The one mental shift that changes everything

If your solo business isn't delivering the results you want, chances are there's one thing that needs to change.

Come with me on a flashback.

It was many years ago, but I still remember the sticky summer heat and the late-night work sessions.

I was finishing the editing and layout of my first book, Working Solo. Since it was my publishing company, it was up to me to make sure all the final details were in place to send off to the printer.

And looming was a mid-August press date.

Now, if you’re not familiar with publishing, let me explain. When you schedule a big printing project like a book, you must commit to a precise date to submit all the materials. In short, the printers reserve the printing press specifically for your project.

This means you have to wrangle a lot of details. There’s the text, the cover art, and any interior photos or illustrations.

Plus, you must be 100% clear on the specifications. Things like the color, texture, and thickness of your paper. The finished size of the book. Plus, the number of copies in your print run.

All, or not at all

Now, if any of these details are missing, you’re toast. There’s usually no wiggle room in the schedule. You lose your press date and may be liable for penalty fees.

Even worse, your book may get scratched from the schedule, and you may need to wait weeks or months for a new date on the printing schedule.

If you’re thinking that this is a pretty stressful situation, you’re right.

Which is why there were a lot of hot, late-night work sessions that summer.

This was a non-negotiable deadline. Or at least one with a boatload of negative consequences if I missed it.

Our no-wiggle-room moments

So, what can this publishing story tell us about running a one-person business?

Reflecting on those late-night sessions recently made me realize that most solopreneurs have faced at least one of those make-or-break moments in their work.

And if not, chances are you can remember a time in your life when you were all-in.

No wiggle room. Full commitment.

What was that moment for you? And what was the silent story you told only yourself?

The mental shift

You see, our brains react to those moments, and we make a mental shift.

We move from “nice to” (make that deadline, meet that challenge, etc.) to “must.”

The “nice to” stories we tell ourselves are about someday maybe getting around to doing something.

And I think many solopreneurs don’t have a “must.”

How do I know this is true? I’ve seen it in solopreneurs I’ve worked with—and in myself.

It’s just too easy to let things slide. To create vague plans and loose schedules.

So, what’s the antidote?

Choose your must

I’ve found that to take your solo venture from someday maybe to results, you need a must.

And it needs to be an intentional choice.

You need to have that conversation with yourself that says: Hey, no more fooling around. This is the thing that must be done.

That conversation can unlock incredible reserves. It’s powerfully energizing.

Suddenly, you’re zooming through roadblocks. Plowing through to-do lists. Or working late hours in the summer heat.

Circling back

But choosing once is not enough. I remember having that commitment and power when the Working Solo book made it to the printer. It was an important first step in selling more than 50,000 copies and launching the movement that became solopreneurship. It’s also shown up in other projects in my career.

But recently, that energy slipped away. Perhaps yours has, too.

I think it’s time to recapture that focus and purpose. I’ve chosen a must for the first part of 2024. Would you like to join me?

One hint: avoid thinking of this as a resolution. It’s not. Resolutions fade. A must is a commitment. You’re all-in.

It’s also not an obligation. It’s a choice — and that’s where its power lies. We’re intentionally deciding that something is worth pursuing with everything we’ve got.

What would you like to conquer or capture in the next six months?

Choose now. Choose bravely. Choose for you.

I’ll check back in a few months, and we can compare notes.

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