This is the 29th issue of my newsletter, where I share things from my personal journey and tell you a little bit about the latest episodes of my podcast What is my brain?
This should only take about 7 mins to read
1. Prioritize your time wisely and make a daily schedule to help you stay focused and organized.
As a solo-founder or solopreneur, your time is your biggest asset. It’s what allows you to do multiple things at any given time.
- Run a service business
- Build SaaS products
- Business coaching
- and so on.
On top of all that, you have to find time to take care of yourself and your mental (and physical) health.
2. Use online tools and resources to automate and streamline your business processes.
One of the most effective ways to buy some time back is to find pieces of your business that can be automated. Automation is an underutilized tactic. We have all the tools we need to automate effectively without lifting a finger. Tools like Zapier, Make.com, Airtable, etc. They all allow you to streamline repetitive tasks easily. Set it up once and put it on autopilot.
3. Build a strong network of contacts and collaborators who can provide support and advice.
How does the saying go? “Your network is your net worth.” The people you surround yourself with directly impact your future and how you grow as a solopreneur. Don’t be the smartest in the room (that’s the other saying). Bring people into your circle smarter and further along than you, the ones who have been through struggles that you might be going through. It doesn’t have to be struggling; it can also be a success — sometimes, navigating through success is tougher than navigating through failures and challenges.
4. Take advantage of free or low-cost marketing and advertising opportunities, such as social media and content marketing.
Please remember: Distribution is free.
There are unlimited marketing channels that you can tap into. Utilize social media and content marketing; they have the furthest (organic) reach. You never know who is reading your post on social media and who will find your youtube or tik tok videos. As long as you stay consistent and put out authentic, valuable content, there is no losing; there is only winning.
5. Stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in your industry and use this knowledge to improve your business.
Whatever your niche or industry is, it’s important to stay in the loop. Figure out a few different channels where you can consume content and information that is relevant to you, things that energize you, keep you curious and spark new ideas. Most of my ideas come from problems in my day-to-day business or something I read (in a newsletter, on social media, or a video I watch on YouTube). Consuming the right content is just as important as creating content.
6. Be open to feedback and constructive criticism, and use it to improve your products and services.
Part of building a business is opening the doors for honest feedback from users, colleagues, and anyone else in your circle. It’s a way to improve your product for the people using it and continue to bring that value (especially if it’s a paid product). Rule: 80% of your revenue should come from existing users and 20% from new users. Focus on implementing and prioritizing user feedback rather than building new features because you think “they are cool.”
7. Don’t be afraid to outsource tasks that are outside of your area of expertise, such as accounting or legal work.
As creators, our job is not to do accounting or admin work. It’s boring. It’s time-wasting. Outsource the work that kills your creative flow; for me, it’s accounting, admin, and legal crap. I don’t care for it and don’t want to waste time doing it. I leave that for the people that enjoy doing it.
8. Use data and analytics to make informed business decisions and track your progress.
Once your app is out and you’ve had some initial users and feedback, check your analytics.
- Google analytics
- HotJar
- Email sign-ups (if you have a newsletter)
- and anything else you’re keeping track of.
Before you do all that, let the app ride for about 3-4 weeks, and give it some room to do its thing. After that first month, start taking notes on the improvements you need to make. Look at bounce rate, what page most users are going to, and time spent.
9. Take care of your physical and mental health, and make sure to set aside time for rest and relaxation.
This might be the most critical topic in this entire newsletter. If you’re not taking care of yourself, everything else will crumble.
Keeping this section very short and sweet. Absorb it.
10. Stay adaptable and be prepared to pivot your business strategy if necessary in response to changing market conditions.
Your business needs to evolve over time; whether it’s a product or service, you have to move accordingly. If there is a need for new features to help retain users due to high demand, you have to consider that option. Adapt your business to current times to ride the wave that hits you. Stay stagnant, and you will drown quickly.
Tweet 1: Here is a thread on growing my agency and some steps you can follow for yourself. Reach out if you have questions.
Tweet 2: If you're reading this, you probably have something to say and you might have some imposter syndrome. We all do. Start writing online and sharing your journey.
Thank you if you’ve been following the What is my brain? podcast. This week I put together some of the awesome moments from Season 2 and uploaded them to YouTube, so you can check them out.
If you haven't already, be sure to follow WIMB on Spotify so that you never miss an episode!
Check out the YouTube Playlist
That's a wrap for issue #29.
Email me at z@zlatkobijelic.com if you are building something. I'd love to know what you're working on and if there is anything I can do to help you.
Random question:
What's stopping you from sharing online and pushing content out on social media?
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