It’s All On You (At First): Solopreneur Insights, Vol. 15

This article kicks off a new series that will focus on common Solopreneur challenges and what to do about them.

I’ve been a Solopreneur for almost 17 years.

I can promise you two things:

1. You will face adversity

2. You have what it takes to overcome it

Along my journey, I’ve experienced everything Solopreneurship has to offer.

I make my own schedule. I spend my days alongside my wife and kids. I make as much money as I want. I choose who I work with. I take my family on lots of adventures. I have control over how I spend my days.

From the outside, it looks pretty awesome. And, truthfully, it is pretty awesome.

But, no one else sees my scars from 17 years of fighting like hell to get here.

I want you to know that the benefits of Solopreneurship far outweigh the challenges we face.

In order to reap those benefits, we need to know how to play the game.

This series will simplify the lessons I learned over the years, and will help you along your journey.

We’ll start with the most obvious challenge: Carrying the weight of a business on just your shoulders.

Challenge 1: It’s all on you (at first)

We Solopreneurs are pretty hardcore about the “solo” part. We don’t want to be slaves to a boss OR to employees. The tradeoff? Until we build a subcontractor network, we are responsible for performing all operations required to run the business.

This means billable work and non-billable work. Billable work is directly tied to the product you create or the service you perform. Non-billable work includes all the other operations required to make your business run smoothly so you can perform the billable work and profit.

You probably already have the billable tasks under control. After all, they are tied directly to your marketable skill: programming, writing, design, photography, coaching, etc.

Here’s a breakdown of major non-billable tasks that live outside of the actual production work. For more details, check out the series I wroteabout these tasks.

1. Strategy

2. Sales

3. Marketing

4. Finance

5. Management

6. Customer Service

There’s only so much time in the day, and these tasks add up fast. Add them to the billable tasks, and you can get overwhelmed quickly. Operate in “Overwhelm Mode” for long, and you’ll burn out.

Not what you signed up for.

And way more dangerous than you might initially think.

Fortunately, you have tools that will help us keep our business operating smoothly and avoid mental breakdowns. There are four critical items at our disposal:

1. Systems

2. Technologies

3. Elimination

4. Delegation

This article focuses on Systems. First, I want to define what a system is:

A system is a step-by-step list that shows you how to get from point A to point B.

That’s it. No need to complicate it.

Let’s dive in.

Systems

Systems are your first line of defense. I built systems for literally everything in my business. Here’s what I did and what you can do: If I did something once, I logged what I did. When I did it again, I followed my log and improved it. I then collected all my process logs and turned them into Standard Operating Procedures that I followed each time.

Why would you do this instead of just winging it every day?

1. You reduce decision fatigue

2. You can focus on execution

3. You get things done faster and better

4. You reduce costly mistakes

5. You accumulate valuable data

Think of systems as a powerful helper who sits beside you every day and shows you the best route to get where you want to go. Over time, this is exactly what they do for you.

You can build systems for anything that you repeatedly do. Go review the billable and non-billable task list above. Focus on developing systems for each category.

Here’s an example of a system I use to start a new design project in my design business.

1. Client request (usually via email or meeting)

2. Email project questionnaire and Calendly link to schedule scope discussion

3. Capture project scope (from questionnaire and discussion)

4. Create project estimate based on scope

5. Send project estimate to client for signature

6. Confirm client signature

7. Create project in Quickbooks and send first invoice

8. Create project folder on local drive

9. Add project tasks to production schedule

10. Send client Calendly link for first concept review session

Depending on the scale of the project, I adjust correspondence time. But, this should give you an idea. Outside of discussions, this entire process requires just minutes of my time.

Your Action Item:

Start where I tell my coaching clients to start: Log what you do each day. Use a spreadsheet or Notion or a notebook. Whatever is the least friction. You’ll gain immense clarity on how you manage your time. In just two weeks, you’ll have a solid outlines for several systems that you can build from there. Eventually, you can add these to production software and allow them to guide your daily actions.

A caution for you Type A types (like me)

I cannot over-emphasize the need for systems.

But, you have to develop a healthy relationship with them.

We live in a post-industrial, franchise-model world. Turning every business into a predictable, well-oiled machine has been all the rage since Ray Kroc founded McDonald’s and Michael Gerber sealed the deal with his book, “The E-Myth.”

They preach systemization to the point of robotic instructions. And, I get it. Over time, we could create systems so granular that a teenager could handle them.

But, we’re not in the business of flipping burgers or baking pies.

You CAN over-systematize. I fell for it myself early in my career.

The point of our systems is not to create a step-by-step instruction sheet that we whip out of a binder and follow every single day like some automaton. Instead, they're meant to provide frameworks so we can use our brains to make decisions without worrying about whether we're on track or not. Systems should reduce friction and easily translate into habits. If you feel stuck, you can always check the system and get back on course.

The next article in the series focuses on Technologies and how they level the playing field to the dismay of the Mega-Corps. Until then, start logging your tasks and building your systems.

– Torrey

Follow me: Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn​

Visit my website: torreydawley.com​

Need help overcoming common challenges?

The most successful Solopreneurs don't truly work alone. If you’re ready to land better clients, reduce bottlenecks, and finally start living the dream you expected when you started your business, book a call with me. My coaching is built on the framework I used to bill $450K+/year with just 20 hours per week while helping small businesses to billion-dollar enterprises increase revenues.

My clients see fast results. An example?

When Naptime Income came to me, they were searching for ways to increase course sales, reduce inefficiencies, and determine the best strategies for growth.

In just one month, they gained over $30,000 in revenue. Andre was able to quit his job, and is now focused exclusively on growing their business. They're on target to add another $20K+ by the end of this month.

I’m lining up a few more clients into the summer. Please know that my coaching is not for beginners, it’s not a last-ditch effort, and it’s not cheap. If we are a good fit, though, you can expect life to feel very different in just a few short months.

​Book your call.