To me, this is the #1 thing that really matters in building a successful solo business...
There are so many things to worry about when starting and running a business. It can be totally overwhelming.
But I've recently come to the conclusion that there is one thing that tops the list.
It's weird that I only recently concluded this because I've been doing it for a very long time. And it's worked well for me.
But I never gave it a name, and as I took on a new challenge, I neglected to consider it.
And the result was disappointing.
The Wrong Approach and Resulting Failure
What happened is that I decided to try to grow my social media following to help grow LifeStarr. I had never really done that before. Social media was always more of a way to stay in touch with friends and colleagues.
So I did what I always do; I looked for people that were successful to learn from. I even took a course, which was a good course, BUT...
Social media is different from many other business challenges. If you want to learn how to manage a software project or learn to do your own bookkeeping, you need to learn from experts and do what they do.
But when it comes to social media, while you can learn some general best practices, I've come to realize that copying someone else's strategy has proven to be a loser for me, and I suspect I'm not alone in this.
That's the thing about being a solopreneur... you're really just selling yourself!
The Missing Ingredient
If you're not doing social media in a way that is authentic for YOU, if you're not using it to communicate with other people the way that you would communicate in person or on Zoom, it's probably not going to work for your business.
You need to accept things like if you're not the type of person who has the personality to go viral, you won't. And that's more than OK.
You only need to reach the people you need to reach. Everything else is a distraction.
So, I have decided to approach my social media posts with unwavering authenticity. If I ask a question, it's a question I might ask you in person. If I express an opinion, it's an opinion I feel strongly about.
I'm going to stop worrying about algorithms and hashtags and focus on what I care about and how I can truly help other solopreneurs.
Authenticity in relationships has always been important to me, as I am sure it is to you. But it doesn't end there. As solopreneurs, we need to bring it to every aspect of our work.
Solo together,
Joe Rando
If you'd like to connect on LinkedIn, I'm at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joerando/
