Do you offer something of value to the world?

Not to be confused with “are you of value” because you’re totally of value to the world just the way you are. You are a piece in a vast puzzle and a necessary component of the Whole.

However, I’m talking here about the value you want to be paid for. Do you offer something that other people want? And will they pay you for it?

One of my clients was upset because he’d written a book of poetry, put it up on Amazon, and had gotten no sales. He reworked the poetry and released it again, but still, no sales. He tried ads on Google to generate business. Nothing. He was frustrated and fed up with his lack of success and decided there was no way for him to succeed as an entrepreneur. He was bitter and angry.

When I asked him what the poetry was about, he proudly and promptly replied it was about random, crazy, mixed up things that made almost no sense.

Hmm.

I asked him what need that filled. He said, “I don’t know. But I liked writing it and I poured my heart into it.”

That’s not enough, my friend. Write that on your own time.

If you want to be paid, you must offer something of value. And value is defined as something people are willing to pay you for. By all means, write your poetry all you want. But if it’s of no value to others, then don’t expect to make money off of it. Pure and simple.

Maybe it’s not fair. Maybe you should be able to put into the world what you want to put into the world and have other people see the value in it. But the world is vast, and competition is fierce. If you can’t help someone solve a problem or offer them something they want, you don’t get paid.

Now this doesn’t mean you should ONLY put into the world something you can earn money from. You could if you want to. I know many people who have gotten rich simply filling the needs of others, even when it was something they themselves didn’t personally care for.

But I believe that when you’re passionate about something, and you have a talent for it, AND other people want it, then you’ve got the winning formula.

So if you’re not succeeding right now with your product, idea, or service, ask yourself the hard question. Is there a market for this? Does it fill a need or solve a problem? If the answer is an honest no, then find another way to offer it so that it IS valuable.

My client received advice from his guides about ways to channel his creative energy into drama and acting. He ended up becoming a college drama teacher, writing his own plays, and inserting his own unusual style and brand of creativity into all of them, with great success. And he was a lot happier too. People were finally paying for and appreciating his unusual creative style.

If your passion isn’t profitable, see if you can rework it so that it is. You don’t have to give up on your passion, but if you want to eat, you’ve got to find a way to make it of value to others.

You have passion. You have an idea! You have skill. You have talent. People have told you that you can do it, that THEY would buy your “stuff.”

But is a great idea and talent enough to succeed as a solopreneur?

If you have a vision of yourself falling out of bed, grabbing some coffee, making your way to your computer in your slippers, checking your email and counting all the money that’s rolling in … well let’s hold on a minute and see what it really takes to succeed in business all by yourself.

Your first checklist:

• Talent or skill in your chosen field. Check.
• Passion and drive. You really WANT to do this. Check.
• There’s a market for this. People WANT to buy what you’re selling. Check.

That first checklist is super important because without each of those items checked, you are doomed to fail. But talent, passion, and a market are not enough to succeed. There is much more that needs to happen.

I’ve seen it time and again.

“I’ll start a blog. Other people make money blogging. I will too.”

“I’m great at quilting. I’ll sell my quilts online.”

“I’ve been programming for this company for a decade. I could do this on my own and make all the money instead of just getting a small portion for my work.”

To succeed as a solopreneur, you must be able to effectively and successfully run all aspects of your business.

You might be great at writing, but do you know how to program?

You might be the best quilter in your sewing circle, but do you know how to ship heavy products around the world?

You might be the world’s greatest programmer, but can you handle the accounting associated with your new business?

When you work by yourself, for yourself, you have to wear many hats. It’s not just about your talent. It’s not just about your drive. You need to be good at everything or you will likely fail.

To use an analogy, you might be really good at picking curtains and paint, but that doesn’t mean you can build a house.

To succeed in running your own business you must be good at:

Planning and Strategizing
What will you offer? To whom? At what price? When? How long will it take to launch your business? Who is your demographic? How will you reach them? Will you ever have employees or will you be able to handle business growth on your own for years? Do you intend to do this for the rest of your life, or sell your company after you’ve made it a huge success? The more you can figure out now, the better your trajectory will be, and the easier it will be to make decisions because they will be aligned with your long term goals.

Creation
You have to create a service or product that works, and works well. This is likely what drew you to the idea in the first place so most people do fairly well with this piece. But if you’re wanting to invent something new, you need to figure out how to get it manufactured.

Sales, Marketing, and Advertising
Your product or service won’t just magically sell. You have to learn how to write good sales copy and you have to figure out where and how to market your business. Will you pay to advertise or use word of mouth? Will you create a Facebook fan page or your own website? Will you market on your own site or on other people’s?

Networking
You need to connect with other people in some way, shape or form. Either because you want or need them to sell your product or service when it’s ready, or because you want advice from others in the same field, or because you want to capitalize on opportunities to expand. So get ready to be social and ask for help.

Programming
In this day and age you will more than likely need a website for your company. Do you know how to create one? If you don’t, you need to learn, otherwise you’ll be paying someone to do it for you. If you’ve got the cash, great. But if you’re just starting out, you’ll need to learn how to manage a site including getting it hosted and setting up a merchant account and some form of shopping cart.

