The word solo is defined as follows:
- a thing done by one person unaccompanied, in particular
If you have ever thought about running a business or recently started one, whether through a franchise, business opportunity or in your garage there are plenty of To-Do’s that are done by yourself but they do not have to be. I remember when I started a marathon training business, my thoughts were scattered. I was not only in charge of making sure that individuals did not injure themselves, and that they got to cross the finish line of their marathon, but I also had to wear the sales, marketing, accounting, operations and IT hats. Oh, and I had my family and friends and other responsibilities to handle as well. I was a solopreneur and did not know where to turn for help.
If you find yourself in this position, understand that you are not alone. There are plenty of people in the same boat who are looking for a direction to row. Now is the time to reflect on what and who you are surrounding yourself with. Are the people in your inner circle supportive and encouraging? Are they willing to provide you with help if you need it? Have they provided you the support that you need to ensure that your business is on the right track?
Being a solopreneur does not mean you have to be alone. At TravelHost we pride ourselves on helping our network of business owners with as much support as they want. We have support and structure in place to help the newest business to the most mature. Over the past 50 years we have seen some mistakes, made more of our own, but in the end we have learned from them and that has allowed us to support our network.
Examples of support that allow an individual to be successful in the TravelHost business are:
- FYE (First Year Experience). A 26 step, self-paced, guideline to get your business off the ground and headed for success. These steps are as easy as, making sure you setup a business name, to ensuring that you are calling prospects. All aspects of running the TravelHost business in their individual market are covered. There is even a progress bar to help guide people through the process.
- Ongoing Business Support. This covers many items but included are monthly webinars about various topics to help run a successful business, yearly planning and on-going follow-up, creative help, website and IT support. The list is extensive and allows our network of business owners to sleep well at night because there is a group of people behind them.
- Digital Operations. We have built a team of digital experts that act as a fulfillment arm to the publishers. This means that they can sell social news feed ads and not have to worry about optimizing a campaign, generating reports or making sure the creative fits the guidelines for Facebook or Instagram.
I read a blog post by Caroline Cain titled: Solopreneur? Release The Struggle And Summon These 3 Forms of Support First. The article is fantastic in that it breaks down the support into 3 items:
- Find a Mastermind buddy.
- Hire a personal coach or mentor.
- Outsource. Bring on your first team member. Hire a VA.
As I read these points and the surrounding content I found myself shaking my head in agreement and thinking to myself, hey we do that. It gave me great confidence to know that as our company has grown and evolved that we have been putting the right pieces and parts in place to support our network of business owners.
As you are looking through your opportunities, whether they are a new career or starting a new business do not be afraid to ask for help. Not only that, but I urge you to ask for that help sooner rather than later. When you ask for help and you begin your conversation/dialogue you will find that you have new ideas/thoughts that can bring solution to the issues that you may be having.
I have found that when I am on the phone with owners in our network that we develop answers to questions they were not even asking because in a collaborative setting we are solving their issues. Beyond that, I am able to use that information for the next round of conversations or webinars that I host for the network.
Remember that Solopreneur does not equal being alone. Plug into a network or create your own. In the end they will be more valuable than you think.
Even This Guy Needed Help, If Even From A Goldfish
Jason Bahamundi
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