If you're a solo entrepreneur or small business owner, then you are brave as hell. Going out on your own takes vulnerability and courage, and you know better than most that failures are learnings.
Over the past decade, I've observed some clear patterns and traps that solopreneurs tend to fall into when growing their business. Whether you're a Yogi, chef or florist, you, too, could fall into some destructive patterns. Let's squash these hiccups before they happen, and grow those subscription plans. 🚀
Here are three common mistakes small businesses make, and how to avoid them:
1.) Defeatism
Everyone has those days where dark feelings snowball and you feel defeated before anything gets done. There are so many clichés on this topic, and they're all true: Rome wasn't built in a day. Good things take time. Don't compare your day one to someone else's day one-thousand. Etc, etc. Sure, if you see someone with a similar business killing it on insta and you only have 500 followers, you might have a brief pity party. Keep it brief! Comparison is truly the thief of joy. Set small, accessible goals for yourself, with clear deadlines. Accomplish these goals by making daily bite-size To Do lists. If something doesn't go as planned, have a personal post-mortem on why, and try again... with more small, accessible goals. You're in this race alone, so the only person who can defeat you is you.
2.) Not being true to yourself
Have you ever struggled to write a CV or cover letter? Then that job probably wasn't for you. If you're a good fit, the relevant goodness flows out with ease. When you're working on your subscription plans, service descriptions and branding, the same is true. Too often, people see something work for another entrepreneur and try to mimic it. Do not fall into this trap. It works for them because it is them, you need to be true to yourself. From colours to wording, to what you offer month after month, really ask yourself is this me? Is this my forever promise? When you're talking about the membership model and community-based businesses this is especially important. You've got to show up authentically, so shed the pretension and screw what you think people want. Be yourself. Once you're comfortable with this, the homework necessary to grow your subscription business will be much easier.
3.) Self isolation
Ready for another true cliché? It takes a village! It takes a village to raise a baby, and your small business is your baby. You need peers for brainstorms and sounding-boards, mentors are helpful, and humans just need to talk things out. The Subkit experts and our global community of entrepreneurs is your village. We're here to make sure you don't create your subscription in a vacuum and then accidentally release it poorly priced, planned or explained. Book time with us: evelyn@subkit.com.
Our Launch Playbook is a great first step support system to get things kicked-off well.