What’s a micro-preneur?

If you do everything in your business and have no help, if you’re chief cook and bottle-washer, you are a micro-preneur. Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with doing everything yourself-I used to run my business that way. If you can handle bookkeeping, returning calls and e-mails, marketing, networking, AND doing the actual work you got into business to do, great!

 But there’s a problem with doing it all yourself.

 

The problem is NOT that you can’t juggle it all, whether it takes 20 hours a week, 40 or 80. The problem is NOT that you get lonely or that you miss your life in corporate. The problem is NOT that you can’t afford to hire help. The problem IS that doing it all yourself means that your business will not grow. Let me say that again. Doing it all yourself will keep your business from growing.

I’m not talking about having the time to do all of it. Lots of people do. I used to have the time to do it all too. And I was good at it. Bookkeeping isn’t pleasant for me, but I can do it. I am not super-fond of writing my own press releases, but I am capable of it.

The problem was that I didn’t have enough paying clients to keep me busy. So I filled my business hours with marketing, networking, bookkeeping, and so forth. Filling that time up with those highly important and necessary tasks left me with very little time to fit clients into.

Not that I was turning them away. I didn’t have the clients to fit into the time I didn’t have. I thought that I would farm out the tedium when I could afford it. Or when I got so busy with clients that I would have no choice but to hire some help. What I finally realized was that, by doing everything myself and filling all my time with business busy-work, I was keeping clients away.

That’s right: My busy-work was keeping clients away.

I think the Universe looked at me and all my efforts and said, “Hey, she’s got her hands full. We’d better leave her alone.” And I was pretty lonely. I didn’t have enough clients to keep my business going.

What’s a Super Solo-Preneur?

A Super Solo-Preneur is a small business owner who stands alone, as a coach or consultant, as a designer or accountant. An SSP is someone who IS her business. Her name is on everything, her face graces her marketing materials. She’s a one-woman shop and proud of it! And she makes money.

That’s right. A Super Solo-Preneur is a successful small business owner who does NOT do everything by herself.

What makes an SSP different from a micro-preneur?

An SSP has a team of support specialists, which might include any or all of the following:

* One or more VA’s (virtual assistants)
* A CPA and/or bookkeeper
* A marketing copywriter (for e-zines, press releases, brochures, etc.)
* One or more marketing specialists
* A web master or designer
* One or more great coaches

If that list looks daunting, just think about starting with ONE of these support specialists on your team. Isn’t it a comforting thought to know that you would no longer be alone in reaching for your success?

I started with several excellent coaches who helped me in a number of areas of my life and business. Among other things, they helped me to refine my ideal life plan, to determine where I had blocks that held me back from success, and to make decisions that helped me move forward.

I already had help with my website from a technical standpoint, but I was making all copy changes and additions myself. So I started looking for a VA (virtual assistant) who was good at writing and proofreading and could also post things to my website for me. These included things like details on upcoming teleclasses and changes in pricing.

I also wanted my VA to be able to write press releases for me and to distribute them, preferably better than I could, e.g. knowing where to send them. I was afraid I couldn’t afford such a helper. I was really worried about it, so I hired my first VA on a very small contingency basis. I figured I could scrape up a few dollars to give her a try.

And guess what. Those few dollars spent on distributing a press release (that I wrote-still not ready to let go completely) turned into three new clients within a week! And I got two calls from journalists who wanted more information.

I started giving more work to my VA. I had her download recordings from teleclasses and upload them to my site. This was a chore that I really did not enjoy, but I was the chief cook and bottle-washer, right? Not anymore! My VA took over! Then she sent out e-mails to my list announcing that the recordings were up. I didn’t even have to write those!

She handled my on-line contact management account, complete with auto-responders and list management. These were all things that I didn’t like to mess with and suddenly, I had the freedom not to mess with them anymore! And the clients kept rolling in.

I was amazed by the huge difference these simple and inexpensive things made. By spending a few dollars a week on my VA, I opened up time that the Universe filled with clients.

Needless to say, I was thrilled!

So where am I now? I have two coaches on my team these days, along with two VA’s, a copywriter, and a marketing advisor. I still handle my own bookkeeping for now. We’ll see how long that lasts. Maybe I’ll just get a bookkeeper one day and pick up another half-dozen clients!

It took a leap of faith to get me started, but once I leapt, the Universe responded with exactly what I wanted.

Where do you start? I suggest a great coach. Even one session can give you new ideas and new excitement. Or try a VA. I did.

Susan K. Morrow is a psychic medium, medical intuitive, and spiritual teacher based in Austin, TX and working globally. She also provides business coaching “with a psychic twist”. For her free report “12 Woo-Woo Tips You need for Living in the Real World”, visit http://www.SisterMystic.com