Latest news with #solopreneur
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Elevating Your Coaching Quality While Building Your Business
Elissa Kelly is a Solopreneur Business Coach guiding leaders from corporate roles to thriving solopreneurship. You didn't climb the corporate ladder by delivering mediocre results. So, why would you build a coaching practice any differently? For executives entering the coaching world, the real challenge isn't choosing between quality and profitability; it's discovering how exceptional coaching can become your most powerful business strategy. While in my experience, much attention is given to business aspects—marketing, client acquisition and revenue generation—the fundamental quality of coaching services is paramount to sustainable success. Today, I'd like to explore the critical elements that ensure excellence in coaching practice, creating a foundation upon which a thriving coaching enterprise can be built. The Often Overlooked Foundation: Coaching Excellence In the excitement of launching a coaching business, many new coaches focus primarily on business strategies, neglecting the very service they're selling. This oversight creates significant risk, both to client outcomes and to business sustainability. High coaching quality isn't merely an ethical imperative; it's a business necessity. Clients who experience transformative coaching become your most powerful marketing assets through referrals and testimonials. The clients who have become my most important sources of referrals are those who experienced transformational coaching that resulted in breakthroughs—big wins with their teams or promotions at work. Those transformational experiences occurred because I focused on becoming an exceptional coach and continuing to grow my expertise. 4 Essential Elements Of Coaching Excellence Coach certification through an accredited coaching school isn't optional in today's professional coaching landscape. This requirement serves dual purposes. First, certification programs provide structured skill development. Coaching is a precise discipline requiring specific competencies that must be learned, practiced and refined. These programs offer systematic training in foundational coaching methodologies, ethical frameworks and client-centered approaches that transform well-meaning conversations into powerful catalytic experiences. Second, certification provides essential market credibility. Organizations investing in executive coaching are increasingly demanding certified coaches. HR departments and procurement teams often list certification as a minimum requirement when selecting coaching providers. For those building a coaching business, this credibility opens doors to corporate clients. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) offers progressive certification levels—ACC, PCC and MCC—that reflect a coach's experience and demonstrated competency. While the initial investment may seem substantial, it represents the entry point to the professional coaching community and is a prerequisite for sustainable growth. Self-reflection represents the difference between coaches who plateau and those who continuously evolve. Implementing a structured reflection process after each coaching session creates a feedback loop that accelerates professional development. Effective reflection includes examining key moments in coaching conversations, identifying missed opportunities for powerful questions, recognizing when assumptions may have influenced your approach and evaluating the overall impact of your interventions. For me, this means proactively scheduling time after each coaching session to reflect and make notes to support both the client's growth and my own. When I do this regularly, I become more aligned and can provide the best coaching experience for my clients. This reflective cycle transforms every client interaction into a learning opportunity, allowing coaches to refine their approach continually and prevent falling into comfortable patterns that may limit effectiveness. The coaching profession continues to evolve rapidly. Maintaining relevance and maximizing impact requires commitment to lifelong learning through steps like: • Advanced assessment certifications (Hogan, Birkman, DISC) that provide objective data to enrich coaching conversations. My certifications in Birkman and Hogan have opened doors to client opportunities while building my expertise. • Specialized coaching certificates focused on specific contexts such as team coaching or leadership transitions. My team coaching diploma gave me deep understanding and expertise to support teams and grow that area of my practice. • Ongoing study of emerging research relevant to human development and behavioral change. The most successful coaches view education as an ongoing investment rather than a one-time achievement, allocating both time and financial resources to expanding their capabilities. I believe coach supervision is one of the most underutilized resources to build coaching excellence. Unlike many therapeutic disciplines where supervision is mandated, coaching supervision is optional—but it offers tremendous value. Supervision provides a structured relationship with a certified supervisor who helps examine your coaching practice, identifying blind spots, processing difficult client situations, maintaining appropriate boundaries and integrating business considerations without compromising coaching quality. Beyond developmental benefits, supervision connects coaches to a community of practice, reducing the isolation that independent coaches often experience. My experience with both group and individual supervision has led to rich awareness, deep relationships with other coaches and expanded business opportunities, making the investment well worth it. Integrating Excellence And Business Success Certification, reflection, continuing education and supervision constitute the foundation of coaching excellence. Far from distracting from business development, these practices enhance success by creating genuine differentiation in a crowded marketplace. When you can articulate your value proposition with authentic confidence, you generate consistent, remarkable client experiences that drive referrals and allow you to command premium rates based on demonstrable expertise. The most successful coaches recognize that business development and professional excellence are complementary rather than competing priorities. By maintaining an unwavering commitment to coaching quality while implementing sound business strategies, you create sustainable practices that deliver both financial rewards and profound client impact. In an industry where reputation is currency, investing in coaching excellence may be the most strategic business decision you can make. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Smart Entrepreneurs Use Content To Build A Powerful Digital Empire
