What mindset to adopt?

Solopreneurship has a very unique path.

It’s nothing like any other career because you’re on your own most of the time. This means YOU are also fully responsible for your own progress and success.

That’s why having the right mindset from day one will give you a head start in this journey.

Before you get started, here are the three important mindset shifts I want you to make first:

1. Have the abundance mindset

I’ve noticed the majority of people who joined the online business space came from a 9-5 job. Naturally, they wouldn’t have the perfect mindset for solopreneurship (although some are better than others).

Nor did I.

Take me for example who also came from the 9-5 world.

I’m used to receiving clear instructions from my bosses on a regular basis which means I don’t need to spend so much time thinking about the direction I’m taking or what to do next.

But this isn’t the case for being a solopreneur.

Your journey will never be as simple as a straight line. There’ll be a lot of ups and downs along the way.

You’ll be working on your own, figuring things out on your own, and most importantly, getting stuck on your own.

But what’s going to determine your success in the early stage is your ability to handle these things in different situations.

It’s important you don’t let them slow you down.

That’s where the abundance mindset comes in.

It’s the belief that there’ll always be enough resources out there waiting to help you accomplish your goals.

If something doesn’t work out now, don’t be too fussy about it. It’s OK because, at some point, everyone else also went through the same phase as you.

Here are a few things you can do to adopt this mindset:

• Never settle with your first attempt

• Stay open to new collaborative opportunities all the time

• Look for inspiration from unexpected sources (e.g., read unusual books, connect with people from different niches)

Just keep moving forward no matter what. 

There’ll always be a place for your success somewhere further along your journey.

Play the long-term game.

2. Focus on giving, not taking

It’s tempting to start your journey by getting straight to selling.

You might be able to make some money here and there at the beginning, but it won’t be sustainable. There’s a high risk you could come across as scammy and that’s the last thing you want when you’re playing the long-term game.

As a first-time solopreneur, building up your credibility in this space should always be your top priority. And the best way to do this?

Overdelivering.

Focus on giving as much as you can first while people still have zero expectations from you.

That’s how you can build trust quickly at the beginning of your journey.

Here are a few examples of what I did for my audience to overdeliver:

• Greet all new followers in DM first

• Share and engage with their posts regularly

• Reply to their questions with insightful comments

• Extend your conversations into DMs to help them further

• Extend even further by getting on calls with those you’re close with

Over time, these things will compound into your reputation with so much credibility that getting traction for your online business will be a piece of cake.

Surprise them with your kind gestures first.

3. Build something in public

I’ve been in the online business space since 2023. It was long enough to spot a common pattern among first-timers (including me at the beginning).

It goes like this:

• Pick a few topics to talk about

• Post random content a few times a day

• Achieve little to no results

Most people ended up feeling burnt out and quit eventually. The number one reason for this?

The constant pressure to deliver valuable content all the time.

This can be tiring in the long run.

The common advice out there is to post generic tips and how-tos regularly. But these are plain and boring. Anyone can Google this kind of information. It lacks your personal touch which is what you need to build your credibility in this space full of noise.

Instead, start your journey by building something valuable and unique to you in public.

Your infoproduct.

Not only will you start stacking up your credibility by building something tangible and valuable (compared to others who only focus on posting for the sake of growing), but coming up with content ideas won’t be a problem anymore.

The more you work off the social platform, the more you have to share on the platform (which also encourages you to get more work done).

It’s a win-win.