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The Three Paths of Solopreneurship: Wait to Respond – Funnel Hustle – and The Middle Way of Authentic Business

In my 13 years of business, I’ve noticed 3 ways to approach solopreneurship:

Wait to Respond

The way that most service providers do it is to just wait for random word-of-mouth. You might get a few clients a year, if you’re lucky. Some of them might be a great fit, and some will not be. 

Why? Because starting a business is, understandably, so overwhelming as well as confronting (to one’s self-esteem) that sometimes, avoiding marketing is all we feel we can do.

Yet, with this path, it can take…

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The Means Never Justify The Ends -- If You Care About Your Values

Your ambitions, no matter how big, are not wrong as long as they align with your values.

However, the more attached to your timeline, the more you're in danger of "means to an end" thinking, which is the beginning of wrongdoing:

  • "The goal is what matters."
  • "I'll do whatever it takes to get there."
  • "The outcome is more important than the journey."
  • "As long as I achieve my objective, it doesn't matter how I get there."

All of these statements ignore the toll it takes on one's soul… 


S…

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Building trust is more important than making the sale.



The next time an expert tells you that a marketing or conversion tactic “works”... ask this question: 

“It might work to convert 10% of the audience… but does it build trust with the other 90%... or would it feel salesy to them?”

Years ago, I used to care only about the small percentage of my audience who converted. I was all about the sale, about getting the transaction. What about the remainder of the audience? I thought of them as “illusory clie…

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10 Year Plan for Authentic Business

Here is a plan to help you create a business that expresses your soul -- and allows you to have a semi-retirement lifestyle.

​What’s possible with this plan:

  • Year 2: Part-time income with providing your authentic service.

  • Year 4: Full-time income by providing both 1-1 and group offerings.

  • Year 10: Full-time income, somewhat passively, allowing for semi-retirement, and being one of the best in your field.

Although this is called a 10-Year Plan, you might be able to speed things up. It de…

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Venn Diagram for Authentic Business

In trying to understand your purposeful work, you may have encountered various kinds of complex venn diagrams to express the idea of Ikigai.


Well, here's my version of it... a venn diagram for Authentic Business:


Authentic Business Venn Diagram

I created that in 2014, and I think it can still help many people to understand where to place their energies in their work.

The circle on the right represents your passions, which can be...

  • Topics you love to talk about
  • Problems you enjoy working on
  • People you love …

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