Hello SOTGC community,
When I set out to write this post, the subject was intended to be Solopreneur versus Entrepreneur. I’ve been hearing the term “solopreneur” an awful lot lately, championed as the equal, albeit less collaborative, entrepreneur. I thought if I was confused, you might be too.
Let’s start at the beginning. What exactly is a solopreneur? To gain clarity, I set out on a mission and Googled it. My search didn’t really shed much light.
The first definition I encountered, “a solopreneur is essentially an entrepreneur running a business single-handedly” seemed fundamentally flawed. A solopreneur is a one-person show responsible for all aspects of the business from soup to nuts? A business owner who wears all of the hats? In my experience, this is incredibly misleading. ONE person can do it? Alone? Without any help or support? I’m just not buying it.
I came across another, initially more plausible, definition: “solopreneur is a term used for independent professionals to distinguish them from entrepreneurs. Some people use the terms solopreneur and entrepreneur interchangeably, but there are some differences. An entrepreneur seeks to build a company with its own brand that could, presumably, exist even if the entrepreneur left the company. By contrast, solopreneurs build personal brands, tied to themselves as individual professionals. In the most basic sense of the term, solopreneurs are not necessarily interested in growing their businesses into stand-alone companies, although some solopreneurs eventually do become entrepreneurs.” (link to: Johnsonese Brokerage http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs027/1100752989892/archive/1103586515490.html)
Essentially, according to the second definition, I am a solopreneur. I am the brand: Connie Pheiff Speaks. Without me, Connie Pheiff, the business, could not exist. But everything in my inner core screamed, “I’m way more ambitious than that!” I do want to be successful, and for my business that means growing my brand and taking it to the next level. Isn’t the term solopreneur, by sheer definition, a fancy marketing illusion? A glorified freelance contractor? Have we drunk the Kool-Aid?
Until recently, I could do it myself. Or so I thought until I signed with my new publisher Morgan James and now have a deadline. I knew my time is precious, and I had to devise a way to “do it all” without doing it all. I hired a virtual assistant (VA) and she and her team is wonderful. No more do I need to worry about that pesky stuff that takes up much of my time – and drives me nuts.
Building a business alone lacks collaboration and presents unnecessary, frustrating, burn-out inducing challenges, encloses me in a glass ceiling of my own creation, and, frankly, is incredibly stressful and isn’t very much fun. And, although I don’t have even one full-time, W2 employee, technically, I do not run my business alone. I consult with a business coach, marketing guru, sales lead generators, a website developer, a legal team, and an accountant. The point is, I surround myself with an arsenal of professionals so I can focus on my passions … speaking, coaching and writing.
I have no desire to go about it alone. I work smarter than that. My advice: don’t sell yourself short. Know your worth. Going at it, well, solo, limits your potential.
To prove how successful hiring a VA is in allowing me time to write, I have a one-time offer for you. Subscribe for my newsletter at Connie Pheiff Speaks and you will receive the first chapter of my book The Art of the Ask…get into your fundraising groove FREE.
