Resources for the Solo Entrepreneur: On Your Own, But Not Alone
Author: Will Corrente
Andrew Carnegie once said “no man will make a great a business who wants to do it all himself or get all of the credit”. In other words, if you want to be successful as an entrepreneur you are going to need the help of others. This is especially true of the sole proprietor entrepreneur aka the Solo-preneur.
So where can a Solo Entrepreneur aka a Solo-preneur turn to for help in getting their business to the next level? I have outlined 5 resources for Solo-preneur assistance to help keep you on track and moving forward:
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Mentors: there is no greater asset to any business owner than having a mentor to guide you along your way. But how do you find a mentor? This is a hot question for many panel discussions in which I have participated. The simple answer is ask; ask friends, ask family, ask anyone with whom you are acquainted with who has been successful in business. People love to give advice and be asked for their opinions and input.
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Entrepreneur Support Groups: There are many entrepreneur support groups in which the Solo-preneur can find good and valuable advice, some are free, others require a membership fee. Some of these groups include: Meet Up Groups, Vistage, New York Entrepreneur Week, local SBA offices, and your local Chamber of Commerce. Most of these groups offer regular meetings, guest speakers and training resources to assist you. In addition, you will find like minded entrepreneurs who are experiencing the same struggles as you. These are great places to share ideas and learn about resources other entrepreneurs have successfully harnessed.
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Paid Consultants: Sometimes you get what you pay for, paid consultants can be a great resource in providing a burst of information and resources in a short period of time while providing the hand holding to keep you moving along and on track to your goals.
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Industry Associations & Conferences: Almost every business niche has its own trade association, these associations provide resources, education, and industry insights to keep you informed as well as provide key marketing and sales advice. In addition, most associations host regional conferences with guest speakers and educational sessions to educate its members on a variety of business and industry topics.
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Outsourcing / Virtual Assistants: Outsourcing and virtual assistants can help off load many time consuming tasks from an overworked Solo-preneur. These companies and individuals can provide inexpensive hourly personnel who work remotely and can handle tasks such as scheduling appointments, typing correspondence, sending emails, managing social media, vetting your emails and voice mails, and assist with research to name a few. There are myriad of tasks that can be outsourced to assist you in improving your productivity and help you keep your business moving forward.
Just because you are a Solo-preneur does not mean you have to do it all yourself, take Carnegie’s advice and leverage the resources of others to get you where you want to go, be connection ready and reach your entrepreneurship goals.
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