Don’t be a bottleneck in your solo business

At some point, you have to figure out how some aspects of your business can run without you.

[Source Illustration: Freepik]

Anna Burgess Yang is the author of Work Better, a newsletter about the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck.

You’re a solopreneur, so you’re in charge of everything. You set your own hours, choose your clients, and decide how your business runs. Nobody needs to approve your decisions.

The worst part of solopreneurship is also that you’re in charge. Every decision, every approval, every process runs through one person: you. And when you stall, so does everything else.

The same control that makes solo work so appealing can also become the thing that holds your business back. If your business can’t function without your hands on every single detail, you’ll hold yourself back. At some point, you have to figure out how some aspects of your business can run without you.

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Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit workbetter.media.

Where solopreneurs get stuck

Bottlenecks don’t usually feel like bottlenecks. They feel like “just how things are.” You’re a solopreneur, so you’re supposed to do everything yourself . . . right?

You’ve hit a bottleneck when you have no more time to give to your business. And as a result, you can’t grow or dedicate your energy to high-value work. 

A few scenarios are common in solo businesses. 

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