What would drive you to build a solo business around your passions and knowledge? Here are some of my motivations.
đ Take control of my time and life
COVID-19 was worse than a nightmare, but it had one positive side-effect: it forced managers all over the industrialized world to accept that “work” wasn’t a word for the seat on your chair but the things you were doing while you sat on it. This insight enabled the remote work trend, and today, many companies have offices that couldn’t even accommodate their entire staff if everyone chose to come in on the same day.
Still, you have your 40-ish hours to do. For understandable reasons, they must be somehow squeezed into the nine-to-five time frame.
Being allowed some freedom, I quickly started to want more.
đââïž Challenge myself
I have a solid background in software engineering, which is why I can easily help with effective product development as well as IT-related things. Marketing and sales are more of a passion to meâthey have been part of my life as a consultant all the time but not strictly my core business until now. I am learning and sharing at breakneck speed.
đ See the immediate value of my work
I love it when things happen, and results are made. Working with ambitious individuals, I can see results within days or weeks, not months or years. It’s so refreshing!
đ§ Tap into my creative energy
Even in the IT industry, known for its whirlwind pace of change, you spend most of your time doing what could be called “janitor work”âthe unglamorous, repetitive tasks that keep systems running smoothly. Depending on how your brain is wired, this can be a source of comfort, a draining chore, or anything in between.
Being a creative person, maybe with a touch of ADHD, I enjoy driving change more than maintaining the status quo.
đ„ Build economic security
One of the first things I learned about stock investing was not to “put all my eggs in one basket.” This is a good principle in other areas as well.
As an employee, you have one salary coming from one source until the day management launches a savings program. No one can convince me this is secure.
Successful solopreneurs blend multiple revenue streams, including one-time product sales, subscriptions, coaching or consulting, sponsorships, and affiliate agreements. Thanks to the exponential growth potential of online business models, they eventually reach a point where they do not have to worry about money.
đĄ Learn from the people I help
Yes, it goes both ways. Over 30 years, I have had the pleasure of working with thousands of great individuals. Even though I mostly wear the guide hat nowadays, I always learn a lot from the people I work with.
đ¶ Income proportional to value
Unless you’re in a sales role or a top executive position, your boss has a limited ability to reward your skills and the value you produce fully.
If you instead created a mini-course and learned how to sell it online for $100, how many monthly sales would you need to exceed your current salary?
As you grow your audience, tweak your calls to action, improve your landing pages, and polish your email sequences, your income grows proportionally.
Also, while people enjoy your course, you are already working on the next version or a new project, making your business even more profitable.
Doubling your revenue each year is challenging but realistic. This means ~1,000x in ten years if you keep it up. To check for yourself, just multiply something by two, ten times in a row.
đ Work without anyone to micromanage me
Let’s just say that the ability to achieve results through others effectively is a very special skill and a rare one, too.
đ Enjoy the freedom to pursue ideas
Micromanaged or not, employees are expected to do what someone else thinks they should, which is perfectly fine.
I need a space where I can try new things without limitations, so this has to be one that I own.
How about you?
Why do you want to make a good living online? Do any of my reasons resonate with you? Would you add something? And I would love to hear about anything that has held you backâhuge thanks to you for sharing! đ