Thanks for sharing this; lots of good insights. I have worked with entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs, for 33 years and the “mindset” connection is critical.
Just the other day here on Substack a writer was bemoaning that she was not getting enough subscribers fast enough; and was waiting to be “discovered” by an agency, to be promoted and make it big. I suggested a few different ways she could promote herself and attract more readers and convert them to paying subscribers, and her essential reply was, “I’m an artist. I’m not for sale. And I don’t sell.” I knew that was my cue to bow out of the conversation; and that she will likely remain unsubscribed and unsuccessful for a long time. She felt awkward about money. She felt that sales was “beneath” her. And she didn’t realize that sales was the key to her “art” helping her get what she wanted while helping others get what they want too.
As I often say: “Success starts by believing you’re worth it.”
Absolutely! Essentially, business is about sales. Without sales, you have a hobby 🤷♀️ And sales isn’t bad—what’s bad is the push. Instead, everyone should just learn how to build offers that don’t need pushing; and be okay with the fact not everyone will want them. Thank you for your comment 🫶
Thanks for the great advice. I’m hoping to start up soon as a solopreneur and I think I’ll need a lot of resilience to keep on going and push past the inevitable failures. But I’m excited about the reinvention and hopefully that will keep my energy and enthusiasm up!
The really hard part of this is to know when to quit or move on and when to stay throwing efforts at something with not indication that it is working (or ever will).
My dad always said it usually takes about 8 years before you truly see a from scratch business take off. Most people quit before then because they run out of capital. But they did all the hardest work at the beginning.
I think the question is always the simple one, “are you adding value?”
"Now, I know that if people aren’t buying it, it’s because I’m not selling it."
Great advice! learning how to sell is usually the last thing solopreneurs are concerned with. But just like writing, we become good writers through writing consistently, and therefore we need to sell, early, so we can fail and become better at it.
I haven't really thought much about how mindset plays in part with success (pun intended). But given this article, it's encouraging me to change my mindset about a lot of things.
Thanks for sharing this; lots of good insights. I have worked with entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs, for 33 years and the “mindset” connection is critical.
Just the other day here on Substack a writer was bemoaning that she was not getting enough subscribers fast enough; and was waiting to be “discovered” by an agency, to be promoted and make it big. I suggested a few different ways she could promote herself and attract more readers and convert them to paying subscribers, and her essential reply was, “I’m an artist. I’m not for sale. And I don’t sell.” I knew that was my cue to bow out of the conversation; and that she will likely remain unsubscribed and unsuccessful for a long time. She felt awkward about money. She felt that sales was “beneath” her. And she didn’t realize that sales was the key to her “art” helping her get what she wanted while helping others get what they want too.
As I often say: “Success starts by believing you’re worth it.”
Absolutely! Essentially, business is about sales. Without sales, you have a hobby 🤷♀️ And sales isn’t bad—what’s bad is the push. Instead, everyone should just learn how to build offers that don’t need pushing; and be okay with the fact not everyone will want them. Thank you for your comment 🫶
Thanks for the great advice. I’m hoping to start up soon as a solopreneur and I think I’ll need a lot of resilience to keep on going and push past the inevitable failures. But I’m excited about the reinvention and hopefully that will keep my energy and enthusiasm up!
Yes! Keep it up, girl, you can do it!
I've been a solopreneur since 2010. When my site exploded, I thought the reasonable step was to outsource. I wasted so much money, time, an effort.
Solopreneurship is hard. But for some people it's THE way.
Amazing post. As a solopreneur, I resonated with a lot of your points.
The really hard part of this is to know when to quit or move on and when to stay throwing efforts at something with not indication that it is working (or ever will).
My dad always said it usually takes about 8 years before you truly see a from scratch business take off. Most people quit before then because they run out of capital. But they did all the hardest work at the beginning.
I think the question is always the simple one, “are you adding value?”
That question is one of my guiding principles. 🙏
'We prefer things we know how to handle, even if they suck.'
A profound and sobering point, Maya. It shows how our tendency to prefer familiarity can be a big inhibiting factor for our growth and success.
"Now, I know that if people aren’t buying it, it’s because I’m not selling it."
Great advice! learning how to sell is usually the last thing solopreneurs are concerned with. But just like writing, we become good writers through writing consistently, and therefore we need to sell, early, so we can fail and become better at it.
"Now, I know that if people aren’t buying it, it’s because I’m not selling it." : )
I haven't really thought much about how mindset plays in part with success (pun intended). But given this article, it's encouraging me to change my mindset about a lot of things.