There's one thing you must do to survive as a solopreneur

Don't be a basket case like me.

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I spent most of 2022 growing my following on Twitter.

At the start of January, I had literally 3 followers on the platform. One was my wife.

By the end of December, I had over 16,000.

I went about it in a very methodical way. I’d post multiple tweets each day at specific times. I’d devote a good chunk of time to engaging with other users. I tried to soak up every bit of growth-related information possible.

It was all going great. And then Elon Musk came along.

Long story short, I now have over 20,000 followers on X, and I may as well have 20,000 grains of sand in my backyard (actually, sand might be useful in some way…).

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Basket Case

I put all my eggs in the Twitter basket. Everything about my solopreneurial growth strategy was based on how big and engaged my audience was there. If it didn’t work out, I wouldn’t be able to grow my email list, and my hopes of developing a sustainable one-person business would be in the toilet.

Fortunately, somewhere along the way my two brain cells accidentally bumped into one another and I realised I needed to diversify my audience before it was too late.

That pursuit of diversification led me to other platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, Medium and, thankfully, Substack.

I dipped my toe in plenty of enticing waters before settling on the online setup I now enjoy most (Substack + YouTube + Kit, for the most part).

As a solopreneur, it’s important to give everything a little taste in order to work out exactly what suits you best. Open up the menu and order one of everything.

What did Chris Martin croon in that song of theirs? “If you never try, you’ll never know…”

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Diversify to survive

Diversifying your online ecosystem also helps protect you when something goes belly-up.

• Algorithm changes can kill your reach

• A band of trolls can select you as their next victim

• Your newsletter account can get suspended (it’s happened to me).

Build your audience across multiple platforms. Plant a little seed in several, water them regularly, and see which ones sprout.

Then, when you’ve discovered which ones bear fruit, cut the rest and focus on the good growers.

My recommendation?

Have at least one text-based platform and video-based platform in your locker. Substack and YouTube, for example. They pair well together.

And again, even if each individual platform offers multiple ways to present content, it’s good to spread the load.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, just as 2022 David did.

Diversify, build strategically, and give yourself the best possible chance of success.

PS. If you’re still on the fence about solopreneurship, take my free email course and find out if its right for you.

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