier, but only creates financial stress.

That said, there are some tools that are so worth paying for because the value you get from them is well worth the investment. Including:

• LinkedIn Sales Navigator — if you need clients for your business and you target B2B, this tool is a game changer for prospecting on LinkedIn. It’s 100% worth the $100/month investment.
• Google Workspace — much of my business runs on google, and the ability to have almost free use of docs, sheets, email, calendar, forms and everything else is far worth the small investment of getting an email on your own domain.
• Zapier — I regularly cancel then restart my Zapier plan as necessary, but this is absolutely a tool I’d recommend paying for. I have one zap that transfers data from Apollo (lead prospecting) to Steak (gmail based CRM) and the time saved with that alone makes my Zapier investment worthwhile.

Before buying any tools, do your research to make sure there isn’t a better option that can save you cash, or a paid option that can save you a lot of time.

Here’s a perfect example: I used to spend hours manually researching prospects for my clients then trying to find their email address; and a good 50% of the time, they were wrong anyway so that time felt wasted. That is, until I found Apollo.ai. In literally a few minutes, I can create a list of prospects with contact emails, put them straight into a cold email system and prospecting is done for the next few weeks. Now I know about Apollo, I’ll never use anything else to find prospects for cold email.

5/ You never have to go it alone; find a mentor or accountability partner.

I’ve spent a good portion of my time as an entrepreneur figuring things out as I go. Mostly, this has worked well. However, I’m confident I could have shortened the process had I accepted I couldn’t do it all alone, and it would be better to learn from someone who’s already walked the path I’m on.

That said, I did spend 4 years working with a copywriting mentor and that has been, without a doubt, the best investment I made in my business so far. Aside from learning copywriting, having a mentor with which to discuss concerns, share ideas and provide feedback on my writing has been priceless. I’m confident that without that support, there is no way I would be where I am today.

6/ Knowing your ideal client back-to-front is the foundation of success.

It’s incredible how many clients (or potential clients) I’ve spoken to who literally cannot articulate what their ideal client looks like. If you don’t understand your ideal clients:

• needs
• challenges
• fears
• dreams

You literally cannot market your business.

Your sales page isn’t working? Your social media content isn’t getting views? Nobody is downloading your lead magnet?

They won’t unless you’re providing value that solves a problem for your ideal client. If you don’t know them, you won’t understand their needs. And if you don’t understand their needs, you can’t help.

In contrast, when you understand your ideal clients’ pain points, desires and motivations, everything gets easier. You speak in their language. You show them you understand their challenges. In doing so, you help them understand that you can solve their problems.

Too many people put the product first — personally, I did it for years and was tearing my hair out wondering what was wrong. And as soon as I put my clients front and centre, everything got easier.

7/ Even the best plans will fall apart; so always have a backup plan.

Fact is, as a solopreneur, there will be days where the shit hits the fan. When this happens, you have two choices:

1. Implement your backup plan (you have a backup plan, right?); or
2. Assess the issue, develop a new plan quick smart, then implement the f*ck out of it.

Personally, I’ve done the latter more times than I can count. It doesn’t worry me too much because I work at my best under pressure, so changing my entire business direction overnight doesn’t paralyse me like it would so many others.

That said, if you can’t deal with unexpected challenges fast (and it’s completely ok if you can’t), it’s imperative you have a backup plan at all times. That way, when something goes wrong, you’re prepared to deal with it asap.

8/ No matter the reason, never compromise on your values.

I used to say “the military broke me”.

That is, until someone said to me, “I don’t think it did break you. Sure you have injuries and a mental health diagnosis, but you never compromised on your values”.

Ever since, I’ve been insanely proud of my time in the Army because I know that, despite being pushed to my literal physical and mental limits, I never crossed the line. Unfortunately, there were far too many people around me who couldn’t say the same.

Unfortunately, I see this repeated a lot in the entrepreneurial world. People make all kinds of decisions they wouldn’t otherwise because they only care about the money. Make sure you aren’t one of them.

And yes, walking the high road is tough. But if you want to be proud of what you’ve achieved, don’t walk over anyone else to achieve it.

9/ Social media is full of highlight reels, so don’t compare yourself to them.

Recently, I was talking to an old friend and he said to me:

“I thought you were ok. Your social media looks like your life is amazing”.

Spoiler alert, it wasn’t. In fact, I was struggling almost as much as I had been when I had a major depressive episode in 2018. I just wasn’t talking about it. My friend had made the mistake of checking out my highlight reel and thinking that represented my entire life.

It’s simple to do the same as a solopreneur when you look at your competitors and idols. They’re not going to share the bad review or the nasty email they received from an unhappy client. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect; it just means they don’t share the bad stuff. And why would you when you’re trying to get new clients.

As a solopreneur, it’s up to you to remember everyone struggles. Just because someone else’s life looks perfect, doesn’t mean it is.

10 / You will never fail as long as you keep doing the work.

If I stopped every time I failed… Actually, I don’t even want to think about where I’d be. Solopreneurship is damn hard work. You WILL fail. That’s not a potential either; it’s a guarantee. You will mess up. You will be screwed over by clients. You will make stupid mistakes that cost you almost everything you have. But the only time you truly fail is when you give up.

