Give it to me straight: is it easy to start a one-person business or too hard? (Says the confused 9-5er)

Let’s assume that you are working a 9-5. You are considering starting a side hustle to bring in extra income or maybe go full-time with it in the future. You read a few posts from Justin Welsh suggesting that it is so easy to start a one-person business. But then you read a post from Colby Kultgen about “The Best Antidepressants (that aren’t drugs).”

Wait, what!?!

If it were easy, everyone would start an online business and kill it. Right? What should you believe? What is right? More importantly, what is suitable for you?

You want to start this business to meet your goals. It is essential to have a vision of what it will take to accomplish your goal. You must figure this out.

This decision right here is enough for many people to stifle them into stagnation. A good friend of mine is “stuck, stuck” right now. This friend is perplexed by a complicated approach to a book launch.

Many people start down the path of entrepreneurship, realize how hard it is, and quit. They need more focus, willpower, and coaching to overcome the tough times. For some people, the lack of support from family members is stifling. For others, being unable to make time in the mornings, evenings, or weekends kills their dreams. Some people in their lives need so much of their time that they can’t devote time to their dreams.

What’s your situation?

Some flavor of this is likely.

I know your situation. I am currently in the same situation. So do the successful creators that you are following. They also know your situation because everyone has gone through a similar path.

You can do this. You can start this business.

If you stick with me, you will.

Why do I believe that you can do it? Helping people like you is my passion and my “why.”  

So let’s dispel the myths.  Let’s get to, getting it.

Starting as a Solopreneur is easy, but scaling is hard

With the help of various creators, I’m going to show you exactly how easy this can be and the challenges that will come:

• Easy to make your first $1 online this weekend
• Easy to complete an IKIGAI personality test
• Easy to purchase a course from a creator
• It is hard to be confident in the pursuit of your life purpose
• It is hard to run a business if you don’t know how
• It is hard to adjust your life to add in solopreneurship
• Easy to choose the more challenging path if you want to win

Yup, this is the reality of life running a one-person business. You are successful in delivering value to your company in your full-time role. Yet you’re considering this challenge. There is no way around the hard.

Let’s set your mind at ease with an approach that makes both easy and hard work together toward your goal.

We will address real-talk examples that will help you launch your business.

Let’s get into how step by step:

01: Easy to make your first $1 online this weekend

Listen here; this is so incredibly easy and simple. Please do it right now. If you need any help, contact me. We can schedule a time so  I can help you get this project done at; no-charge.

How-to to create a custom step-by-step guide:

“A guide to make your first $1 online this weekend.”

STEP 1: Choose your favorite generative AI assistant and create an account. For this task, I will use Anthopic’s Claude 2 AI.

• ChatGPT
• Bard
• Claude

STEP 2: Make any adjustments, copy the following prompt, and paste it into your AI assistant.

"I want to make my first $1 online. To do so, I'd like you to create a "guide" entitled: “A guide to making your first $1 online this weekend”. In this guide, I'd like you to detail step-by-step how to set it up and how to execute it."

STEP 3: Write an introduction first, then an ending for the guide. Try the steps yourself and then personalize the content with your own experiences.

STEP 4: Generate an AI image or select one from Unsplash that has dollars 💵 signs on the cover

STEP 5: Create a one-page landing page using Carrd.co to show the product. You can use a very brief description and the image you selected. Charge $1 for the product.

STEP 6: Host the guide on Gumroad. Follow the steps to link your landing page to the product so people can buy it. Be sure to link to your PayPal, Venmo or online payments tool to Gumroad.

STEP 7: Test it and make a purchase!

STEP 8: Make a post on the social media platform that you are most active on. Tell your audience about this new product you created. Let them know they should also try it because it was so easy.

The goal for this easy start isn’t to make you a million dollars online. The goal is to give you confidence that the path is possible with an early, easy win.

02: Easy to complete an IKIGAI personality test

Let’s take this momentum into another easy but essential task. You will receive guidance on answering a series of questions. This guidance is provided through a personality test. The output is what it believes to be your IKIGAI.

Think of it as the sweet spot where what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for all come together. It's a Japanese concept, like your "reason for being" or your life's purpose.

Take some time to follow this simple process toward IKIGAI.

1. Passion: Write down things you LOVE doing.
2. Profession: List your STRENGTHS and what you’re good at.
3. Vocation: Write down what the world NEEDS that you can offer. (Ask your AI if you get stuck here on what the world needs)
4. Mission: Make a note of things you can be PAID for.

Now, think about the zones as they come together. Where they all overlap, this center will be your IKIGAI!

