How to succeed as a Solopreneur no matter what the economy is doing...

Here's an indisputable reality that as entrepreneurs, just about all of us have encountered at some point ... There are a lot of "dream stealers" out there. These are the people who hear you talk about your business, or your business idea and will tell you to "get real".

They'll go on to remind you that more than 6 million people start a business each year.

And they'll tell you that 3 out of 4 of these businesses will fail (yikes).

They'll also tell you that the economy is "so tough right now" that you don't have a hope of making it.

And they'll probably suggest you should go find a nice "safe" job" or not dream "so big" until "things get better".

Actually the person who's telling you this is probably saying it because their innermost secret desire is to own their own business themselves but they're just too petrified to take the plunge and make it happen.

Or they've failed in the past and have given up.

That's ok.

Being a Solopreneur is DEFINITELY not for everyone. And yes it IS challenging at times.

But that doesn't mean you can't succeed.

And it certainly doesn't mean that you should sit out this "tough economy" and wait for things to improve...you might be sitting for a long time.

Take me for example.

When I relocated my marketing company to Michigan, people told me I was insane. The economy had just tanked, layoffs were happening like tidal waves and people were fleeing the state in droves. Add to that the fact I was a single Mom of a new born and the number of people I knew in Michigan could be counted on one hand.

I guess you could say from the outside that the odds of me succeeding were stacked, well, mile high.

But on the inside, I knew differently. I believed differently. I acted differently.

I was crystal clear on my intent to succeed.

I set about surrounding myself with other highly successful entrepreneurs, who had reinvented their businesses and created massive opportunity for themselves.

I shut out "the noise" and got busy.

Not to say this was an easy process. Looking back it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. There were days, weeks even when I seriously questioned my own sanity and thought about throwing in all in.

But I'm so glad I didn't.

Within 6 months I had created a six figure business doing work that I loved, on my terms, with clients who I absolutely loved working with. No more long distance travel needed. Total flexibility to pick and choose my work hours: if I'd been up half the night with my daughter who couldn't settle, I could take the next morning off and catch up on sleep.

And I'd done it Michigan - one of the most recession ravaged states in the country where its common to meet someone who's been out of work for 3 years.

I'm not sharing this with you to toot my own horn.

I'm sharing this with you to show you how you can CREATE YOUR OWN ECONOMY as a Solopreneur and be successful NO MATTER WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE, AND NO MATTER WHAT OTHER PEOPLE TELL YOU IS POSSIBLE.

So, here are 3 truths about how to build a successful business as a Solopreneur in any economy

1 - In order to grow your business, you have to grow yourself first Where ever you're at in your business right now, you can't expect to achieve wild success by following what most other people are doing. It means having the courage to not follow the herd and do things differently.

Radically differently sometimes.

This usually has to start with seeking out a coach, mentor, or teacher who has walked the path you're wanting to walk, holds the same values you hold, and has what you want.

You can try to go things alone and do it the hard, lonely, frustrating way...or you can seek out other successful people to learn from and cut short your own learning curve by 10 or even 20 years.

When I made the decision I wanted to leave my legal career to become a professional copywriter, I knew it was going to take some serious time and money investment to come anywhere close to me being able to replace my income level.

I never bought the whole nobility thing of being a "starving writer" (in my book there's no glory in starving). So I set about seeking out the very best teachers I could find who were themselves highly successful entrepreneurs and marketers.

The very first coaching program I invested in was $35,000 (gasp) which even today is still an eye popping amount of money for most people to think about spending on their own personal development. Thanks to the wisdom learned from that course I was able to earn a 6 figure income straight out the gate in my very first year as a freelance copywriter. That's practically unheard of in my industry where the average earnings, even for "seasoned pros" is less than $40,000.

But as you may already know, I am definitely a hare not a tortoise (by the way it was really the hare who won that race, the tortoise actually got sidetracked, forgot where he was headed and wound up getting eaten by a pack of rogue wolves.) I'm not interested in trying to reinvent the wheel. If someone's already cracked the code and traveled the path I want to take then I'll happily pay to learn from them so that I can arrive faster at my goals.

The lesson in this for you is... catapult your business to where you want it to go by investing in yourself FIRST.

Don't wait "until you're successful" - that's too late!

Invest in YOU. You're worth it!

2 - Systems Rock

If you are an entrepreneur, you're probably great at "winging it."

Only problem is that you live in chaos, and everything on your to-do list is super urgent. Keep this up - and you'll eventually burn out (I know, because this is exactly how I used to run my business and...burnt out doing).

Its no secret that the most successful businesses in the world all heavily rely on systems. McDonalds is a perfect example. Every action, every task has been boiled down to an exact process that's repeated again and again, effortlessly.

This is exactly how your marketing needs to operate. Your marketing shouldn't be a series of random acts that you hurriedly fling together when you need new clients, and pray something happens from.

Implementing a marketing system in your business will enable you to regulate your cash flow, have a dependable income every month and give you the head space you need to really focus on growing your business (instead of wondering if you'll be able to pay off all your bills this month)

3 - Care deeply about your clients

I am constantly horrified at the number of businesses who take a churn and burn attitude to their clients.

Don't like our service? Tough....we don't care....we've got your money already...next!

One of the best "recession proof" marketing strategies is to care deeply about your clients and their success.

Do things that others would never be prepared to do - say yes to their requests, where others would say no. Always be looking for ways to add massive value to their lives. Do this and you will create a loyal following of raving fans who will stick by you and your company like glue in good times and in bad!