How to Find Meaning in Your Work as a Solopreneur

Why in the first place am I doing this? It can be so frustrating to come to this point when you have to ask that question. 

Weren't you giddy with excitement when you woke up with this great idea? But now you feel so detached from your work and you're afraid your customers can tell.

In today's post, we share how to fan the flames of solopreneurship, find your big WHY, and reconnect with your business. Enjoy.

Crap, I'm Burnt-Out

It's not your passion for your business that's waning, it's your energy. We wanted to get out of the 9-5 rut only to immerse ourselves into business 24/7.

Work-life balance is a common challenge among solopreneurs. Ironic but it happens because we want to see fruition from our efforts. We want to make our dreams a reality. But what we sometimes don't see are the little achievements.

Solution:

Celebrate your milestones and small wins. Take a step back and you'll see how much you've already done. Remember, it's a marathon this solopreneurship, not a sprint.

<<Read more: Experiencing Burnout? How to Kill It Before It Kills Your Business>>

It's a Lonely Road Down Here

Autonomy is one of the motivating factors of solopreneurs. We want the freedom to make decisions, catapult a dream project, and reclaim our time. Somewhere along we realize hey, a little company is not so bad after all.

Solution:

Find your support system — those who understand your values and your bigger-than-self contributions. It could be people who share the same passion or it could be your clientele.

Read through positive feedback about your work. See how your work helped your clients, their customers, and their network. Remember the ripple effect. Yours is more profound than you think.

Am I still on the right track?

We always have doubts as solopreneurs. From the tiniest details to the contract we just signed. We overthink a lot of things. A lot of us are perfectionists. And we fear failure. 

Solution:

Hear out your thoughts. You can talk to your mentor or take time for self-reflection. Go back to your core values. Think about how your work aligns with your values and life purpose. Sometimes you have to make your work adapt to your purpose.

If this is for you, then you will see yourself in it no matter what. You don't see yourself giving it up. The moment you stop and think about why you're feeling off track, you realize you can fix it and not quit. When this happens, then yes you are on the right track.

But I'm So Overwhelmed!

You are bound to at some point. When we try to do it all, it makes us feel so inadequate. Then we fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others. 

Solution:

Acceptance. We need to understand that delegation, outsourcing, and seeking support are not bad for us. When we sell ourselves as a company, a brand: our clients see us that way. 

We get so engrossed in self and time management that we don't stop to think if it's time to manage other people. As our business grows, we need to tap into a bigger workforce. So when you're getting overwhelmed, it's time to plant your passion in others too.

It takes a village

We started off solo. Everything was gliding from kickoff. You were the man or woman to watch. It can feel as if there is so much pressure to build your success story and quick. But when it's just about you, it can sometimes make you feel like you don’t have enough motivation to get the momentum going.

Solution:

Make it more about the community — the people who believe in your idea because this is what they need too. Your community is different from your support group. The community is who you're serving.

It is more difficult to give up when you know you will let a lot of people down. When you know that a lot of people are counting on you to make this great plan work. When you think of them, all your doubts and fears go away and your passion is revived.

Parting Words

Your destination is worth taking another shot at. Here comes an obstacle, high as a hedge and you can't see your final destination anymore. But you're not going anywhere if you remain stuck. You'll get out of that obstacle when you keep moving. 

Think about what worked and what didn't. Think about why bad reviews happened and why good reviews did too. Think about why people are backing you up and continuing to support you. It doesn't have to be a whole crowd. 

Not everyone may see what good you're about to do but you know it and even if only a handful knows it too, you're going to do it.