Solopreneurs: Shorten Your Learning Curve

For those solo travelers who are already solopreneurs and those who want to be,
every couple of weeks I run a business post. If this isn’t for you, just wait a day or two and
another solo travel post will be coming your way.

I believe that there is more security in being self-employed than being employed. Not only is profitability largely in my control, I also can’t be fired. Yes, clients can let me go but, assuming I have multiple clients, it’s unlikely I’ll lose all my income at once. As an employee, one firing is all it takes.

With the economy the way it is, there are lots of people trying to figure out how to make a go of it alone. The good news is that it can be done more easily now than ever before. More good news is that doing so can offer personal rewards and freedom much greater than a paycheck.

Opportunities abound.
I think we are living in a golden age for solopreneurs. When I started my first company we were two people with two computers (no hard drives just two 5 ¼ floppy disks each). That technology enabled us to do the work of four to six people and build our business with little investment.

Technology is at it again. With web 2.0 it seems the sky is the limit. While one may have to invest lots of time, one doesn’t need lots of money to build a micro-business online. Solopreneurs can make it from virtually nothing but their smarts and their labor.

The learning curve.
But even for one who has had their own small business for a long time, the learning curve of a 2.0 business is steep. At least it was for me. The writing of posts is only half the work. The learning of the technology, the blogosphere, blog marketing, Twitter, advertising and affiliate programs, blog tactics and strategy take up the rest of my time.

The most useful information I found to shorten the curve was from Chris Guillebeau. On the advice of a friend, I started with his information. It’s clear, concise, logical, practical and honest. Chris sets priorities well and tells you what isn’t worth your time. This is very important because I think there are a lot of business consultants selling programs and training like an elixir in a traveling medicine show.

I’m not diminishing the value of the information that comes to you every other week through these posts but I think that the 2.0 solopreneur needs one comprehensive guide as a foundation. I know I did. I can recommend Chris Guillebeau’s “The Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself”.

This is what you’ll get:

• 53-pages of strategic and tactical info in a professionally designed report
• 3 25-minute MP3 audio teaching sessions (see below for details)
• 26 pages of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips from a real expert (i.e., not me)
• Free Updates for at least 6 Months (we’re currently on update #15 for the original group of owners)

If you feel that you’re past the need for a foundation guide, don’t buy it. If you have a lot of experience in social media and internet marketing, don’t buy it. But if social media and online business is a whole new sandbox for you like it was for me, I can recommend Chris’ material. You can get more details on this guide by clicking here.

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