Your goal as an entrepreneur is to grow, no matter what industry you're in. How your passion manifests in your projects or eventual companies doesn't matter. You want to reach a larger audience, connect with like-minded individuals worldwide and boost your visibility. Having navigated this space and observed countless others, I've seen firsthand the profound impact of mastering this aspect of business. Using content strategically to establish online authority may be one of the most well-traveled paths in the tech-driven age. The question is how to ensure your content performs well and achieves the objective of building a robust digital empire. Whether you're testing the waters as a solopreneur or looking to reinvigorate an established brand, here's a blueprint you can follow. They Learn What Drives Performance Creating online content isn't a creative writing class. It's also not the same as turning in an A+ research paper. You don't always get points for showing up and doing the work. Instead, you must learn what genuinely performs in the digital world and resonates with audiences you'll likely never meet face-to-face. Some core elements of good communication still apply in the online world. Your voice must establish and build trust, which you achieve by weaving thought leadership into your content. Show your audience why they should listen to you. Talk about your expertise and experiences while relating to their perspectives or needs. Beyond that, delve into what makes you unique, including any proprietary knowledge you've gained. Simultaneously, allow your creative juices to shine. Storytelling is often more effective than simply presenting cold, hard facts when you aim to connect with an audience. Numbers and charts don't evoke the same feeling as an illustration of their real-world impact on an individual. Facts are easy to gloss over and dismiss due to cognitive bias or dissonance. But it's more difficult to ignore someone's firsthand account of how they've been affected by a company's actions. It's why a single client testimonial can be so powerful. SEO-driven visibility is another critical element. If your content isn't showing up in organic searches and isn't click-worthy, your keywords aren't relevant enough to do their job. They Practice Consistency Iconic brands are recognizable for reasons beyond sheer popularity. There's something about the identities of these companies that remains constant, whether it's core messaging, characters featured in commercials and on packaging, or a familiar logo—their identity stays the same. Smart entrepreneurs approach their content with the same mindset. They understand the power of consistently putting it out there, knowing it will take more than a few pieces to truly drive engagement and convert. Just as relationships take time to build, requiring constant dialogue, the content entrepreneurs create becomes the conversation with their audiences. Being consistent with your publishing schedule and the information you offer shows audiences they can trust you. The meat of what you produce also becomes a way for them to recognize your voice and brand identity. Audiences come to recognize these characteristics, reminding them of what initially drew them to your content while providing additional reasons to keep consuming it. They Leverage Platform Diversification And Collaboration The number of content creators isn't slowing down. With a current estimated worth of $104.2 billion, the market size is expected to double by 2027. There are around 200 million active content creators in the world, making the opportunities for collaboration seem endless. Building a powerful digital empire means recognizing that you can expand your reach through community. Collaborating with others in your niche, including influencers, naturally demonstrates your content's value. There may be opportunities to offer online classes in your area of expertise and promote in-person or online workshops. Such collaborations introduce you to a wider network while opening doors for the monetization of your knowledge. Diversifying your content by experimenting with various formats and platforms is another key means of expansion. You might consider investing in a social media strategy, for example. This doesn't mean you need to be on every social media site, but you can certainly grow by trying out different tools. LinkedIn and Substack, for instance, offer a wealth of content-creation features. Substack is a platform that lets you create long-form and short-form posts, videos, and subscriber chats. You could also offer free and paid subscriber content to different audience tiers. Your Digital Empire The point of building a digital empire is to set up a system for attracting and converting target audiences. At the same time, you want to establish your place in your industry or niche while inspiring authentic conversation. Using content to accomplish long-term business growth isn't a one-way street—it involves far more than simply putting up a website and creating a YouTube channel. Although it might start with actions like these, leveraging content to fuel growth is truly about learning what works and what doesn't. Treating content creation as a discipline—by being consistent with your voice, topical authority and brand identity—is essential. Otherwise, people may not perceive your content as reliable and trustworthy. Finally, diversifying your reach can expand your market while strengthening relationships within your niche.
