If you’re feeling frustrated about growing your solopreneur service business (such as coaching, training, healing), I am feeling for you. Let’s talk realities, especially for introverts and highly sensitive people (HSPs).
Getting your work out there can feel so hard and mysterious at first (and for a while). Not to mention the visibility discomfort. 🫣
You might want to know how do heart-centered people like you actually make it work without resorting to icky marketing or overworking.
I’m an introvert and highly sensitive person (HSP) who is determined to do business in ethical ways and still have it be sustainable for my livelihood and my energy. Does that sound like you too?
There are ways to make it work, without overwhelm. Even if the business seems stalled right now.
Quick Example: My Experience as a Solopreneur
I am earning a living from my full-time solopreneur coaching business and I have found ways to keep it working that fit with my energy. It’s always evolving too, but now I know how to be creative and try new things, like a gardener who adjusts with the weather. (I wish I was better at actual gardening, but, hey maybe it’s good enough.)
I receive consistent inquiries, enough of which are good fits and lead to enrollments. All that comes from some findability efforts that I enjoy. Others like us are doing the same, in their own way! However, too many other solopreneurs are not making it work and I long to make it easier for people.
Growing a business without the struggle.
Most people try to focus on being active in many places online, but that is spreading yourself too thin and might not be the right way for you. Being everywhere is draining and you also might hate social media.
I find that choosing to focus on only 3 marketing methods **that align with your strengths, values, and energy** is what makes marketing calmer, easier, and more effective. No need to do all the possible options or take another webinar for the “secret formula to 6-figures.”
In my case, my inquiries come mainly from online search and word of mouth. I no longer use Facebook or Instagram, nor were they ever that useful to me.
To achieve this steadiness, I primarily focus on blogging, SEO, and heart-centered networking. These choices are based on my strengths, values, and energy. You’ll base your 3 methods on what fits for you. My 3 methods tend to be good fits for introverts and HSPs once you know more about it. But there are many ways.
Introverts and HSPs with big hearts have strengths for marketing, whether you know it or not — because it’s really about understanding and caring about people, and I know you do.
The catch: it takes time and experimenting, mindfully, to find which ways are best for you. Once you find ones that seem intriguing and enjoyable to you, then deepen your learning of how they work for marketing, so that you can increase your effectiveness and efficiency over time.
A good business coach can help you find your best methods to focus on. I love helping with that.
How long will it take to grow my solopreneur business?!
That’s an important question!
Reality: To grow a business in a sustainable way needs a loooong runway. So having other means of supporting yourself in the meantime is important, and that’s the norm.
The length of time varies by at least these factors:
- your time devoted to it.
- your experience and training for business and marketing (and I mean good training, not gimmicky stuff).
- the type of business and level of demand for it.
- clear messaging that resonates with your audience.
- your willingness to let in help.
There are ways to increase the odds on all of those factors.
What gets in the way of growth:
Part of the problem with growing a business is the anxiousness to Make.It.Work.Now. There’s good reason to want it to work, I agree. And yet the pushing energy gets in the way.
I always say a young business is like a little sprout in the garden and you don’t want to yank on little sprouts to make them grow. Little sprouts are not ready to feed you.
Instead of yanking on that sprout, plant it in good soil and tend to it lovingly, and be patient. Seeds need time to mature into something that can feed you.
The reality is you need a plan to grow your business AND you need a plan for income in the meantime too. I love helping introverts and HSPs with both needs.
I’m happy to answer questions about any of this.
You can also subscribe to my Self-employment INsights newsletter, to stay in touch with tips to grow your solopreneur business as an introvert or HSP.
Bottom Line
- Growing a solopreneur business doesn’t have to be so hard when you find ways that align with your strengths, values, and who you are as an introvert or HSP.
- The reality is it can take a long time, so it requires patience and other money to live on in the meantime.
- All these needs become easier and more effective when you have an experienced solopreneur coach to help you choose what will work best for you, for now and for your long-term vision.
You might like: Self-employment Course/Group for Introverts and HSPs
