Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

For solopreneurs who aspire to success in their field, there are many different parts of the puzzle to get right. For one thing, all solopreneurs have to be good at managing limited resources as effectively as possible, in addition to practicing excellent time management, while often being highly accomplished at things like networking, too.

Then, there are all the standard factors that go into running successful marketing campaigns and brand initiatives. Perhaps as much as anything else, however, or maybe even most of all, a solopreneur needs a specific mindset to have the best possible chance of success.

Here are a few elements of the mindset solopreneurs will need to be successful in their endeavors.

A focus on the here and now, with the longer term planning in the background

For entrepreneurs of all stripes, the ability to plan effectively over the mid to long term is essential in a variety of different ways, and for a variety of different reasons. When you are running your own business operation solo, however, it becomes even more important for you to have a clear sense of the direction you’re heading in, and how you plan to get there.

There is, however, a trap here. Fixating intensively on future goals and potential complications inevitably drives up stress and anxiety in the present, and can hinder performance as well. In the context of larger business concerns, this can generally be mitigated more effectively. For the solopreneur, however, it can pave the way to burnout, inefficiency, and frustration.

While you should certainly come up with plans and targets to guide you, you should let those plans largely sit in the background, and refer to them only as required. For the bulk of your time, you should be centering yourself in the here and now, and taking each step along the path one at a time.

The willingness to prioritize and delegate or outsource

No business tends to thrive when the owner tries to micromanage everything aspect of the business. For this reason, and for others, the willingness and ability to effectively prioritize, delegate to contract employees, or outsource, is essential for entrepreneurs in general.

In the case of solopreneurs, who tend to operate with particularly limited resources, the willingness to relax the reins of control and get third parties involved in problem solving is even more important. If, for example, you have a structural issue that needs to be addressed, don’t hesitate to contact a Concrete Repair company quickly, while keeping your own focus on your core competencies.

A commitment to ongoing iterative improvement and adjustment

Perhaps your business has been off to a great start from day one, and everything has clicked into place. Or maybe not.

Regardless of whether this is the case or not, one of the most reliable signs that a solopreneur is likely to succeed is that they have an attitude of being committed to continuous ongoing, iterative improvement and adjustment within their business.

Practice the Japanese kaizen philosophy of striving to make your business 1% better each day, in some way. This will tend to be sustainable, while also orienting you towards growth and productive change.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.