If you’ve never started a business from the bottom, doing so is daunting, to say the least. This is especially true if you’re going the lone wolf route as a solopreneur. However, that’s not to say you can’t be successful by yourself. Consider the variety of solo-based businesses out there: from content writers and web designers and beyond, many digital empires are built by those working alone. Offline industries are also fair game for solopreneurs today. For example, consider how lawyers can market themselves as a solo practice and still score clients.
Whether you’re selling products or providing a service as a soloprenuer, there are a few things you’ll need to stand out from the crowd and ensure your long-term success, though. So, where do you start?
1. Be Prepared To Network Like Crazy
While you may be running your business by yourself, just like all other solopreneurs do, the fact remains that networking is absolutely essential to building your business up from the bottom. Thankfully, networking takes many shapes and forms and is arguably easier than ever in the era of social media. Private Facebook groups and LinkedIn connections, for example, have become the bread and butter of marketers looking to…
- Show off their expertise to potential clients
- Connect with fellow solopreneurs to ask and answer questions
- Gain exposure for their brand and hone their marketing messages
Regardless of what you’re selling, you can’t hope to get far until you put yourself out there.
Consider taking advantage of groups on Facebook and LinkedIn as a starting point; meanwhile, an active Twitter feed that shows potential clients that you’re alive and well never hurts. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t spread yourself thin and actually pay attention to those who are giving you their attention.
2. Embrace Entrepreneurship As A Lifestyle
[pullquote]Perhaps the easiest way to ensure your business’ success is by fully immersing yourself in entrepreneurship.[/pullquote] This is what all solopreneurs do and is crucial for success.
That is, you live and breathe your business as you’re first starting out to encourage your company to grow. This doesn’t mean sacrificing all of your free time, but rather becoming an active participant in your industry on a day-to-day basis. For some, this may mean a heavy social media presence and blog commenting: for others, it means teaching your audience through consistent blogging and vlogging.
3. Start Building Your List Today
Among the many regrets of veteran business owners is the fact that they didn’t start building their email list from day one. There’s no better way to engage your following by making sure that they hang on your every word. Building an effective email list isn’t rocket science: as long as you have regular advice and content to share, combined with a place for them to opt-in on your website, you’re golden.
4. Be Careful What You Pay For
There’s nothing wrong with paid marketing: for example, you should certainly splurge on your website and WordPress themes to ensure that you have a hub for your business that looks sleek and runs smoothly. That being said, you don’t need to break the bank on social ads until you know what your marketing message looks like. Ease into paid advertising by first toying with free tools and running tests to understand what works and what doesn’t.
Being a solopreneur doesn’t have to be a lonely road, nor does it have to be an uphill battle. The aforementioned tips will help ensure that you encourage your business’ growth from the start and keep it growing for the long-term.
4 Tips For Solopreneurs To Succeed With Their Startup
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