What Are You Doing Out Here on Your Own?

In a previous life, I dealt with a lot of “entrepreneurs” (the kind that are born from them ordering a kit of some sort and “being in business for themselves” [#protip - if you’re having to operate by a parent company’s standards, you aren’t in business for yourself!]), so it’s very surreal to label myself as an entrepreneur. But I had the idea, I had the connections, I had the drive. And isn’t that the textbook definition of “entrepreneur”? Another word that’s popped up as of late is “solopreneur”, and I’ve been giving this a lot of thought.
The actual definition of “solopreneur” really points out how very solo you are: you run a business without a co-founder or W-2 employees. It sounds kind of intimidating, doesn’t it? This isn’t that “moment in the spotlight” kind of solo. This isn’t a drum solo, or a soaring aria, or breaking up the band. Nope - in this case, “solo” can mean that you’re out there on your own. Just you and the elements, baby. You’re the front line. You’re the back line. You are whatever lines get thrown your way. At the end of the day, it’s just you. All alone. (OK, maybe you’re like me and your dog is with you day in and day out. But let’s face it - a Schnauzer mix probably isn’t going to help with P&L statements.)

This kind of thinking can definitely live rent-free in my head. “Here I am, the only thing keeping this afloat, the only one who’ll get yelled at, the only one who can screw things up.” I’m absolutely not immune from that and I have to give myself the occasional pep talk to remind myself that I’m absolutely NOT out here on my own. 

You may notice on In Your Pocket’s website that I use a lot of “we” language. No, I’m not having an identity crisis. That language is intentional: I have a very deep bench that I can (and do) pull from as needed. I’ve got experts for taxes, for legal needs, for copy, for design, and for reality checks. I have a wildly supportive family and a solid group of smart friends who truly want to see me succeed. 

Do I dream of taking this out of the solopreneur space? Absolutely. I’d love to scale In Your Pocket to be able to accommodate overlapping events with a guarantee that every IYP employee will go above and beyond to ensure success. Am I content with where IYP is and do I feel confident about our growth path? I do. And I’ll be the first to tell you that while IYP is crucially important to me, I don’t ever want to think of it as my baby - it’s hard to let a baby grow up. It’s my job to help IYP blossom, to expand the internal team strategically, and to allow that growth to happen.

Growing up isn’t always easy, but it’s inevitable. And to know that I’m not on this growth journey alone is tremendously heartening.