The Solopreneur and the Traveling Gnome
Welcome to this month’s first blog post! I hope everyone is enjoying some wonderful spring weather (I know, earlier this week, not so much)!
First off, I think it’s important to define “solopreneur.” A solopreneur is an entrepreneur who works alone, “solo,” running his or her business single-handedly. While he or she might have contractors for hire, the full responsibility for the running of the business lies on his or her shoulders. I also believe that folks who are employed by a company, but working at home or outside the office most of the time, also fit into this category because they face a lot of the same issues as solopreneurs.
Please note that as of July, 2013, Michael A. Babiarz will be joining my firm as a coach. He is retiring from his law practice (after a successful 25 year run) to embark upon the journey of helping folks like you get from where they are to where they want to be. His upcoming book, “Seventy Reasons Not to be an Entrepreneur (and why I wouldn’t do anything else)”, will be coming out this summer.
Whether you are a solopreneur, an entrepreneur, an employee, or a retiree, I think you will find the following excerpt from his book quite enlightening. If not, just wait until my next newsletter. 🙂
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Excerpted and adapted from “Seventy Reasons Not to be an Entrepreneur (and why I wouldn’t do anything else)” Copyright 2013 by Michael A. Babiarz, all rights reserved. Set for publication in Summer, 2013.
Time is money for the solopreneur. [In the last newsletter, we learned how attached many of us are to our smartphones, e-mail and digital connectedness.] One of the things that the newbie entrepreneur learns is that time away is money lost. So, in addition to the constant connectivity that small entrepreneurs endure, the young and the tough (and perhaps even the older and the tough) will scoff at the idea of vacations. The usual line of reasoning is that you are so passionate and focused on your business that you won’t even want to take a long weekend off.
This line of reasoning may carry you for a while. When doing my completely unscientific research — that is listening to anecdotal stories from other entrepreneurs — most decided to forgo vacations early in their business ventures. But virtually all eventually either needed to take time away, began to resent not having the ability to take time away, or became burned out in operating a business that did not allow them to take time away.
Now I am not a doctor, a psychologist, or a mental health specialist of any kind. And I did not stay at the correct brand of hotel last night. But I have read a lot of self-help books, as I am one who needs lots of help, and all of this literature says the same thing. The lack of the ability to step away from a career, job, or business, will eventually prove harmful to you and your customers.
Most entrepreneurs will find it difficult to schedule time off. Moreover, despite being away, our constantly connected society will keep a business owner in touch with her office 24/7. Can you craft or modify your business plan to afford you the ability to disconnect from your work for a vacation now and then?
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When is your next break?