Harvard Business Review
11-07-2025
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
How to Know When to Pursue Your Side Gig Full-Time
The number of full time independent workers in the United States grew from 13.6 million in 2020 to 27.7 million in 2024, according to research by MBO partners. Eighty four percent are happier working on their own, reporting better health and security. Once seen as a risky professional path, forging your own path is something even senior corporate leaders are now pursuing to gain control over their time, their income, and who they want to work with. So why aren't more people quitting? Figuring out the right time to make the leap can be one of the most complicated aspects of this choice—and many people get that timing wrong. One of us (Katrina) quit her job at age 23 and walked away from a six-figure opportunity at a Magnificent Seven tech company to become a solopreneur writer and travel the world. At least that was the plan; instead, she found herself working at Starbucks three months later. From there, she built her network by creating new connections and opportunities—eventually landing contract work with companies like HubSpot, which led to a role at Digital Press working with entrepreneurs, then to startups like M1 Finance, and eventually to Category Pirates. Another one of us (Eddie) waited until age 43, when he was a senior partner at a consulting firm, to launch a solo gig—long after he had ample financial and professional capital to quit. Looking back, he realizes he could have left years earlier—and the delay probably cost him millions of dollars in potential incremental income and precious family time. The final author (Christopher) made the leap at age 38 after being chief marketing officer of Mercury Interactive, which had just been acquired by Hewlett Packard for $4.5 billion dollars in 2006. It might have seemed early, but after starting a company at 18, being CMO of three public tech companies, and racking up over four million miles on American Airlines, he was ready for something different. If you're pursuing a side hustle that seems to be gaining traction, you're probably grappling with this question yourself: Is there a way to calculate the right time to quit your day job? It's a question we've researched, consulted on—and considered deeply before making the leap ourselves. Our business, Category Pirates, has begun offering coursework and publishing a newsletter that focuses on this pivotal decision, and we're currently in the final stages of writing a book on the topic. While there is no one-size-fits all answer, our work with executives and leaders who've successfully made the leap highlights five questions to determine if you are ready to jump. Can cash flow from your side hustle sustainably exceed your main hustle? Ideally you have a sustained track record of doing this, but your side hustle trajectory, pricing power, scalability, and word of mouth can help you make the leap a bit earlier. A strong trajectory can be enough to estimate the potential of your side hustle if you gave it your full attention and time. Your side hustle must have pricing power, which is the most truthful signal of demand. New automation tools like Zapier can help you scale your side hustle without just adding time or labor since how you sell (your business model) matters more than what you sell (your offer). Finally, your side hustle must generate word of mouth in an organic and easily amplifiable way. Dickie Bush was making $200,000 per year at BlackRock in his mid-twenties. He quit BlackRock 14 months after launching a digital writing business with Nicolas Cole. By that point, it was paying him four times his salary and showed a solid trajectory, with increasing pricing power, ability to scale, and digital word of mouth. Now their business generates more than $6 million dollars in revenue. Does your superpower generate a 10x outcome? A 10x outcome is a commonly used benchmark in management consulting; it refers to a client getting a revenue, profit or valuation result directly from your work that is at least ten times more than it costs. What's your superpower? Defining this is essential—and not as easy as you think. Hint: it has nothing to do with your title, pedigree, or resume. Your superpower must be a unique ability that's easily quantified in the marketplace by others. Holley Miller was the director of global brand for Allergan, the pharmaceutical and medical device company, when she built and executed a category design strategy that quadrupled revenue for a product from $25 million to $100 million in four years. She did it by radically changing their marketing—by reframing and naming a different end user problem instead of just marketing features and technology. As a result, end users and physicians saw Allergan's offer as a category of one with no substitutes. Revenue quadrupled without adding incremental sales reps or dramatic increases in operating expenses. Miller realized her ability to frame, name, and claim a radically different strategy in med tech was quite rare and the outcomes she generated were exponentially larger than her mid-six-figure salary. She received confirmation of this when competitors began calling to poach her to their teams. So instead of being an executive, she's now the founder and president of Grey Matter Marketing with a team of 11 utilizing