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title: "How to \"Own\" Your Connections"
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Welcome to the latest edition of our action-packed LifeStarr newsletter where we discuss How to "Own" Your Connections...

| View in browser Solopreneur Insights 👍🏼 The Bi-Weekly Newsletter for One-Person Businesses February 22nd: How to "Own" Your Connections Taking the Solo Out of Solopreneur. No, I'm not suggesting you become a "preneur."   The solo in solopreneur means no employees. In the US, this is defined as not having anyone (besides maybe you) get a W-2 at the end of the year.   That's it. That's all it takes to be deemed a solopreneur, at least according to LifeStarr.   And there are many good reasons for not having employees. They are expensive They reduce your flexibility They take time to manage But beyond not having employees, I will argue to my grave that the last thing you want to be as a solopreneur is alone.    There are at least three dimensions to this.   1. Getting Help The first is that you should not do it all. Find people to help you do the jobs:  You aren't good at  That aren't worth your time  You don’t like doing This allows you to spend as much of your workday as possible doing the things that you like to do and that generate revenue.    2. Connecting With Others That means finding people to “be” with on your solo journey. There are lots of people facing challenges similar to yours. Some of yours have been solved by them and vice-versa.    Find a community, online or local, to share your challenges, wins, losses, etc. Being alone in your business isn’t fun. Having the chance to interact with other people who “get you" can drastically increase the enjoyment of your solo business and be an encouragement when things are tough.   3. Build a Community Around Your Business No matter what happens, you need to have a certain amount of control over the people you sell to.   What do I mean?    I mean that I would rather have a hundred people with whom I control my connection than a thousand people follow me on social media.   Why would I say that?   You do not control your social media followers. Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk could wake up on the wrong side of the bed one morning, and you’re done for, no more followers and no one to argue your case to.   Social media is mostly free, and customer service isn’t a high priority. Once your account is suspended, there is no way to reach those people.   Instead, you need to develop a way to “own” the connections to those people so that no billionaire can take them away from you.   There are two ways to do this.   A. Build an online community of your customers and prospects using a community-building tool.    This means you have some control over your connections so you won't wake up and find they are no longer yours. Check out our podcast episode with Andy Guttormsen, co-founder of Circle.so, the leading community-building technology in the world.   I doubt there are many people who know more about building an online community than Andy.    In this podcast, he workshops the creation of a community with our own Community Manager, Stacy Blette. It’s very cool to watch his process and a “can’t miss” for anyone even thinking about creating their own online community.   B. Build an email list of customers and prospects.   You really, really, really want to build a list of emails of the people you sell to as well as those you target. For most solopreneurs, this is by far the most powerful tool you can have to sustain and grow your business. If done well, it’s like a community of people you can talk to whenever you like.   The tricky part is, once you have the list, how do you ensure your email gets opened? Or if they get opened, how do you guarantee people act on them?   I'm not kidding; we have one of the leading authorities on the planet to help you with this.   Jay Schwedelson is the founder of Outcome Media, as well as the creator of the GURU Conference. He is also the host of the Do This, Not That podcast. Jay knows more about email marketing than anyone on planet earth (but he swears he's not an email expert; he says no one is).   I promise you that the time you spend listening to Jay will not only be invaluable, but it will also be a lot of fun because he is a blast to listen to. So check these out and remember to…   Solo together,   Joe Rando   Connect With Me On LinkedIn How to "Own" Your Connections: Podcast Episodes Podcast Episode Answers To The Top Email Marketing Questions Asked By Solopreneurs   Aspiring solopreneurs.  Stop whatever it is you're doing and listen to this episode right now! OK, so maybe that's a little dramatic, but seriously, after recording nearly 100 episodes, trust me when I say this is absolutely one of the most important episodes you need to ... LISTEN AND LEARN Podcast Episode The Ultimate Blueprint for Solopreneurs Building A Community from Scratch   Flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone. We say this all the time, but truer words have never been said. And while the idea of building a community is important, it can be easier said than done if you've never done it from scratch before... LISTEN AND LEARN How to "Own" Your Connections: Blog Articles Blog Article The Experiment of the Not-So-Solo Solopreneurs - Part 1   Recently, I decided to try an experiment. We created something called the Solopreneur Brain Trust. It's a monthly Zoom event where solopreneurs, freelancers, contractors, coaches and other one-person businesses can come together to share their challenges in breakout groups and then  ... READ MORE NOW Blog Article 7 Networking Opportunities for Solopreneurs - Beside the Obvious   In the world of solopreneurship, independence and autonomy are undeniably empowering, but it's crucial to recognize that success rarely happens in isolation. Networking can open doors ... READ MORE NOW Like The Topic of How to "Own" Your Connections? Then, keep learning more with our ultimate 🔎 Solopreneur Success Cycle Guide 🔎   Check out the Solopreneur Success Cycle Solopreneur Community Member Profile: Stacy Blette COMMUNITY MANAGER stacy@lifestarr.com   BUSINESS FACTS: If you have questions, she's got answers! After twenty-five years in property management, Stacy has leaped into the tech world as LifeStarr’s Community Manager. Stacy is always forming communities. Whether it's to help someone in need or organizing a road race, Stacy is behind it. She's a proud mother to a son in the Army Special Forces and a daughter who’s ready to leave high school behind and major in sociology in college, studying human rights. In her free time (what's that?), Stacy enjoys running, photography, the beach, the beach, and the beach!  Stacy is also an aspiring solopreneur on the verge of launching her own product through her company, SweatProof. JOIN THE SOLOPRENUER COMMUNITY FOR FREE Top Tools Getting Started with HubSpot Ready to power up your business and get started with the HubSpot CRM? Then simply pick the option that works best for your solopreneur business below. MONTHLY OPTION YEARLY OPTION The Next Big Event Solopreneur Success Sessions Event A monthly micro-event covering a variety of topics to help you find success as a company of one.   This Month: Financial Mastery for Solopreneurs: Thriving in Business and Life with Brooke Tomasetti REGISTER TODAY Money, Money, Money, Money...   I've seen it over and over. People start making more money, and somehow, the expenses grow along with the income.   It's rooted in human nature. But it's not good.   Brooke Tomasetti is an expert in personal finance for solopreneurs and she's speaking at the next Solopreneur Success Sessions (hosted on Zoom).   If you make money - whether it's a lot or a little - spending an hour with Brooke is a GREAT investment. The event is free so you can't go wrong.   Sign up here.   Best,   Joe   Joe Rando, Founder & CEO (joe@lifestarr.com) - Connect on LinkedIn Carly Ries, Director of Marketing (carly@lifestarr.com) - Connect on LinkedIn Stacy Blette, Community Manager (stacy@lifestarr.com) - Connect on LinkedIn LifeStarr, 555 Pleasant St., Suite 201, Attleboro, MA 02703, USA, 508-226-8000 Manage preferences |
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