Accounting
You’ll have to manage and pay your own taxes. Sure, you can outsource this to an accountant, but that also costs money, and you still need to give your accountant accurate and complete information. So learn how to get your own business account, keep track of sales, pay your bills on time, and see where your money is coming and going.

Social Media
You’ll need to learn to master Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and a host of other social media outlets. If you don’t, you’ll be left behind.

Learning and Growing
You’ll need to stay abreast of what’s happening in your field. Is a competitor coming along who can take your market? Does your site need an upgrade? Is there a new way of shipping that could save you money? How do other people in your field save money? What are the upcoming trends? Do you need a fan page or just subscribers? Do you know how to make an audio program? Is your ebook compatible with Kindle? Do you have the latest equipment? Is there someone new out there who could help you? Is there a new company you could be doing business with? If you don’t continually learn and grow, you will eventually be left behind, outdated, used up, worthless. You don’t want that.

Other Things You’ll Need
You’ll need patience, because sometimes it will feel like you’ve worked super hard and have received nothing in return. Just keep going.

You’ll need to manage stress, because money will come in sporadically and unpredictably, and you’ll need to ride out the dry days or weeks or even months.

You’ll need a savings, because no matter how little you think it will cost you to get going, it will always cost more than you think it will. And you’ll need some savings to live off of while you’re creating your business.

You’ll need a sense of humor, because some days it will appear as if everything is against you and all you can do is smile and roll with the punches.

You’ll need discipline, because it’s just you, baby. If you don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. And if it doesn’t get done, you’re dead in the water. You don’t get paid. If you think you can work 3 hours a day and succeed before you run out of money, you’re dreaming. In the beginning, you’ll work very long hours. Still excited? Excellent.

Are you ready?

Working for yourself is powerful. It’s flexible. There is great freedom in it. But if you think you can take your talent and build an entire business by having mastered one aspect of it, you’ll soon find the house crumbling down around you. Oh the paint and the curtains will still look great, but they’ll be sitting atop a pile of bricks and cement.

Before you go solo, be sure you have everything you need, and be sure you’re willing to do everything and a wee bit more to ensure your success!

On the flip side of that coin, however, there are some real benefits to running your business that are not so easily found in the cubicle. Business owners will probably tell you that thing they love most about running their own business is freedom. And I can tell you from experience that it’s freedom that gives me certainty that I made the right decision leaving the cubicle. Once you’ve had a taste of that freedom, it’s hard to go back.

Freedom by definition: I do what I want, when I want, the way I want. Sounds nice doesn’t it? Do you have freedom in your current job? Are you allowed to work when you feel like it and take a day off every time you want to? Are you allowed to set your own hours and pick your own projects? Are you allowed to adjust your schedule to easily see your kid’s perform in their play? Are you allowed to get up and leave work early with no consequences? Or do you have to get permission from another human being to go where you want when you want? Do you have to get your freedom on evenings and weekends? This is no way to live.

Years ago when Steve and I were working for his company, Dexterity Software, we were filling up the car with gas one morning on our way to work, and I said, “Screw it, let’s not go to work today. Let’s go to Disneyland!” He looked at me, I looked at him, and we both realized we could actually do this. Giddy with delight, we got back in the car and went to Disneyland. And we had the best day ever! I think it was a Wednesday, in October. No lines. Lots of fun. Not one single regret, and not one single “excuse” we had to give our bosses for our absence.

Freedom. It’s a right, not a privilege.

When I write a blog article it’s because I feel like writing one. I get to wait for inspiration to strike. When I feel creative, I work on a new product or project. When I feel mentally or creatively drained, I just answer email or return phone calls. And when I need time off, I just take it. I hit a movie in the afternoon, take a 2 hour lunch with a girlfriend, or go shopping. No guilt.

The only aspect of my work life that restricts my freedom a little is having so many reading appointments. I set up my clients with appointments weeks in advance due to the high demand for a reading with me. So when I put a name down in my book I know that I’ll be doing that reading on that day, at that time, and that’s it. But I’ve learned ways to cluster schedule my readings so that I get a bunch done at once, leaving the bulk of my month completely at my disposal. I love doing the readings so it’s not really a chore. Even though my freedom seems restricted, I’m also free to stop doing readings or alter how many I do in a month. Completely under my control.

With freedom comes discipline. I can’t take EVERY day off or soon I would have no blog, no readers, and no clients. With freedom comes fiscal responsibility. I have to make sure my business is earning money and that my cashflow is positive. If it isn’t, no one is going to bail me out but me. With freedom comes vision. You have to be the one to direct the course of the business. No one is going to hand you a project to do and pay you no matter how it turns out.

Running your own business has its difficulties and challenges, no doubt about it. But the freedom… ah the freedom, that’s what gets me out of bed in the morning, eager to show the world what I’ve got, to contribute, shine, and make a difference… in my own way, in my own time.

I finished writing this article before breakfast. If I wanted to, I could be at Disneyland by 10am. Could you?