Instead of seeing setbacks as a sign you should quit, use them to learn and improve. Providing you approach solopreneurship with a mindset of continued improvement, you will succeed. It’ll take time, but if you never stop, nobody can defeat you.

11/ Working for ‘exposure’ is a waste of time and energy.

Ever been asked to work for ‘exposure’? The offer may not be presented in this way, but it’s essentially a task that rewards you in something other than cold, hard cash. There are ways to create mutually beneficial agreements, like if you need a website and a website designer needs your service, it can work well.

Where you need to be wary, though, is when potential clients:

• request a full draft/example before they agree to work with you;
• offer to post about you on their social media in exchange for work; and
• suggest ‘there’s plenty more work coming your way if you do a good job’.

None of those agreements are created in your favour, and more often than not, you’ll end up providing your work for free. Remember, you’re not a charity. The fact is, your time and energy are valuable, and you deserve to be compensated for the value you bring to the table. Even in the beginning, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

12/ You have to do the work when nobody is watching.

True dedication to your solopreneurial venture means putting in the effort, especially when nobody’s watching. You don’t have set work hours. You don’t have a boss standing over you, expecting results. The motivation literally has to come from inside of you. If you don’t have intrinsic motivation, you will not succeed.

Also, you know those people you see becoming ‘overnight successes’? Despite how it may appear, it didn’t happen overnight. They’ve just been working their butt off behind the scenes for years and it’s finally paid off.

These moments in the spotlight never just happen. They take countless hours, weeks, months and often years of behind-the-scenes work, persistence when faced with challenges, and the unwavering commitment to your goals when nobody is watching. It’s this consistent, quiet effort that lays the foundation for remarkable achievements.

13/ Clients who treat you like crap will never change; fire them.

Your well-being and self-respect should always come first. If you have clients who consistently disrespect or mistreat you, it’s essential to recognise that some relationships are not worth preserving.

It’s okay to let go of toxic clients who drain your energy and hinder your growth, but you have to learn to identify your own signs that the relationship has soured. Personally, I know it’s time to move on from a client when I feel anxious about checking my messages and email because I’m worried about what their messages will say.

The best part about firing clients…by doing so, you make room for healthier, more mutually beneficial professional relationships.

14/ Never hire family or friends.

Mixing business with personal relationships can be a recipe for disaster — ask me how I know.

While your family and friends may have good intentions, or you may have good intentions in helping a friend out, remember the dynamics of a professional partnership can strain personal connections. In the worst case scenario, you can even end up losing people close to you (like your best friend — again, ask me how I know).

I’ve certainly come to realise it’s best to keep business relationships separate from your personal ones to maintain clarity, boundaries, and avoid potential conflicts that could harm both your business and personal life.

15/ Swag will send you broke.

Splurging on extravagant expenses like flashy office spaces, luxury gadgets, or unnecessary perks can drain your financial resources faster than you think. Don’t get caught out by cheaper goods too. While you might be tempted to buy a few logo shirts, a drink bottle and a backpack, remember custom products add up quickly too.

As a solopreneur, particularly in the beginning, it’s crucial to be frugal and prioritise investments that directly contribute to your business’s growth and sustainability. If the expenditure isn’t going to bring a high return-on-investment, don’t spend it.

16/ Never forget your why.

Your “why” is the driving force behind your solopreneur journey. It’s the purpose that fuels your passion and determination, and it’s the motivating force to overcome challenges or moments of doubt. Reconnecting with your “why” reminds you of the reasons you began this journey in the first place, and the dream life you’re striving towards.

There will be times when you make a few decisions that take you away from your “why”. When this happens, don’t panic. But do your best to get back on the right path as soon as possible.

17/ The work is worth it.

Entrepreneurship is tough. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s life-changing. There are some days when I wonder if it’s worth it, but then I look back at what I’ve achieved and how much I’ve grown and in hindsight, I know it’s worth the effort. So keep going my friend.

The TL;DR

If you’re a solopreneur, remember these 17 things:

1/ It’s easy to get so caught up in the work you forget to celebrate the wins; so make time to celebrate.

2/ Never underestimate the value of that one person who will support you through thick and thin.

3/ Unexpected challenges will arise, even if you expected unexpected challenges to arise.

4/ Quality tools won’t fix everything, but they do make things run smoother.

5/ You never have to go it alone; find a mentor or accountability partner.

6/ Knowing your ideal client back-to-front is the foundation of success.

7/ Even the best plans will fall apart; so always have a backup plan.

8/ No matter the reason, never compromise on your values.

9/ Don’t compare yourself to everyone else’s highlight reel.

10/ You will never fail as long as you keep doing the work.

11/ Don’t waste time and energy working for exposure.

12/ Do the work when nobody is watching.

13/ Fire clients who treat you like crap.

14/ Never hire family or friends.

15/ Swag will send you broke.

16/ Never forget your why.

17/ The work is worth it.

Read more like this.

This article was an edition of Minimalist Solopreneur, where I write about minimalist lead generation and business growth for solopreneurs and founders.

Click here to read more.