How to make money as a solopreneur
Correction.
How to ensure you will eventually make money as a solopreneur. The key here is patience. Wait, let me scale it back. A solopreneur is essentially a term I just coined but it really means holding your own, making deals, cashing cheques, all off your own back. Whether it’s a side thing, or well, a full thing — being a solopreneur means you call the shots, it’s freedom in a cliche.
The most valuable thing you have when starting out as a solopreneur is not assets, it’s not money and it’s not even skills. It’s relationships. Assuming here you’re really pushing your passions hard, whether thats videography, wacky graphics or writing short stories about robots and dragons; don’t sell your self short. Trade in relationships. Trade in merit.
Think about it.
You need to build relationships first, so you can make money later. I’m not afraid to talk about it, we all need it, we all need cash but don’t let it be your shortcoming. Picture this: you’ve just started writing a blog on independent coffee, it’s getting a few readers, okay now a few more and oh look, its been picked up by your local coffee journal. So, you reach out to your local independent roaster, offer to rebuild his website, re-write his blog, audit his marketing strategy, take a look at his budgets, tidy his sock draw; whatever your thing is. Now the tricky bit. How much do you charge?
The answer?
Nothing.
Here’s the plan. It’s much better to be patient or to be the ‘quality guy’ the ‘£500 guy’ rather than the ‘£20’ guy, even if that means taking a loss in the first place. My point is this, do what you love first and foremost, work hard and work for free but don’t undersell yourself, even if you have nothing.
Be patient. Be kind. (best two pieces of advice you’ll read today)
