Start a Remote-Based Service Now, Ride the Creator Economy Wave Later.

Surf’s up for solopreneurs.

Feb 19, 2024

Hi there! 👋 My name’s David - I’m a writer and solopreneur from Northern Ireland. In this publication, you’ll find a growing archive of resources (created by myself and a collection of valued guests) for those hoping to become - or grow as - solopreneurs. While you’re here, you should also check out:

My other publication, How to Write for a Living
This course I created (included in my paid plan)

Thanks for stopping by! Now, back to the article.

“I’m seeking a remote role of 20–40 hours per week. Ideally working with a creator.”

Someone slid into my DMs recently asking for help finding a job. Specifically, a remote role working with a creator. He even offered to pay me 10% of his first paycheck if I could help him out.

We had a quick chat and I shared some thoughts. I asked what he’d tried so far, what he considered his strengths to be, and then suggested a position he could pursue.

I don’t really know how much help I was, and I didn’t accept any payment for it (it was just a few minutes of my time and it gave me the idea for this article, after all), but the guy seemed pleased enough.

It’s a privilege to help people.

If you’re in a similar situation — seeking a remote-based role working for an online creator — here are some suggestions for how you might go about it.

Put yourself under the microscope

As I told my DMing friend, start by considering your strengths and weaknesses.

Write them down on a page in two columns — essentially, the pros and cons of your current skillset.

What are you naturally good at? What abilities have you picked up in previous roles? What personality traits set you apart from the competition?

The most important thing here is to list exactly what you can do, what you feel confident doing. Think of things you could talk about without drawing breath until you’re blue in the face.

Consider what you’re most interested in, what you really like. Those are your skill traits, your unfair advantages.

For instance, I could jabber on about how to build a personal solopreneur platform for days if no-one stopped me. I’m passionate about it. Maybe even a little obsessed. I feel as though it’s one of the things I could teach, if given the opportunity.

Write down your skillset, in ink if you can. That’s your starting point.

Create a focal point

Next, grab a little piece of internet real estate.

Set up a LinkedIn business page about yourself (here’s mine), add all your relevant links, and list those skills you wrote down.

You can also create a simple landing page using a platform like Carrd (again, here’s mine). It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. In fact, it’s probably best if it isn’t.

You just need a focal point to usher people towards. Think of it as your business card. When you post something on social media, stick your card in an attached post or comment below it.

Make it dead easy for people to find you and follow up on their interest, if you’ve piqued it.

Do a little work for free

Here’s where a lot of people fall down in their rush to make money online.

If you want to stand out from the jostling crowd on the interwebs, you need social proof. The best way to get social proof is to make your clients happy. And you can’t do that without clients.

So, do some free work for a handful (that is, no more than you can count on one hand) of clients. It doesn’t have to be anything major.

You could write a blog post for their website, or prepare a short campaign of social media posts. If it’s part of your skillset, you could create a video or take some company headshots.

The key thing here is “free”. I know people hate that word and many refuse to lift a finger unless they’re getting paid, but if you want to get started in any business (and, let’s face it, gain some valuable experience in the process), you have to be willing to do a limited amount of work for free.

Once you’ve done it, you’ll have some positive testimonies for that landing page we talked about. Clients will be more than happy to write you a nice review for the free labour they received, so unless the person’s an absolute jerk, you won’t have a problem there (just take care to vet the people you’re offering free work to first).

The majority of people won’t work for free to get started. Be in the minority who bullet a mile ahead of them by doing it.

Reach out

Finally, once you have your online focal point and a handful of positive reviews, start reaching out to local creators you fancy working with.

Latasha James is a good example of someone who got off the ground this way. She’s talked extensively on YouTube about how she connected with local creators in her hometown when getting started as a social media manager.

It’s a good place to start, especially since you’ll already have a solid understanding of the area and the challenges local businesses might face. You can go well beyond your hometown, of course, but staying within your country to begin with is probably a good idea.

Connect with those creators on LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter and Facebook. Fire off a carefully-worded, personalised DM explaining what you do and offering your services. Don’t forget to link to your landing page decorated with your positive social proof.

You could even start by running an introductory offer, where you do the work for half price, or within a certain timeframe. That’s a good way to bridge the gap between free and paid. People are always more inclined to accept an offer that’s discounted, too.