When I launched my newsletter a month and a half ago, I was writing, first and foremost, for myself as a way of self-expression and self-reflection. Most of the topics I chose, such as personal branding and the five pillars of career strategy, are related to career transitions because I am in one myself. If my topics inspire individuals somehow, it’s a huge plus.
However, I never meant for the newsletter to be my only destination. Instead, it serves as a window into my journey as a solopreneur. It’s a complementary but also rather important piece.
The Double Edges of Opening Up
Writing openly about my changes as they unfold can be nerve-wracking. Sometimes, I fear that my journey may not end well and that my vulnerability will be exposed.
On the other hand, publicly announcing my commitment and progress keeps me accountable for my actions. As the saying goes, “YOLO: you only live once.” Every passing moment will be in our rearview mirror, yet at the same time, it propels us forward. So why not capture it as we go?
Second, lifting my business off the runway will take every ounce of me and every bit of knowledge I have plus some more. The last thing I want is a distraction like writing a newsletter and converting episodes to podcasts.
There are two kinds of distractions: the good and the bad. Writing a newsletter, along with mentoring and engaging an audience, is a good kind of distraction. It helps slow things down, build a following, and provide a feedback loop on my thinking.
Lastly, I think conservatively about protecting my ideas and IPs. I struggle with drawing the boundary between too revealing and too protective with content in a newsletter.
However, I enjoyed reading other people’s “The Making of an Entrepreneur” stories, so the idea of taking and not giving back does not jive with me.
My Report Card on the Initial Phase
I give myself a B- on my initial phase. Certainly, the newsletter launch was the highlight of the first phase. I established a writing and launch process, produced readable content, and built a small audience.
However, I didn’t do well in providing clarity on my offerings. I believe that’s partly because I was struggling with the type of service I offer and my target audience.
I defined my target audience as career switchers, but that was a pretty big net I cast. People pounded me about all sorts of problems, from interviewing, leveling up, switching industries, and starting a business.
While I love problem-solving and mentorship, I do too much and become unfocused, which is part of why I couldn’t dive deep into topics I wanted to explore.
My coaching service offering also hit a wall. While I am getting more gigs from ADPList, a free mentoring platform, I couldn’t leverage it to develop my service further.
Don’t get me wrong—I love the snappy ADPList and will continue to use this wonderful platform. My other pay-based mentoring platforms, however, are gathering dust. I didn’t put much effort into maintaining my presence and extracting value from them.
Realigning to Solopreneurs
In early April, I joined a group of misfit founders affiliated with StarterStory, a company that provides case studies, support, and a Sprint-based process for solopreneurs to kickstart their businesses.
Since then, I’ve developed an affinity and respect for my fellow bootstrapping solopreneurs. Some do it as a side hustle, while others do it as a full-time job. But everyone is devoted and committed to their starter crafts. I am inspired by their can-do spirit and grit against all odds.
Ultimately, it’s my belief that everybody (okay, fine, most people) can harness and unleash the entrepreneurial power within them.
And honestly, I mostly wrote my articles with them in mind. I wanted to help them succeed as much as I wanted to be helped.
So obviously, I want to realign my newsletter to address the topics most relevant to starting up.
A Small Repositioning
To reposition, I will change my banner to include the term “solo” like this:
I will rewrite my About page and change my URL to solo.careerinsighter.com. Furthermore, I will propagate my new message on the mentorship platforms, so any new clients I attract will resonate with my offerings.
Lastly, from now on, the content will cover more of my current path, including my decisions on products, marketing, tools, etc. This is the value I provide for my readers.
As I mentioned above, besides my newsletter, I am developing services and products for solopreneurs. This ongoing process will be revealed in my future articles.
I will continue writing about leadership and dealing with changes, relevant topics in business bootstrapping.
An Entrepreneurship Lesson
So what can you take away from my experience so far?
It is important to build your brand message before you have a product or while you are developing a product. This helps paint a vision to guide you through your journey and aligns you with your target audience early on.
You must be willing to adjust and reposition yourself occasionally, especially if your initial target market is too broad. Niche-downing, for starters, is okay and often essential to surface the beachhead.
Be selective in what you do because time is the most precious commodity for entrepreneurs. Learn to say “no.” As Steve Jobs once said
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas . . . Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things.”
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