How to Shift from Solopreneur to Entrepreneur
When venturing into the world of business with a single big idea, many start solo. In business, we like to call these aspiring entrepreneurs ‘solopreneurs’. While the word solopreneur derives from the word entrepreneur, there are significant differences. A solopreneur is an individual who runs their business and operations alone, think self-employed freelancers or consultants. In contrast, an entrepreneur is defined as an individual who’s expanded their business and mastered strong leadership skills to lead a team behind them.
As distinct as these two roles are, each role has many benefits. A considerable stage of your personal growth and business success begins as a solopreneur. It’s a phase of development that should be nurtured without being rushed. As past solopreneurs at RAVEN, we’ve discovered and garnered key lessons and essential knowledge needed to pave the way to entrepreneurial success. While it may take some wins, losses, and patience, you have the capabilities to make the shift, too. If you’re looking for inspiration, knowledge, and ways to move your business forward, read more to learn how to transition from solopreneur to entrepreneur and embark on a new journey.
Combining Control with Delegation
Control issues are a common emotion that solopreneurs fear when considering expanding their team, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you’re accustomed to your routines and processes, it’s not easy to delegate your tasklist to something else. After all, your business is something that you’ve grown and nurtured on your own. However, successful leadership practices are rooted in delegation. If you’re ready to invest, move your business plan forward, and have the financial means, you must learn to look at the bigger picture and consider how it can benefit your business.
While there may be questions floating in your head, such as “What if they get the task wrong? What if they can’t mirror the way I do it?” It’s essential to commit to training new team members, lead by example and share your experience and expertise with them. Expanding your team is a crucial step that you need to accomplish before shifting from solopreneur to entrepreneur; with a solid team by your side, you’ll be able to scale larger, increase productivity, and, most importantly, save time.
From Hustling to Flowing
As a solopreneur, hustling from the bottom to get to the top is necessary for your growth. Nevertheless, a common misconception about entrepreneurship is getting everything done at once. When a solopreneur views their tasks for the day, they often view tasks with a high sense of urgency with no intention of balance. Naturally, if you’re a solopreneur, you’re the only one to tick off all the boxes on your task list—We don’t blame you.
However, while hustle culture is often romanticized to establish success, it’s essential to segregate tasks from low priority to high priority to find that balance, streamline workflows and avoid burnout. Switching your mindset from hustling to flowing is critical if you aim for long-term growth. What do we mean by ‘flowing’? To run your business like a well-oiled machine, you need to focus on creating processes to flow through your tasks.
At RAVEN + CO., we used to work 12 hours a day to get things done; we’ve moved on from that mindset and found ways to prioritize bigger tasks first and keep the low priority tasks at the end. Doing this allowed us to have breathing room and more time to focus on growing our business.
From Copying to Creating
When we start our business from scratch, ideas don’t come naturally. We often get haunted by emotions of imposter syndrome if we aren’t following standard best practices or guides. You can say you’re gaining inspiration (which you can!), but true entrepreneurship has the capabilities to match top-notch executions with fresh ideas. Remember, just because someone has succeeded in following a process doesn’t mean you’re obligated to follow or imitate their path. Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy, and nobody can duplicate success. It’s crucial to focus on your unique journey as an entrepreneur and define what works for you and your business’s growth.
Successful entrepreneurs search for impactful unique selling propositions to bring to the table to lead and influence. While your business may not be an overnight success, bringing your big ideas to life and mastering the skill of trial and error allows you to discover the ‘sweet spot’ that activates development.
From Managing to Leading
The primary characteristic of entrepreneurs is solid leadership. We often confuse management with leadership. Excellent management skills are fundamental because you want to ensure everybody is playing their part. As you grow your business and onboard a couple of team members to support your growth, you’ll eventually need someone to manage the day-to-day operations, and that won’t be you. When you transition from solopreneur to entrepreneur, your goal is to focus on LEADING your business. Evolving into a leader means establishing your business’s vision, conveying that vision to your team, and finding ways to work together to drive that vision to success.
While the transition may be challenging and you may encounter road bumps along the way, once you do, the end goal of entrepreneurial success will be fulfilling—inspiring you to learn and grow further.
Are you stuck as a solopreneur and looking for ways to grow your business? Our team at RAVEN + CO has got you covered. By working with a seasoned team of digital natives specializing in business growth, we aim to help aspiring solopreneurs remove the fear of transitioning to more prominent roles by creating strategies and processes to help them expand. We remove the legwork and stress of trying and testing out strategies, so you can save valuable time by focusing on your business. Whether it’s expanding your brand presence, beautifying your brand, or helping you find potential customers, our team is ready to hear your visions for your business.
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