her superpowers on her own terms designing new categories for companies in life sciences. Do you have enough capital—and the right kinds? Money set aside is a great safety net, but you need less than what you think—it costs about $10,000 to $40,000 to actually launch a business, on average—and money alone is insufficient. You need three other types of capital. Reputation capital is a track record of repeatable outcomes for a specific problem and the type of clients you are known for serving. Relationship capital is having three types of people in your corner, including those who can see the upside you overlook, loved ones who won't lie to you, and fellow creators who love to jam with you. Intellectual capital is knowledge you have converted into an asset others can access, pay you for, and achieve outcomes while you are asleep. This can be books, courses, diagnostics, frameworks, or tools that you can monetize with no time or for an extreme price premium on your time. Jeff Klimkowski wanted to be an investment banker since the ninth grade and realized his dream at Deutsche Bank for 13 years. But he walked away from seven figures in deferred compensation and a looming promotion to managing director to pursue another dream he had with his friends from elementary school, Dude Wipes. Dude Wipes is the category king of flushable wipes, which Jeff co-founded with his childhood buddies Sean Riley and Ryan Meegan, the CEO and CMO of Dude Wipes, respectively. They were living together after college and realized that for guys who love beer and burritos, regular toilet paper wasn't going to cut it. They started this as a side hustle over 10 years ago. Sean and Ryan had 9 to 5 jobs and would pack and ship wipes from 6 PM to midnight. Jeff would provide working capital with his investment banking bonus checks. They scored an investment from Mark Cuban on Shark Tank, who bought 20% of the company. Humor was their superpower. They were willing to make honest jokes about hygiene via social media that would never make it past conservative marketing departments and nervous legal departments at a Fortune 500 company. Soon after, Dude Wipes was growing fast enough that Jeff had to make a decision. Jeff had a reputation as both entrepreneur and investment banker, massive encouragement and support from his boss, and deep expertise in M&A and capital markets—all qualities that would serve him well as CFO of Dude Wipes. As Sean said, 'You can always go back and get another investment banking job.' Dude Wipes did $219 million in retail revenue in 2024 and just recently closed a significant minority investment from a leading consumer private equity firm. Have you mastered your emotions? Without emotional regulation, it's hard to get the economics right. The hardest part of quitting isn't inconsistent cash flow but the constant self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and loneliness. Your emotions can wreak havoc on your pricing by causing you to undervalue your product or service and offer discounts before a customer even asks. Nick Bennett teaches other solopreneurs how to make the leap, by providing concrete strategies to scale but also coaching to manage all the negative voices and emotions. When Nick was building his business, he realized that running with others on the same journey was crucial. He built a text thread with three other entrepreneurs that eventually grew to a Slack channel of over 50. While he was successful in his coaching and consulting, he realized the power of community and saw an opportunity to meaningfully raise his price vis-a-vis his time. He and his partner created an offer that generated $30,000 in one weekend. Does your commitment to your craft and mission exceed your need for kudos and money? If you're a writer, you must find joy in becoming a better writer even if your writing goes nowhere. You must be clear about and so committed to your mission that you are willing to walk away from money that doesn't align with your mission. You must love the problem you solve more so than the solution you offer. This ensures you will have the perseverance to innovate and increase the odds of outcomes for your clients. Love of your craft and mission always leads to greater economic abundance. Danny Bauer helps school principals achieve massive student and culture outcomes. Adam Frankl helps developer-facing startups rapidly scale and secure their next round of funding. Both had successful solo consulting businesses, but both were so devoted to their craft they kept innovating. Now both run six-figure digital communities full of their people that they can help at scale and serve as a pipeline for their consulting. Danny launched a top-ranked podcast and Adam wrote a best-selling book in his niche. Based on our work in the space, we expect the number of independent workers to double in a decade. Personal and financial freedom are too appealing, especially as job security at large employers in business and government wanes. The rise of single-person households from 8% in 1940 to 28% in 2020 makes it easier to go independent with less people to provide for. But the pull to create will accelerate this transition. Our data shows 77% of U.S. workers would love to be 'paid to create.' Millions will remember how creative they were as children, figure out they can be paid to create as adults–and then make the leap.
