💥 3 Immediate Conversations and 2 Inspirational Steps

Hi there, Solopreneur! I hope you’re enjoying a sensational week.

This week’s read is 4 minutes.

My Christmas tree 🌲(artificial, please don’t judge) is up, and the lights work!

This is a huge first step toward putting my workspace in the holiday spirit.

🌒 Here in Rochester, NY, we get 9.27 seconds of daylight per day from November to May.

The holiday lights are a necessity, as they help me find my way to the kitchen, bathroom, and solopreneur study area.

Since we’re in full holiday swing, tell me what you like most about your holiday season.

I’m always curious about how people bring in old and new traditions.

😃 I recently had a terrific conversation with a local professional who is considering a 2024 transition from full-time EE to part-time solopreneur. It’s exciting!

In my practice, I focus on helping you convert your skills into solutions people buy.

Yet, it was clear during this recent conversation that there were blind spots on how to set up (and organize) a business.

📑 I created for this new solopreneur a simple, 15-point guide on how to launch and operate a business in a smart, professional way.

Whether you're in month 1 or month 25 of your solopreneur model, this guide helps you fix the gaps and gain confidence.

Here are 5 of my favorites.

(Send me a note at [email protected] and I’ll send over to you the complete 15-point list).

It’s a helpful start for 2024.

5 (of the 15) Proven Steps to Coordinate Your Solopreneur Venture

• 💸 Chat with your financial advisor

• ⚖️ Chat with your business attorney

• 📠 Chat with your accountant

• 👦 Collaborate with freelancers

• 💻 Organize your digital subscriptions

💸 Chat with your financial advisor

Financial freedom is a prime motivator to establish a solo venture.

Yet the transition from employee paychecks to generating your own income can deliver unfortunate money surprises if you don’t plan for certain events.

Ask your financial advisor to help you create a financial plan that combines all the inputs you need to make smart financial choices for your new business.

Financial advisors have sharp, sophisticated software that can give you the diagrams, timelines, and potential outcomes that might arise under different scenarios.

As you make the transition from part-time to full-time solopreneur, continue to meet with your advisor. Ask them to run new scenarios to reflect your real business income and expenses.

I promise you’ll have enough fun surprises in the solo world.

Don’t let cash flow be one of the big ones.

⚖️ Chat with your business attorney

When you offer a product or service to customers around the world, you should chat with a business attorney to make sure you operate your venture in a compliant manner.

U.S. states and countries around the world have specific rules and regulations to help protect you, your business, and your customers.

Before you open your digital store or online service business, spend a few minutes with a local business attorney and let them know what type of business you plan to operate.

A sharp attorney can guide you in the right direction when it comes to choosing different types of business entities and completing the forms that your town, state, or country might require.

📠 Chat with your accountant

When you become a business owner, you should certainly chat with an accountant.

A smart CPA can help you coordinate tax filings and establish the appropriate accounts to keep your personal and business finances in different buckets.

Yes, I know taxes are not likely your favorite topic.

Yet, it’s much easier to stay on track with your accountant each year than to discover you missed a few important deadlines and obligations five years down the road.

Also, if you decide to work part-time as a solopreneur while you keep your full-time gig, your accountant helps keep your employee and business taxes in the appropriate categories.

I encourage you to have fun, healthy chats with your financial advisor, business attorney, and accountant BEFORE you launch your business.

Yes, once you start operations, you can fix a few mistakes. Not all of them.

Prepare and plan with those 3 key advisors, and you’ll stay on the right path!

👦 Collaborate with freelancers

New (and seasoned) solopreneurs love to learn and tackle new projects.

🚫 Avoid this temptation!

As a new business owner, you want to focus on your strategy and client acquisition.

Don’t waste precious time learning 28 new skills when there are folks around the globe who are happy to jumpstart your projects for a reasonable price.

You can find exceptional freelancers on Fiveer and LinkedIn.

I highly recommend you touch base with 3 of your best solo business buddies and get referrals.

I identified terrific folks from Fiveer and LinkedIn who helped me with graphic design, SEO, web design, and copywriting.

When you chat with freelancers, be sure to clearly present and get clarification on these topics:

• Scope of work

• Timeline for deliverables

• Price for the full project

I empathize that it can be tough to hand over important projects to someone you might not know too well; yet, I’m confident you’ll identify helpful folks who will save you time and frustration.

💻 Organize your digital subscriptions

It’s easy to get carried away with all the bells and whistles of fancy microphones, laptops, speakers, and digital subscriptions.

I run my practice with the following digital services, and each of them is exceptional.

• Canva for your graphic design

• Zoom for your online meetings

• Calendly for scheduling appointments

• Stripe for billing

• Beehiiv for newsletters

• Notion for writing and organizing all projects

If you have any questions about this tech stack or other topics on launching (or organizing) your solo venture in 2024, drop me a note:

[email protected]

🔑Enjoy your week! Stay curious and keep opening doors.

-Erik