Running a business is HARD WORK. No matter what stage you're in. Being an entrepreneur isn't for the faint of heart, but let me tell you - I think it's the best occupation out there. Running your own schedule, working on something you actually LOVE, creating from the heart - just a few of the benefits. Becoming a mom has shown me just how special entrepreneur really is.
That said, this sh*t is hard. Especially in the beginning and especially when you're a solopreneur. I've seen so many blog posts and listened to so many podcast episodes on how to do it all yourself - and the common answer? Don't. Outsource. Hire a team. Get an assistant. That's great and all, but what if you can't afford that? I certainly couldn't in the beginning. It took me a long time to make my first hire.
But along the way, I did find some things that helped me greatly. I learned how to beat the overwhelm of being a solopreneur and actually enjoy running a business, of course while getting results. There are three things that helped me the most that I want to share with you today. Let's dig in!
1. Planning
I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I can't stress just how much planning in your business will help you. It's truly a life changer. Before I became an avid planner, I used to go into each day confused. "What should I start with today?" "What do I feel like doing?" Talk about procrastination. I'd waste 30 mins figuring out what to work on. I had no set plan of exactly what needed to get done and therefore, things just didn't get done.
Once I started planning out my weeks and months, things drastically changed for me. I used to work full-time on my business. Since becoming a Momma, I only work 2 days a week now (and nap times). And guess what! I get MORE done and am more successful because I learned how to plan.
You can plan any way that works best for you - a physical planner, your iPhone calendar, google calendar, a planning app, etc., etc. Personally, I use a physical planner for both personal and business, a Canva Template to plan out my months and quarters, and a business notebook to plan out my days. I don't plan past a quarter because you just never know what's going to happen, and I only go into detail each week. I have a goal for the quarter, projects for the month, and tasks for weeks and days. It works wonderfully for me and I get a ton done.
If you're interested in any of my Canva planning templates - check them out here!
2. Templates
Speaking of templates, they are absolutely amazing for saving time and money. Exactly what you need as a solopreneur. If you're not a graphic designer, it's really tough to create the documents you need for your business. Hiring a professional designer would be lovely but $$$$$$. That's where templates come in - super affordable and professionally designed. And you don't have to do any of the design - it's already done and you simply customize! And thanks to Canva, it's so easy.
I obviously feel strongly about templates, as creating them is what I do for a living! In all honesty, I didn't set out to be a template designer. I previously only did design for custom projects, but I felt horrible having to turn away clients who couldn't afford my services. I wanted a way to help them too. I was so passionate about both helping solorpreneurs and template design that I put the two together and created Tiny Pine Creative. If you're interested, you can shop the templates here or learn about the membership here.
3. Online Courses
Courses saved me as a solorpreneur - in fact, they still do! Learning Pinterest, other social channels, specific tools, organization tips, etc., isn't easy! And it's way too time consuming to research and teach yourself. Hiring someone is out of the question in the beginning and may not be your first choice at any stage of business. Thank goodness for courses! A very affordable (usually one-time fee) way to learn something new and implement it into your business.
Now, I do encourage you to be careful with courses. It's easy to get carried away and sign up for a lot of them. Be strategic about what you choose. Take the free webinars or download the freebies first. Make sure you like teaching style and be certain the course is going to help further your business. Just because you're only paying $99 once to learn something, doesn't mean you should sign up for numerous courses at once. It adds up and if you get in over your head, you're likely to take one or two and forget about the rest. Be strategic, choose wisely and don't commit to too many at once.
There you have it! Three amazing ways to save time and money as a solopreneur, and most importantly, GET STUFF DONE. Any more tips? Questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!