How To Succeed As A Solopreneur: There’s Help In Tech
Becoming a solopreneur is something that you can be proud of. You’re becoming your own boss and essentially taking full control of your life. Yet the fact is, solopreneurship is demanding, and if you roll with it unchecked, you may end up with even less freedom and more responsibilities than you started with. However, there’s no need to be discouraged because luckily for you, there is tech-based help to use to your advantage.
Outsource the legalese.
Some of the biggest challenges in becoming a solopreneur come at the very start of your venture. Conceiving a business is no mean feat, as are doing the market research, developing a business plan, building buzz around your project, and so forth.
Of course, if you want to start a business that’s truly profitable and legitimate, you simply can’t take shortcuts. This entails learning the nitty-gritty of personal liability, how taxation works, and more. Admittedly, these can all be too much for a novice, which is why it’s worth looking online for affordable services that make business formation a breeze. This way, you don’t get overwhelmed with paperwork that needs to be filed in the right places, and simply wait for the service to provide you with the documents you need to operate.
Splurge on the tools you need.
Once your business is in full swing, you will find that there are plenty of things that need to be done, often at the same time. This can range from managing your inventory to ensuring customer satisfaction, as well as bookkeeping and a score of other administrative tasks.
It sounds like a lot, but thankfully, gone are the days when things needed to be done manually. In fact, there are now countless tools available today that can help you run your business more efficiently, so it’s wise to determine what you need, and simply download the software or app that can streamline a task for you. In some cases, you might need to spring for a subscription or license fee, but the fact is, these investments will ultimately pay for themselves.
Delegate to freelancers.
Even with the most well-stocked digital toolkit, there are still tasks that may be too tedious or time-consuming to do yourself, or projects that are beyond your skill level. In these cases, consider outsourcing the work to freelancers.
A good example of this is when you need an intuitive and professional website for your business, as well as digital and social media marketing. Instead of wasting time learning how to do these from scratch, you can hire a web design like me, Tracie Carrigan, whose portfolio and experience speak for themselves. You can also find freelancers like admin assistants, bookkeepers, graphic designers—for virtually any kind of task, for that matter—from online job boards.
Of course, bringing in outside help does mean giving up a certain level of control and putting your faith in someone else. It’s only smart to err on the side of caution and do a background check on potential employees.
Just be aware that there are rules and regulations to follow. For instance, you need to inform candidates that you’re running a check and that it could affect the outcome of their application. Laws on the information you compile vary, as well, so it’s just as important to know what’s relevant to you. Case in point, you can’t do a background check in some states unless you’ve made a conditional job offer, while in others, you can’t use information going beyond seven years or arrests without convictions.
Making it as a solopreneur shouldn’t mean working more. Instead, you need to work smarter. Ultimately, making efficient use of tech-based services, assistance, and tools is exactly how you do more of the latter and less of the former.
