6 SOLOPRENEUR HABITS WORTH BREAKING

The freelance life offers us the flexibility and freedom to decide how and when we work. It also requires us to be our own managers. One of the biggest adjustments many solopreneurs grapple with when they transition out of traditional employment is a radical mindset shift — suddenly we are the determiner of our own goals, schedules, and metrics of success. 

Creatives are often laser-focused on the services they provide, but self-employment forces us to divide our attention between the work we do and the details of running a business. If you want to keep this level of autonomy feeling more liberating than terrifying, you’ll need plenty of structure, boundaries, and self-discipline. 

Being a master of your craft has taken you this far — to get in and stay in growth-mode, you’ll have to examine your business mindset. Leave behind any toxic habits this summer and unlock your potential for true growth. 

1. Perfectionism Kills Business Growth

Don’t get us wrong — your high standards keep your clients coming back. Take pride in your work and invest the time needed to get the job done right, but don’t lose sight of the difference between right and perfect.

Perfectionism is the enemy of productivity. It can also cut the client out of what should be a collaborative process. Creatives who fixate on delivering a flawless first draft often over-invest effort before they open themselves up to feedback, ultimately costing themselves time. Remember that rounds and revisions are all part of the dance — and that the definition of “perfect” collateral is constantly changing. Give yourself some grace and stand behind your work while staying receptive to feedback. The more you view each project as a process, the easier it is to keep finding your way forward and reduce frustration with any necessary revisions.

2. Ditch Dysfunctional Remote Work Habits

Most of us know what it means to be a good employee for a company, but are you a good employee for yourself? Self-employment frees you from having to label your lunch in the breakroom fridge, but it requires you to show up for yourself. Do you:

• Have a comfortable, distraction-free work environment?
• Feel prepared during client interactions? 
• Have a way to separate your working hours and free time? 
• Maintain an organized calendar?
• Manage deadlines well?

The stereotypes exist for a reason — many brilliant creatives wrestle with a tendency to be a tad disorganized or so wrapped up in the details that we overlook big-picture issues. When our work is very good, it is entirely possible to start a business perched on the sofa between two piles of unfolded laundry. When it comes time to grow and scale, however, our bad work habits will hold us back. 

Wherever you are in your solopreneurship journey, conduct your own employee review. Consider the ways in which you aren’t setting yourself up for success, and invest in solutions. If an early morning run helps set the tone for the day, bite the bullet and set an alarm. If working from your kitchen table has made your whole home feel like your office, create a defined space where you can keep projects contained. Tune into what makes you feel happy, confident, and productive, and understand that giving yourself those things will pay dividends. 

3. Break Up With Imposter Syndrome

Are you a self-taught creative? Secretly ashamed that you didn’t go to business school? Do client meetings make you feel like two frightened children in a floor-length trench coat pretending to be a professional? 

Imposter syndrome, or the sinking feeling that everyone around you is qualified while you are merely faking it, comes for us all. The good news is, while we are fumbling around worried that we’re secretly terrible at our jobs and everyone knows it, so is everyone else! Up to 80% of us report experiencing imposter syndrome at some point in our professional lives. 

Imposter syndrome is inherently irrational, so the antidote is a dose of reality. When self-doubt starts to creep in, list off concrete examples of your past successes. Think of it as a mental resume: what experiences do you have that prepare you for the task at hand, and what resources are available to you if you need assistance? Reminding yourself that you have both working knowledge and the ability to track down support reframes even the most daunting projects. 

4. Say Goodbye to Playing Small

Growth requires calculated risks. Whether we’re talking about finances or growth opportunities, operating from a scarcity mindset will stunt your business. It’s simply not possible to open yourself up to new possibilities while keeping a white-knuckle grip on the ones already in your hand. If you have processes, structures, and revenue strategies that are working “well enough,” taking them to “great” requires some deconstruction. 

As a solopreneur, you’re just one person. In order to keep saying yes to clients, you’ll eventually have to say yes to subcontractors, bookkeepers, and office managers. This inflection point can be scary, but a well-founded growth strategy will help you invest in the support you need without stretching your margins too thin. 

If adopting a growth-mindset feels too abstract for your tastes, it can help to remind yourself that any risks you take are supported by facts. Tools like our margin calculator offer a sound basis for determining whether making these investments in your business will be profitable. 

 5. Put an End to Blurry Boundaries

Sometimes, in an effort to provide the best service in a competitive industry, we do things we know we shouldn’t. As much as you would like your client to admire your dedication and professionalism for taking an unscheduled 9pm Zoom call, you’ve more likely just trained them to disregard your personal time. True emergencies certainly do happen, but regularly failing to defend your work-life balance will lead to chaos. This is particularly unfortunate because a better work-life balance is the reason so many of us decided to pursue freelancing in the first place. 

The best practice for establishing and maintaining healthy client boundaries is to lay them out from the outset. If you haven’t already done so, consider developing a “welcome” packet for new clients that establishes your working hours, appropriate ways to contact you, and your procedure for going out of office (feel free to steal our out of office prep guide here). Set the rules of your business, and stick by them. If you struggle to resist the temptation to address emails and messages after hours, take the extra step of pausing notifications after a certain time each day. Just because your office is down the hall doesn’t mean you aren’t entitled to disengage from work. 

6. Stop Avoiding Failure

If you are unwilling to fail, there is no way for you to move forward. Failure is an inevitability, and, like feedback, it’s all part of the process, so get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable!

The need to cling to the status quo, deliver flawless collateral, or remain the smartest person in the room will close you off to growth opportunities altogether. In order to master new skills and optimize old processes, you have to allow yourself to be wrong, awkward, and bad at things. Embracing failure is synonymous with embracing life-long learning. It’s also understanding that it can take a while for investments to pay off. Freelancers deal daily with circumstances beyond our control, from budget cuts to slow seasons. Real long-term success is defined by how we habitually show up for challenges. 

Changing our automated behavior patterns is some of the hardest work we’ll ever do, but it’s how growth happens. With practice and mindfulness, you can replace the thoughts and habits that are holding you back with ones that push you forward. Remember to have grace for yourself as you step out of your comfort zone in the same way you would for a colleague in the process of learning or trying something new. If you’re going to be your own boss, be a supportive, compassionate one.