Are you a solopreneur? If so, what is the biggest challenge you face?
I am curious if the biggest challenge faced by a solopreneur will vary based on the geography of the business (i.e. US vs UK vs India vs Australia, etc.). I am interested in identifying what solopreneurs feel is their biggest challenge. What's holding them back. If they could just solve this problem they would see a dramatic improvement in the success of their business.
If you are a solopreneur, I would appreciate your input. Please indicate your geographic home base when responding.
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Sep 1, 2016
Scott, the biggest challenge I have is finding ways to meet and build relationships with CEOs and other executives, the individuals who engage my services.
Aug 13, 2016
An entrepreneur is a person who sets up business or businesses, taking on financial risks in hope of profits. In other words it can be said that an entrepreneur is someone who exercises initiative by organizing a venture to take the benefit of an opportunity and as a decision maker decides what and how much of goods or services will be produced.
Soloprenuers are some with the multiverse, multi-talented and diverse people. They try to perform different roles at same time like they are the project managers, a risk taker, an accountant, a marketer and a salesman etc. all combined into one.
The biggest challenge as a Soleprenuer is not multi-tasking but rather Balancing the budget that you have. So many startups get over extended in a financial sense. The people in charge get too excited with their purchases, or they spread themselves too thin, and an unexpected expense pops up, ruining everything. Have a tight budget written up and leave extra money for surprises. You’ll be glad that you did.
Aug 4, 2016
There is no sounding board, no people to discuss and brainstorm with. There is no person that you have to explain why you are doing what you are doing. Time management also tends to be an issue.
Jul 29, 2016
I would have to say that there is never enough time for everything. Someone in my field has to be a polymath, and therefore my time is very tight. Sooner or later Ill have to take on some help, but again, I dont have time for interviews either...lol... I suppose its a good problem to have, that Im constantly working on new projects and exploring new avenues of my design business, but still. It would be nice to be able to take a breather every once and while and actually have a day off without the phone ringing, emails coming in or texts every fifteen seconds.
Jul 28, 2016
I think that the largest challenge faced by me, is that I sometimes need to have a "kick in the butt" to go along, when I have becomed too involved in things that has nothing to do with my present project. And also that I am talking a little to much to myself. So more than once I have had trainees to fill out the loneliness and also coming up with good ideas. Cause it can really be the lone wolf to work alone. I am often going to network, to meet people who are solopreneurs as myself.
Jul 28, 2016
I agree with Tom Fox. I run a speaker placement service (solo) based in the U.S. but with an international outreach. The biggest challenge is spending the right amount of time on my clients and also on growing the business and getting new clients. Tough balancing act!
Jul 28, 2016
Geographic Home Base - USA - My biggest challenge is fine tuning processes. My background is troubleshooting - (software test engineer) (Microsoft tech / phone support) - because of this I am always looking for better ways to handle my time. With the internet - there are so many things we need to keep up on. Social networks are key to our internet success.
So, utilizing WordPress (I am a WordPress web designer) I have found great apps that will sync my blog posts to my social networks - I currently have my blog posts going to (8) different social networks. + I just added Apple News to the mix.
This is what I mean by fine tuning processes. I also know which social networks sync with other social networks - example: If I want to post something to my Tumblr blog - I know that that posting will go to Facebook and Twitter.
If I want to post something to "Pack" - this is a dog social network that I belong to - that posting will go to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
If I want something to go out to the masses - I will do a blog post - however, I do have control over that as well - I can simply uncheck the networks that I do not want to have the information that I am sharing.
This saves me a lot of time - I also have appointed times (I schedule my time to post and do the internet stuff) I also have downloaded all the applicable apps to my iPhone - and I post and or share while I am out and about - If I have a doctor appointment and have to wait for a bit - I share stuff on my iPhone - killing to birds with one stone.
Adapting to technology is the key!
Seth: there are people who can help you. One of the emerging trends are small business incubators, usually at colleges and universities. There is another great resource, SCORE. You can get some great feedback and mentoring either way.