Fellow Solopreneurs Are Not Your Competition

Solopreneurship can be a lonely life. No coworkers to lean on. And, depending on the type of work you do, sometimes not a lot of client interaction. I’ll have entire days go by without any meetings.

Solopreneur life can also be tough, especially when you’re trying to scrounge up new clients. I’m a freelance content marketer and whenever I see opportunities on LinkedIn, there will be dozens (if not hundreds) of responses.

Because of this, it can feel tempting to view fellow solopreneurs as competition. All businesses have competitors, right?

But that’s the wrong mindset. Solopreneurship is difficult to navigate and fellow travelers are an asset.

You can learn from other solopreneurs.

When you’re first getting started as a solopreneur, there is a lot to learn. You may have a specific offer you’ve crafted, but you’ll need to think about logistics and tools to use.

You’ll also run into things you’ve never dreamed of. Clients will have crazy demands or ghost you when you’re trying to collect payment.

It helps to have a network of other solopreneurs. Ideally, you can find a community where you can post questions (like in a Slack channel) asking, “WWYD?”

In my experience, other solopreneurs will readily share their knowledge and experiences. Many will also openly discuss pricing (another tricky thing for solopreneurs!) Even if they don’t talk about these things publicly, like on social platforms, they’ll gladly trade tips with peers.

You can collaborate.

Chances are, you’ll run into fellow solopreneurs and wish you had what they have.

Maybe it’s a large social following. Maybe it’s a really well-established niche. Maybe it’s a popular newsletter.

But everyone knows those things don’t happen overnight. And rather than be green with envy, you can see their successes as an opportunity.

You can reach out to that solopreneur with an idea for collaboration. This works well with people who aren’t so huge that their inboxes are flooded with DMs.

I’ve appeared on many podcasts, written guest posts for websites, and co-hosted webinars. All of these things give me exposure to the other person’s audience — raising my own visibility.

You can create a referral network.

You’ll inevitably be offered client work that’s not a good fit for you. And in the beginning, you might take it (because, money). But eventually, you’ll get to a point where you can turn down work. And in these moments, it’s best to refer another solopreneur.

Why? You’re being helpful to the potential client — saving them time in their search. You never know, that client might be a good fit for you in the future and then will remember you. Or the client might refer you to other people in their network that might be a better fit, once they understand your offer.

Plus, if you refer to another solopreneur, there’s the opportunity for them to refer back to you. I regularly send opportunities to my freelance friends and vice versa. It maintains a healthy pipeline.

You can protect each other.

Potential employees have ways to learn about company culture before they accept a job. They could go on Glassdoor or DM current company employees on LinkedIn.

Solopreneurs are at a disadvantage. You often have no idea that a client will be a nightmare until after you start working with them. (Though if there are red flags during the sales process, run away. The relationship is unlikely to improve.)

But solopreneurs talk. In my world of content marketing, freelancers will warn each other that clients don’t pay. I even know a freelance writer who posted publicly in a large community that an agency hadn’t paid him for months: he was doing a service to other freelancers.

Solopreneurs can also band together to advocate for legal protections. In my state of Illinois, the Freelance Workers Protection Act will go into effect in 2024, giving me recourse when a client doesn’t pay. This was the combined work of local advocates and the National Writers Union.

You have to think about what sets you apart.

Earlier this year, I met with a prospective client and was really excited about working with them. I interviewed with the content director and eagerly awaited my response. Eventually, the company told me that they were taking a pass — and instead were hiring a friend of mine.

I was happy for her. Sure, we were competing for the same role, but clearly, she was a better fit than me.

Solopreneur opportunities aren’t finite. We’re not splitting up pieces of one pie. Instead, more pies show up — and what we offer has to align with the client’s particular tastes.

Instead, refine what sets you apart from other solopreneurs. You’re not narrowing the pool of opportunities: you’re actually widening it. Because you’ll find clients that need you specifically, and no other solopreneur can deliver the same.

Check out my free eBook: 17 Smart Tools Solopreneurs Need to Start, Grow, and Scale.