⚙️ Ask 1 BIG Question Before You Build Your Solo Business

Hi there, Solopreneur! 

Finding the root cause of a BIG problem is not easy.

63 months ago, I had a big problem.

This week’s issue is a 3.5-minute read.

I had to improve my endurance and cardio profile.

After reading several books and having helpful conversations with friends, doctors, and family, my solution was to convert to the pescatarian diet.

At first, it was so $%## difficult to say good-bye to bacon, sausage, the 16-ounce seared ribeye, pulled pork, and the 29 other meat recipes I loved to create.

Fast forward, and I’ve learned how to make tasty lentils, super salads, amazing seafood, and delicious root vegetables.

When I finally mastered a new butternut squash recipe last week, along with delicious potato and leek soup, I felt proud.

As I now combine a healthier diet with my swim training, my sleep is restful, and my body is grateful.

🏊 I want to make that crazy swim from Cuba to Florida! (Maybe).

(By the way, I recently watched the Netflix film ‘Nyad.’ Thumbs up!)

So what does an iPhone filled with pescatarian recipes and swimming workouts have to do with your solopreneur business strategy?

Permit to me explain…

When you struggle to generate the amazing solopreneur business, lifestyle, and income you desire, it’s easy to focus on top-level excuses.

• The wrong price for your product or service

• A confusing landing page

• Too much competition

• A complicated offer

• A slow website

Those are top-level challenges, and they need your attention.

🤿 Yet, you need to go deeper.

Before I switched to a healthier diet and started swimming, I was lethargic and not always in a great mood.

Lethargy and frustration were the symptoms.

I needed to find and fix the BIG problem. Diet.

The same approach applies to your solopreneur life and business.

Low revenue and low client growth are symptoms.

When I chat with new solopreneurs between year 0 and year 3, I find most of them want an increase in revenue and more incredible clients.

I believe the challenge is that many solopreneurs are fixing small client symptoms without addressing the client’s BIG root cause challenge.

If you want amazing clients who generate significant income for your business, you have to solve a bigger problem.

If you’re a new graphic artist, do you only design gorgeous web pages?

🛑 NO!

If you launch a podcast, do you only fill your listener’s ears with fun background sounds and cool jingles?

🛑 Absolutely NOT.

Your beautiful website design has to encourage people to stay on the site, explore the options, and then purchase a solution.

Your new podcast series has to frame a challenge and then provide the interviews, insight, and intelligence to help the listener overcome the obstacle.

A beautiful website means nothing if folks don’t stick around long enough to take action.

A podcast of soulful background tunes won’t matter if the listeners take in one episode and then disappear.

If you’re trying to launch a business and earn significant recurring income, you have to dive below your prospect’s symptoms and fix the root cause.

😕 How Should You Start?

Two steps will put you in the right position to find and fix your client’s BIG problem.

• 🧠 Smart Research

🧠 Smart Research

You can find a treasure chest of BIG client challenges when you read book reviews on Amazon that cover your area(s) of expertise.

The most helpful reviews are those that discuss what the book did not fix or address (the low-star reviews).

These are your opportunities to fill the void and create a strategy that provides what others have missed.

Reddit is another sensational resource for finding the larger problems prospects want you to address.

There are Reddit conversations every day that address thousands of business challenges from prospects who need a smart solution.

Make a list and combine the data from the book reviews and the Reddit conversations. I promise you’ll start to see patterns of similar client challenges.

That’s where you want to focus your attention and expand your strategy.

💻 Fun Q&A Across Social Media

If you are active on LinkedIn, you’ll have a vibrant, helpful audience that will share their BIG business challenges, in addition to offering opinions on your strategy.

All you have to do is create a handful of dynamic posts, or carousels, that highlight the business challenge you want to fix.

Encourage your followers and others to share their insights and challenges (in SEO, copywriting, freelancing, etc.).

As in the Amazon and Reddit data, you’ll quickly see a pattern of common business problems that bubble to the surface.

Connect with a handful of the energetic LinkedIn users and politely DM them.

You’ll likely receive candid responses on the BIG problem(s) that particular individual wants to fix.

Similar client challenges will appear, and you’ll have deeper insight into whether your business strategy is fixing symptoms or a BIG root cause.

IF you fix the symptoms, your clients will be happy.

IF you fix their BIG problem, they’ll be ecstatic, and they’ll tell others who have the same challenge.

That’s the key to more amazing clients and more revenue in 2024.

🍠 I’m off to Trader Joe’s. Time for some sweet potato salad.

Enjoy your holiday!

🔑 Stay curious and keep opening doors.

-Erik