solo-preneur - is a one woman show! - by carol neilson

art work from the walls of Sangsurya - Byron Bay

I am a one woman show .. I am the cook, the baker and the candle stick maker. Ducking and diving, balancing and juggling each and every day. I'm the writer, the creator, the biz strategist, social media maven, website developer, marketer, receptionist, project manager, CFO, you get the picture right?

And I love it, til I don't.

Does this sound familiar? Is this you too?

Solo-preneur is Fabulous for decision making, biz flexibility and being close to my clients BUT not so great when I am taken out through illness or family dynamics/tragedies because the reality is, I am the business. It is built up and around my skill set, knowledge and, dare I say it, personality! And in the past year, I have been taken out of action in every which way you could imagine. So I have got to thinking ...

If I am absent, then there is no-one in the garden of my particular "schtick". Who gets my back?

It was time for some hard questions like;

• What do I need to do to make my business more sustainable? 

• What do I need to put on my "stop doing" list.

• What can I do to enlist, involve, or entertain my clients in advance of them getting my actual service? {thanks Danielle}.

• Who can I ask to do the stuff that is NOT one of my ready made strengths? {and by the way this is one of the places that I stall out, thinking I have to do it ALL}

• What am I already doing with resentment? {yikes, oh yeah, trying to learn Indesign so I can create my Biz Energy Manifesto}

• What is starting to feel stale? {running down the same pathways trying to work it all out}

• Why do I think I can succeed in this biz?  

• How much money do I want to make this year? {yeah, its THAT question!}

Its a package of brutal questions. Having this form of courageous conversation is not one I am inclined to walk away from. Nor am I sparkling with enlightenment at this stage of my re-visioning. I am a fierce midwife for helping other women birth their dreams into reality, whether personal or business. Now its my turn ...

In the meantime AND for maintenance {aka sanity} some lifelines ...

Enter the Virtual Assistant ... Jo, she ROCKS!

and a cute geeky widget thingie...

art work from Port o' Call - Ahuriri

For the inspiring, motivational part - here are six principles {written by Gail Larsen, from her book *The Principles of Transformational Speaking*} that ring my bells. Each one calls into action a balance and an understanding that the way of the solopreneur {read, one woman business} is core to ones being. The energy needed to sustain this existence can at times be consuming, especially if you are juggling a job as well as the creative stream.

Principle #1: You are an original, nowhere else duplicated.

Principle #2: You are a hero on a journey, and your journey defines your message.

Principle #3: The world we experience, both personal and planetary, reflects and expresses who we are individually and collectively.

Principle #4: You can't figure it all out, you can't make anything happen, and you can't make anyone do anything. Everyone of us holds a different strand of the web of life and we each must heed our own call.

Principle #5: Use your authentic power with those who can hear you rather than the force of argument with those who can't.

Principle #6: You must be personally sustainable to do the work of change. Cherish your precious, worthy self.

Food for thought ...

I am a founding member of NZHM. Creatively a writer, published poet {Melbourne}, printmaker and all round creative. My income earning gig is as a creative biz coach - I love talking to people about their lives AND my particular "schtick" is energising you and your biz to move beyond the kitchen table. 

My new website www.carolneilson.com is under construction as we speak. 

However, this is YOUR invitation to a FREE 30min Biz Energy coaching chat, you can click me, and follow the prompts.