A Major Crossroads in My Solopreneur Journey
As I celebrate this newsletter's second birthday š
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Today marks this newsletterās second birthday. Weāre officially in toddler territory, but thankfully thereās nothing āterribleā about it.
But I am at a crossroads.
Back when I sent my first edition to a whopping six subscribers on October 12th, 2021, I had a clear idea of what my newsletter would be about. Or so I thought. I started writing exclusively about courses but by my third edition, I was veering inward. I began writing about my journey.
Until now, that ājourneyā has been navigating entrepreneurship as a one-woman show. But as Iāve shared in previous posts, the allure of solo-ing hasnāt translated to fulfillment. Without backup dancers or the ability to duet with others, Iām left performing everything myself. And while that can be a fun challenge, it can also be very lonely.
Hence Iām at a crossroads.
Two Ways to Go
I spent the latter half of my summer pondering what the hell I should do. Oddly enough, my surroundings had me back and forth like a ping-pong ball sailing through the air with the lightest of ease. Iād leave Montreal for the Laurentians (i.e., the country) and find myself thinking āI should stick with self-employment,ā as I floated in the lake surrounded by trees and rolling hills.
But the minute I was back in Montreal, anxiety would hit my stomach like a baseball bat, emitting panicked thoughts in a hellish home run. āI need to find a job,ā Iād think.
Professional Perspective
It was hard to reconcile these opposing feelings. (Your guess is as good as mine which one was the angel versus the devil.) And since I couldnāt decide what to do, I decided to call in reinforcements. I went to see a therapist who specializes in anxiety and burnout (the two things Iād found myself struggling with), and sure enough, she helped me put things in perspective.
By validating my reluctance to make a decision given the gravity of each optionāand their polarityāmy therapist helped me realize the decision didnāt have to be all-or-nothing. I could find a part-time job to fulfill my desire to be part of a team again while continuing to do my solopreneurship stuff in tandem. (Funnily enough, a friend had given me similar advice earlier this summer but hearing it from my therapist registered differently. Thatās the power of professionals, right?)
But back to ditching the all-or-nothing mindset. Initially, back in August, getting a part-time job seemed like the obvious answer to my dilemma. But fast forward a couple of months and having given myself more time to reflect, Iāve realized I want something different.
Now, I want to find a full-time job.
The Road Iām Choosing
Iām going to make the transition from solopreneur to teammate or cofounder within a great company. And the best part is I feel calm, grounded, and excited about it.
Iāve realized that after two greatāand gruellingāyears of working independently, Iāve learned a ton and exercised as much freedom as I could. Iām grateful I had the guts to chase my dream of self-employment. Itās something I knew deep down I had to do.
And I did it.
But while Iād anticipated being completely fulfilled on the solopreneur path, Iāve discovered it doesnāt suit me. The leadership aspect and continuous learning are straight up my alley, but the lack of teammates to collaborate with, get feedback from, and socialize with is something Iāve found myself increasingly missing since I left my 9-5.
So now Iām keen to find the best of both worlds.
Iām setting the intention to manifest a great role where I can continue operating in my āzone of geniusā within an entrepreneurial, innovative teamāa team that strives for excellence with the aim to be the best at what they do.
I canāt imagine anything less after freelancing with companies like Maven, Write of Passage, and Actionworks.
Conveying My Value
Whatās really cool about writing this newsletter (and there are many things) is the responses I get each week. Case in point, back in August when I shared I was going to look for a part-time role, I included details on the type of work I was looking for.
I got a lot of wonderful messagesāpeople forwarding relevant job ads, offering connections and words of encouragement.
But the one that really blew my mind was from a reader named Trevor Bragdon. Trevor specializes in pitching and he suggested I reframe what I do to better convey the value as follows:
āIt sounds like you are great at figuring out solutions to important problems and enjoy working with founders/CEOs, and they enjoy working with you because you think like them.
What if you positioned yourself as:
I work withĀ founders/CEOĀ andĀ theirĀ companies in two ways.Ā
Help Founders and CEOs create courses and talks to become thought leaders in their industry
Help companies take the skills of their best employees and turn them into training and best practices. We all have employees we wish we could clone. I work with your best employees to understand how they do the job, and what makes them excellent, and then turn it into training to help other employees get to theirĀ level.Ā
Or somethingĀ like that. Basically, change the framing of the value associated with each. Helping a founder become a thought leader could be worth 5 or 6 figures to them. Helping a company replicate the skills of its best employees is enormously valuable.ā
Whether you read my initial version or not, I can assure you Trevorās version is much better. Because if thereās one thing Iāve learned about marketing these past couple of years, itās that you sell people on outcomes.
Another big takeaway from this exchange is when you open up about your journey, you invite in all kinds of support. And on that note, Iāll continue sharing my journey once I land a full-time gig. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates on my quest.
Thanks for reading and have a wonder-full week,
P.S. Iām happy to announce my Montreal-devised plan to pursue a full-time opportunity has passed the ālake litmus testā. I was up there a couple of weekends ago, and for the first time in a long time, I felt at peace.
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Well Alexandra you are so enlightening and inspiring and I enjoy following your path. I wish you good luck and any employer would be lucky to have you.
Mar
Well, this is a new chapter. I wish you all the best for it. I love how transparent and reflective you are. Eager to see where this new journey takes you Alexandra!