The Two Secrets That Empowered Me To Build a Successful Solopreneur Business

The best part is that they are both part of the same technique.

I came to understand that not being intellectually bright can be a real strength when you’re running your own business. Perhaps this is because clients realise that you’re not trying to compete with them on an intellectual level.

Yes, I am competitive, and I am ambitious in the sense that I want to live a lifestyle that fits my character. In other words, I want to be independent from other people’s instructions and ideas. And I want to have enough money to be able to do the things I want to do.

So, how can someone with little formal education and no particular business skills build a life-sustaining, independent business?

Leverage what you have needed to learn

Because I’m dyslexic, I always found school a bit of a challenge. So, I had to find a way to make the most of what knowledge and interests I have.

When you have a vision of how you want to live your life, but cannot make it happen by doing the things that everyone else seems to be able to do you have to find your own way.

It was the search to understand myself and how to make the most of my life that led to my interest in “alternative” ways of looking at life. I got really hooked on certain personal development techniques.

In particular, I made a deep study of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Zen, Mindfulness, and psychology generally.

As I delved into all these personal growth subjects I found there were bits that I couldn’t understand and relate to and other bits that really worked for me.

Mindfulness is a superpower

For me, mindfulness became one of my superpowers because it makes me more acutely aware of what I am thinking, feeling, and doing from moment to moment.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not so expert that I am aware of everything that is happening all of the time. But what I have learned to do is to be alert and aware when I recognise that feelings are welling up inside of me, or when events are moving in a particular direction.

These can be negative feelings like anger, hatred, jealousy or pride. And when I feel them bubbling up I can usually use my awareness that they are about to influence me to change direction and do something different from what these feelings might cause me to do if I let them run free.

Mindfulness also gives me the power to pay close attention to what other people are saying and doing. Showing close interest in others makes them feel that you care about them. It’s an excellent way to develop relationships. More about the value of this in a minute.

The third great benefit of mindfulness as a business development skill is that it helps you be more aware and more thorough about what you are doing. This enables you to build your expertise in your area of business specialty. And experts, I have found, are always in demand.

The power of simple, clear communication

Another way of describing mindfulness is, “paying attention to what is happening in the present moment”.

When you develop this power, you actually enjoy each moment more. And, because you’re enjoying yourself, you tend to be relaxed, and, as a result, you tend to perform better. Sounds weird, but I have found this is true. And, when you’re enjoying yourself, you seem to lighten the atmosphere around you so that everyone else is more relaxed and open.

If I am listening to someone, I tend to give my full attention to listening. Nowadays, I virtually never think about what I am going to say next. I just go with the flow. What this has taught me is that people like you when you give their words and thoughts your full attention,

And when people like you, they tend to want to do business with you. Amazingly simple, yet it is a truism. Large corporations spend fortunes on corporate hospitality; they’d be better off training their staff to make themselves likable and customer-interested.

The value of never-ending development

When you’re deeply involved with what you’re learning, you tend to learn at a deeper and more personal level.

You pick out the lessons that you find valuable, the lessons you can make work for you. And because you find them so valuable you communicate about them with greater sincerity and passion — you naturally become more persuasive.

The sources of the power of mindfulness

Mindfulness is powerful because it makes you more aware of everything that is happening in your world. This awareness or sensitivity makes you more attentive to the needs of others and, because you are in the present and not worrying about the future, it makes you less prone to anxiety.

I also find that mindfulness makes me more thorough and this ensures that I do the best I can at whatever I am doing. I believe I deliver a quality job for my clients.

My mindfulness practice

I practice Zen. Much of what I do is about mindfulness. I am mindful of my breathing when I sit in meditation every morning. And I am mindful of what I am thinking and feeling when I walk with my dogs, eat a meal, coach a client, or write an article like this one.

It is this ability to be present with whatever I am doing that has given me the power to build a business that has enabled me to live as I please and live well for over twenty-five years.

I help others develop Zen mindfulness skills in my free weekly letters at https://ThePowerOfZen.substack.com