Finding IKIGAI is a journey, not a destination. So, take your time, explore, and see where it leads. Remember your goals for starting your business. Your IKIGAI might be the compass that points to your niche.

03: Easy to purchase a course from a creator

This may be the most straightforward task that I will give you today. Don’t think too hard here; select one of the courses from your favorite creator.

I’ve spent over $10,000 during the first eight months of my journey to start writing on various resources to learn. Trust that this is a critical step in your journey. You can’t invest in yourself enough.

Here is a list of a few creators I follow, including paid programs.

• Justin Welsh
• Sam Szuchan
• Jade Bonacolta
• Ben Meer
• Matt Gray
• Sahil Bloom

As we shift from easy to challenging tasks, note that they are all feasible.

04: It is hard to be confident in the pursuit of your life purpose

Early in your creator journey to building and monetizing an audience, you may feel like you need help. Without a clear path to success, you may do things that are not productive for your business. Being lost erodes confidence.

When you are lost, seek guides or coaches to help you find your way. In Step 3, we discussed purchasing content from a creator. Link up with a creator or anyone on your own personal board of directors for one-on-one coaching.

An experienced coach can listen to your situation and identify your roadblocks. Your coach will offer guidance to help you overcome your barriers to success.

Your confidence will grow with a more straightforward path to meeting your goals. When your confidence grows, you will navigate unchartered terrain the next time.

You are not alone. Ask for the support you need.

05: It is hard to run a business if you don’t know how

Solopreneurship is the act of one person operating a business. Running a business is hard when you have an entire team. Running a business is even more complicated when you alone are the business.

If you don’t have experience in how to start, grow, and run a business, being a solopreneur will be hard. It’s not impossible, but it won't be easy.

The idea for this content came to me during Global Mental Health Week. One point became apparent as I reflected on inputs on mental health from various sources that week. Life as an entrepreneur is stressful, lonely, and can be depressing.

Learning on the job is challenging. Dealing with mental challenges is hard.

Here are those tips on antidepressants I mentioned earlier from Colby. He is sharing because life as a solopreneur is complex, and the tips are valuable.

You can accomplish the rewarding life of running a solo business. You must have a never-quit attitude, though. Your skin must be so thick that you don’t let haters deter you from your goals. Listen to input, but never quit.

06: It is hard to adjust your life to add in solopreneurship

You’ve made money online, have your IKIGAI, and got a lesson or two from experts. You know a few truths on this journey that are hard to do  — and you’re moving forward.

Amazing.

Now, how do you adjust your current life to add it in?

It all starts with you. Making lifestyle changes can be challenging. You have to make many changes that are likely daily habits. These changes often involve other people in your life. You can not change your way of living and not let your family in on the change.

Knowone talks about how challenging this is. It does, though start with you. There is no ultimate resource to cover every scenario. You don’t need one. I’ve shared resources such as getting a coach to guide you through the darkness. Layering in a community will help as well.

For this lifestyle change, I recommend trying habit-changing strategies from experts. Add a few changes to your life 1-2 weeks at a time. Continue to add more changes to every area of your life until you have time for a new business. Once your whole plan is in place, you should have no significant barriers to starting, growing, and running your business.

I’ve been working full-time and running a business my entire adult life. The learnings gained from my ventures are implemented into my career. This path has worked well for me. At any time, I can turn my learnings into full-time solopreneurship.

Here are just a few of the lifestyle changes I’ve made and recommend you consider:

• Become an entrepreneur mentally; commit
• Discuss your passion with your family
• Show that family through action
• Welcome and learn from the failures that await
• Turn failure into a wealth of notes
• Pivot toward better outcomes after a fail
• Remove distractions and focus
• Celebrate small wins; however, they show up

I can write a book or talk on this topic for a week.

If you are already down this path and need support, contact me. From time to time, I do 1x1 coaching.

07: Easy to choose the more challenging path if you want to win

You’ve made it. What I can tell you is starting a one-person business is easy. The barriers to entry are low, and there are many paths you can choose. Knowing the long game is hard, the choice you need to make is also easy.

Life is already hard. I trust that you already know because you’re living it. Nothing comes easy. You must, though choose your hard. Choose what you want to work hard at and how.

Easy question for you.

Will you commit to the hard as a solopreneur?

Either choice could be the right one for you, so there is no pressure. So choose.

Expert Tip: Surround yourself with people who align with your goals. You become the average of the people you spend most of your time with.

Homework: Make that $1 this weekend.

Next Up: Are you ready to use intelligent automation for your business?