12 solopreneur lessons from 2023
Read Time: 5m
Merry Christmas to YOU!
A bit of reflection in this email.
At least one piece of this email should resonate with you.
If so, reply to this email and let me know which part.
I read and respond to every email I get - I'm OCD like that.
After starting, on what was called Twitter at the time, back in March 2023, I had no idea what I was doing.
But I knew I wanted something better for myself and for my family.
I W2’d well in 2022 and going into 2023, I thought “Can I do this same ride again this year?”
I gave 2022 all I had…for my company.
I didn't give the more important things in my life enough attention.
That being said, I’m a good dad and husband.
I show up.
I take care of my kids.
I guide them when they make mistakes.
I forgive.
I'm fair.
I show up to have lunch with them at their school occasionally.
My wife lives comfortably.
We have what we need.
But is this how I want things to go for the rest of my kids lives before they go off to college to start their adult lives?
Nah.
It can be better and I want that.
I’ve acquired skills that translate into the solopreneur world.
I'm on a mission to demystify and accelerate the solopreneur process.
How can this solopreneur thing become real for you and me?
Justin Welsh is the icon.
I love everything that he does for this movement.
Do more of what you love and less of what you hate.
Who wouldn’t want that life?
So how do we get it?
What does that path look like?
How can I get there faster?
I’m not getting any younger, I’m about to be 39.
So in March of 2023, I set out to figure this thing out and I still have a long way to go.
Here’s some things I’ve learned.
Read through ones that interest you and let me know if any of these resonate with you.
1. The Niche Dilemma
You don’t have to pick a niche to succeed as a solopreneur.
You need an intersection of your passion, curiosity and what others will pay for.
That way, you’ll enjoy the ride and generate income along the way.
2. The Simpler, The Better
I used to think that the large creators out there had crazy systems in place and had everything figured out.
They don’t.
And they keep it simple.
Write well.
Gain email subscribers.
Create a great offer that solves a painpoint.
Make money.
3. Take your audience off social platforms
You can’t control what Elon, Zuck or Microsoft does.
The algorithm may screw things up for you.
You could get banned for an unknown reason.
Make sure you collect emails along the way.
4. Write to one person
You won’t know who that one person is just yet.
You may not have any followers either.
That’s ok.
Justin Welsh started with 0.
Sahil Bloom started with 0.
Write to one person, even if that person is you.
Just make it personal.
5. Make sure you know WHY you’re doing this
Social media is a tool.
What are you building with this tool?
and more importantly, why?
6. Be more specific in your offering
I have a lot of work to do here.
Being a growth coach or wanting to help people with business means nothing to any one.
What EXACTLY can you do to help others?
This isn’t something that gets written down and then just happens.
You figure this out by doing.
Helping one person.
Then another.
And another.
Then you can figure out what you can offer.
7. An audience is the most powerful tool you can have going into 2024.
You build a network.
A group of supporters.
Find clients.
The opportunity to identify problems.
Figure out what content works well.
Catch and hold people’s attention.
8. Growth on 𝕏 isn’t the end goal.
Having a large audience on 𝕏 or any other social media platform doesn’t automatically mean income.
Yes, I want more followers, but I want sustainable solopreneur income more.
Bots, spammy accounts and followers who will never purchase from me are just pixels on a screen.
𝕏 growth, and growth on any other social media platform, should serve a purpose towards your overall goal…not necessarily be the end goal itself!
9. Use multiple platforms, without overextending yourself.
I’m using LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram as well.
Don’t isolate yourself to one platform.
I like 𝕏 the best and I believe that if your content does well there, it can do well anywhere.
Just don’t overdo it.
10. Finding clients on 𝕏 can be tough.
Lots of people say you just need to keep sending DMs.
I disagree.
I think it's important to DM, but generally speaking, I don’t think most people like getting DMs.
The 𝕏 functionality is clunky to me and I don’t think people like to use it.
Best bet to me is to collect email addresses, deliver the value to their inbox and pitch your services.
11. Well written landing pages are really important.
Crappy and unclear landing pages lead to less email signups and product downloads.
It’s important to be CLEAR on what you’re offering.
Keep it simple.
12. Writing is the most important skill to improve when starting your one-person business.
If you can’t write clearly, you can’t think clearly.
Write clear.
Think clear.
Communicate clear.
My favorite copywriting framework is PAS:
P = Problem (write about the problem)
A = Agitate (twist the knife to agitate the reader)
S = Solution (offer a solution to the problem)
I hope one of these 12 items helped you or resonated with you.
When you're ready to accelerate your solopreneur journey, check out my services and products below.
-Matt Barron
When you're ready, there's several ways I can help you:
- Book a 1:1 Solopreneur Sales Acceleration Call with me.
- Jumpstart your Solopreneur business in 20 minutes: Identify your unique solopreneur intellectual property and get 3 solo business ideas tailored to your experience, personality and skillsets.
- Consistently add followers and find clients using XPro: Configure 𝕏Pro (free tool for 𝕏 Blue Subscribers) so that you consistently add followers and find clients using lists and keyword searches.
- Accelerate your email list growth: Write tweets that get you email subs. Then write emails that get a 50%+ open rate. Discover how to leverage ConvertKit's Creator Network to expedite your email list growth.