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Freelancers & Solopreneurs Can Use Slow Seasons To Their Advantage
Freelancer works from home Quiet periods of business shouldn't just be dead zones. They are opportunities for smart freelancers and solopreneurs to future-proof their businesses. Rather than worrying about when or where the next lead will come in, you can use this time to intentionally build your personal brand, develop your skills, forge new relationships, create content, and make strategic moves that help to generate hot new leads and revenue for your business. Read on for 10 ways to take advantage of a slow season: 1. Audit Your Business It's time to give your business a thorough audit. Review everything from your systems, tools, and processes to marketing strategy and client service. Take note of what is working and what is not. What can you streamline, and what needs to be upgraded? 2. Update Your Digital Presence Review every area of your digital marketing, from your social media profiles, website, and Google Business profile, to profiles on third-party websites such as freelancer directories. It's important these are all consistent, relevant to your current services and offerings, and have up-to-date contact information. 3. Content Strategy It's a great time to double down on pushing out content that grows your personal brand, increases trust, and builds authority in your niche. If you're unsure where to start, focus on LinkedIn content first and then increase your activity across other platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and email newsletters. 4. Launch A New Service Or Offering Is there something more you can offer to potential clients or customers? Do you find that clients ask for services you don't usually provide but have expertise in? If so, consider how you can offer another service or upsell a current client's scope of work. Or, if you're looking to create a new revenue stream without increasing hands-on client work, create a digital product that you can sell on auto-pilot. 5. Create Or Update An Online Portfolio Every freelancer or solopreneur needs a portfolio of work to show potential clients. It acts like a digital resume and can be a crucial factor when clients assess whether to work with you. You could add successful projects, case studies, and data on how the projects performed. There's a variety of tools available you could use, such as Canva, Notion, or Carrd. 6. Upskill And Develop Yourself Learning new skills, keeping up-to-date with industry trends, implementing new technologies and AI tools, and investing in personal development is crucial for any freelancer or solopreneur. Workshops, online learning programs, and even platforms like YouTube can be excellent sources of information to learn from. To go a step further, team up with a mentor or coach to fast-track your growth. 7. Reconnect With Leads Do you have leads that went silent? Unless you received a 'no', slow seasons are a great time to reach back out to leads and follow up on any proposals you sent. Potential clients are busy people who may have just forgotten to reply! 8. Re-Engage Past And Present Clients Be sure to ask for testimonials from past or present clients and share these across your digital marketing channels. Don't be afraid to ask clients for recommendations and introductions to others in their network, too. Finally, ask if you can create a case study you can then showcase across your online portfolio and website. 9. Seek PR Opportunities A great way to get your brand in front of new audiences is by leveraging the existing audiences of podcasts, business events, and conferences. Within your industry, are there podcasts looking for guests or conferences and local associations looking for speakers? LinkedIn, business-related Facebook groups, and networking sites like Meetup can be good places to source these opportunities. 10. Network Network Network Even in the age of remote work and conference calls, in-person networking is still important for freelancers and solopreneurs. Attend industry events, conferences, and local networking groups. If you're feeling shy, you could start with webinars. Attending these helps to grow your personal brand, create new connections, and develop your interpersonal communication skills. Slow seasons can be blessings in disguise for freelancers and solopreneurs - as long as you take action! Use this time to your advantage to create some wins for your business.
Globe and Mail
08-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Dover, Del., Named 2025's Most Profitable U.S. City for Solopreneurs by DesignRush
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 8, 2025) - Dover, Del. has officially been named the most profitable city in the United States for solo founders, according to new research from B2B platform DesignRush. In 2025, a record 30.4 million Americans are running one-person businesses - from freelancers and consultants to solo agency owners and creators. But while the solopreneur economy is booming, where a founder lives plays a major role in how much income they actually keep after covering essential costs. DesignRush's new city rankings are based on post-expense profit - the amount solopreneurs retain after accounting for housing, food, healthcare, utilities and transportation. Why Dover Ranks #1 for Solopreneurs in 2025 Average Solopreneur Revenue: $110,652 Cost of Living: $44,389 Annual Profit: $66,263 That profit figure is nearly four times the national average post-expense profit of $18,508, making Dover the best city in America for solopreneur take-home income. "Dover isn't just affordable - it's financially empowering for solopreneurs," said Gianluca Ferruggia, General Manager at DesignRush. "With no sales tax, strong internet infrastructure, and pro-business policies, it's a model city for solo success in 2025." About the Data DesignRush's ranking analyzed dozens of U.S. cities using average solopreneur revenue data cross-referenced with standard cost-of-living benchmarks. Bigger Trend: Geography as Profit Strategy The rise of solopreneurs, especially in digital services, consulting and creative sectors, are reshaping business maps. Discover why Delaware ranks #1 among all U.S. states for solo founder profitability - and why Dover is now the top city to launch or grow a one-person business. About DesignRush DesignRush is a B2B platform based in Miami, Florida, that connects brands with top digital agencies. It also provides research and insights on emerging trends in technology and business.
