9 Daily Struggles That Come Along with Being a Solopreneur

Have you ever wanted to tell your boss to shove it, become self-employed, and start your own business? It may sound good, but it also comes with many struggles and challenges. Being a solopreneur (someone who builds and runs a business independently) can be an incredible yet frustrating journey. There will be many ups and downs, along with several sleepless nights. One day you’ll be on top of the world, and the next, you’ll be wondering if your business is going to survive.

While you have the ability to run your business how you see it, that also means every decision lies on your shoulders. When something fails, it’s your fault. But when you succeed, the feeling is unimaginable.

Below you will find many of the struggles that come with being a solopreneur that you need to consider before making the jump into entrepreneurship (or, in this case, “solopreneurship”).

Can you overcome some of these struggles, or do you feel they are too much to deal with on a day-to-day basis? Because at the end of the day, all of these stories of people making millions from starting a business and living one big vacation are a pipedream. Let’s look at the daily grind and challenges that a solopreneur is faced with.

9 Struggles You’ll Encounter as a Solopreneur

9 Struggles You’ll Encounter as a Solopreneur

Below is a list of nine struggles you’ll have to deal with as a solopreneur.

1. Me, Myself, and I

As a solopreneur, you look to your left, to your right, in front of you, and behind you, and all you see is empty space. There is no one in your office but you. Whether you rent a space or use part of your home as your office, no one else is working on or in your business other than yourself. The weight of the company and all of the responsibilities are on your plate to swallow.

Are you ok handling all of the day-to-day responsibilities that come along with running a business? Are you ok with working long hours and even weekends in order to grow your business? If not, a solopreneur life is not for you as there is no one else there to bail you out when work piles up and deadlines are coming due.

2. No Time Off as a Solopreneur

When you were an employee of a company, you probably got paid time off. This could be used for vacation, for personal days, or for sick days. Guess what? When you’re a solopreneur, you don’t get “paid time off.” What will happen if you get sick or are injured and can’t run your business for a few days, weeks, months, or longer? What will happen? This is a real concern.

Where will your income come from? Can you survive? Even if you want to take some time off to go on vacation with your family, what will happen to your business in your absence? Can you work remotely? Will you miss out on sales? Do you close your business for the duration of your time off? Will your customers/clients come back if your business is not operating for any length of time? You need to think about how you will handle this, so your business doesn’t suffer.

3. Managing Your Time as a Solopreneur

Being that every role of your company is your responsibility, you need to manage your time effectively and efficiently. As a solopreneur, wasted time is lost revenue. Therefore, you need to be able to maintain your focus all day long and not get distracted by things such as the news, social media, or all of the dings and buzzes coming from your phone that do not pertain to your business or tasks needing completing for the day.

You should be scheduling high-priority tasks as well as having a prioritized “to-do” list. Have a plan going into every day of what MUST get completed for the day, as well as all of the other tasks you can work on if time permits. Leave non-essential tasks for another day/time.

4. Staying Focused

It may sound so simple, yet as a solopreneur, staying focused can be extremely difficult when you are juggling so many things. You have customer service, shipping, sales, marketing, accounting, and many more things going on at the same time for your business. Can you stay focused? Honestly, your business is a machine, and in order for it to perform and bring in revenue, you need to make sure all parts are running smoothly AT THE SAME TIME.

That means you need to be growing your sales. You need to work on marketing to bring in new customers. You need to be replying to emails and voicemails left by prospects and customers. You need to be shipping your products out. You need to be scheduling your services. You need to stay on top of your bookkeeping to record sales and expenses. No one cares that you’re doing a million things at one time. People and businesses expect you to pay them on time. The bills don’t stop just because you’re a solopreneur. And taxes when you own your own business – they’re no joke.

5. You Don’t Know Everything as a Solopreneur

This isn’t meant to belittle you, but you don’t know everything there is to run a successful business. For many, they will need to learn along the way. And that’s fine but be prepared to put in extra hours early in the morning or late at night to learn new skills that will fill the holes and gaps in your business. For example, you might be great at sales but horrible at marketing. In that instance, you would need to learn all about marketing and what strategies you should be utilizing with your business to help get eyeballs on your product(s)/service(s) and convert sales.

Going into business as a solopreneur, thinking you know everything, will serve you a slice of humble pie. You will learn quickly that you don’t know everything.

6. Get Used to Being Uncomfortable

A part of personal growth is being uncomfortable. The same can be said about your business. Nothing changes if nothing changes, and if you expect sales to come without your intervention, you’re greatly mistaken. You need to get uncomfortable on a daily basis. I’m not saying embarrass yourself but do something that you don’t feel you’re good at and figure out how to do it. Call that prospect that you think there is no way they will buy from you and pitch them. Try a new marketing technique you’ve never tried before. Get outside of your comfort zone personally and professionally to help grow your business.

7. You’re NOT the Boss

Far too many people start a business as a solopreneur and puff out their chest like, “I’m the boss! I’m in control now!” No, you’re not. All of your customers and clients are the boss. They dictate everything you do.

When customers need help or assistance, it’s your job to come to the rescue. You’re at their mercy, and the fact of the matter is that your business only grows when you are solving other people’s problems. The same way when you’re an employee and your boss has a problem and has you fix it. So, don’t walk around thinking you’re now the one in charge and won’t be taking orders from anyone – you’ll be taking orders and answering to people daily when you’re a solopreneur and in business for yourself.

8. You Put Everything at Risk as a Solopreneur

Do you like gambling? Are you willing to put your entire savings on the line (or more) in order to start a business? Essentially, you’re risking a lot when you start a business as a solopreneur. It’s your money on the line or someone else’s (such as an investor) who is expecting to see a return. Can you handle the pressure of knowing you could lose it all?

You’re going to be spreading yourself extremely thin, both personally and financially. Are you willing to give up a lush lifestyle to grow your business in hopes that you can scale and make a living for yourself? Are you willing and able to possibly not make any money from your business for months or even years? If starting a business were easy, you’d see everyone doing it. However, the unfortunate news is that the majority of start-ups will fail.

9. No One Knows You

If you’re just starting your business, there’s a good chance that no one knows you. Unless you were well-known in a given industry or locally, you could start up your business and not have one person walk through your door or call you. That’s an unfortunate reality. That’s where a solid marketing campaign comes in (and don’t forget about starting business social media profiles and managing them on a daily basis). You need to get your business out in front of anyone and everyone to help create a buzz and create awareness. Remember, money follows attention.

When no one knows you, it’s challenging to grow your business versus someone who has a reputation already and who has a track record in the industry. You’re going to want to network with as many people as you can, so collectively, you can help each other grow. A great idea would be to find other businesses in your space where you can cross-promote your businesses or collaborate on projects to benefit all parties involved.

Do you want to get a leg up on your competitors even when you’re just starting your business as a solopreneur? Check out some of the audiobooks I have had published to help you get ahead!

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