Dreaming of going into business for yourself?

Tips for solo EnTrEprEnEurs12 by John Egan, contributing writer, Texas Enterprise, university of Texas at Austin

Sure, a solo entrepreneur does enjoy some work-in-your-pJs freedom.

but that freedom comes with an abundance of blood, sweat, and fears.

so, what does it take to make it on your own in the business world?

1 gET up, gET drEssEd And gET ouT of ThE officE or housE regularly

It's important to remember you are a business owner, not a starving artist.“ ”

— Patti DeNucci Author, speaker, and networking consultant

2 mAinTAin And gAin pErsonAl And ProfessioNal coNtacts

when you have a great group of people all who are part of your life, they become your cheerleaders, advisers, and word-of-mouth marketing team.

“

— thom singer Speaker, author, marketing consultant

”

3 pAy ATTEnTion To your “gut feeliNg”

you will know you have the gut feeling the first time you ignore that feeling and wind up losing money to poor decisions or therapy - probably both.

“

— ilene Haddad Graphic Designer

”

gET buy-in from your fAmily4

when the family is part of the decision, they are happier with the outcomes. “ ”

— thom singer Speaker, author, marketing consultant

EsTAblish An officiAl or unofficiAl aDvisory boarD5

there is no way you know everything or everyone you need to know to be successful.

“

— Patti DeNucci Author, speaker, and networking consultant

”

sET bouNDaries6

don't let work completely take over your life.“

— Patti DeNucci Author, speaker, and networking consultant

”

diTch ThE disTrAcTions7

you have to have a system and schedule to stay focused on your work, or get out of the house.

“”

— thom singer Speaker, author, marketing consultant

Avoid ThE onlinE traP8

social media can lead you into a false sense of feeling productive“ ”

— thom singer Speaker, author, marketing consultant

sEEk profEssionAl HelP9

if tasks like bookkeeping or marketing aren't your forte, outsource the work.“ ”

— thom singer Speaker, author, marketing consultant

build your sElf-confidEncE

10

think about who you would hire to do the job. if the answer isn’t ‘myself,’ you might be in the wrong business.

“”

— ilene Haddad Graphic Designer

`

sTAy Humble11

most potential clients would rather hire the second-best person to do the job than suffer with a talented jerk.

“”

— ilene Haddad Graphic Designer

wATch your casH flow12

payments from clients don't always show up when you figure they will. “

— John egan Editor in chief, SpareFoot

”

Thanks for reading. Get more faculty research, career advice, CEO insights and more: www.texasenterprise.org

www.facebook.com/TexasEnterprise

@TexasEnterprise

AbOuT ThE AuThOr

John Egan, editor in chief, SpareFootA resident of Austin since 1999, John Egan has more than 25 years of experience in journalism, communications and public relations. he is editor in chief at Austin startup SpareFoot, an online marketplace for self-storage.