4 Key Things for Solopreneurs to Focus on Going Into 2024

Which of these ring true for you?

2023 is about to draw to a close. 2024 is almost upon us.

I don’t know how the past 12 months have gone for you (very well, I hope), but for me, it’s been a year of change, experimentation, and steady progress.

I decided to really “own” the solopreneur label in 2023 by talking about my one-person business journey more openly than ever before (and by creating this newsletter). In 2024, I plan on developing that even further as I explore exactly what it means to be a solopreneur.

Quick pause: What would the ideal solopreneur scenario look like for you? Tell me what you picture when you think carefully about it.

We live in an ever-changing world, and as solopreneurs, we’ll all face new, often unexpected challenges along the way.

The good news is, unexpected opportunities also go hand-in-hand with that, as long as we’re willing to reach out and grab ‘em.

Here are some key areas I believe solopreneurs should focus on in the coming year:

Personal branding

I know, you’re probably getting sick of this term by now. It seems to have been everywhere in 2023.

But a lot of leaders in the field believe people who develop their personal brands now will reap huge benefits over the coming years. And I totally agree.

Start nurturing your personal brand now. Talk about your journey. Share your wins. Share your losses. Tell people about your big, crazy dreams.

Be a real, authentic human being and a community will naturally begin to form around you.

Audience growth

Social media followers are great, but an audience is what you need to grow your online presence.

Where does your audience exist? In your newsletter community.

If your X/Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn followers are the “audience” you rent (because you’re really playing in someone else’s sandbox), your newsletter mailing list is the audience you own.

That’s the list you can easily migrate between hosting platforms. That’s the list that won’t vanish overnight if a billionaire mogul decides to press the big red self-destruct button.

I love my newsletter community and the conversations that go on behind the scenes. It’s safe, private and within my control.

The sooner you start growing your real audience, the sooner you can start really helping other people. And usually, the natural consequence of that is income stream development.

Collaboration

There was a time when I operated as a lone wolf.

I believed I knew best. No-one could do what I was doing better than me. If I involved anyone else in my processes, it’d just slow me down.

I now know how stupid that belief was.

Collaboration is one of the shiny brass keys unlocking personal and professional growth. Ironically, it’s what really drives your solopreneur train further along the tracks.

Some wise person once said: If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. And that’s spot on.

Find ways to collaborate with others in your niche in 2024. Write guest posts. Get yourself invited on podcasts. Drop into X/Twitter Spaces. Create content together.

Offer other people opportunities and don’t turn down those that come your way.

Collaborate, don’t compete.

Diversification

I’ll finish with another big mistake I made for a long time: not diversifying.

When I started out on my own, I poured everything I had into one single income stream. It was all or nothing. If it didn’t succeed, I’d be right back at square one.

Thankfully, it worked well enough to keep me afloat. But looking back, I really wish I’d diversified my source of income.

I invested all my time and energy into carving out a river when I should have been chipping away at multiple revenue streams instead.

That’s very much what I’m doing now, and let me tell you, it’s a lot less stressful than focusing solely on one project, even if you know that project’s great.

Diversify your income sources over the next few months, if you can.

Are you ready?

Obviously, there are plenty more areas we as solopreneurs can focus on going into next year. Those are just four I believe will be key for most one-person brands.

Do what’s right for you in your situation. Take everything one day at a time.

And most of all, remember this one crucial truth: you’re not in it alone.

Did any of these ring true for you? What are your key areas of focus for 2024?

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