I am the Best Boss I’ve Ever Had!

What I’ve Learned in 13 Years as a Solopreneur

Today, October 16, is #NationalBossDay, and today I celebrate ME!

What I’ve Learned in 13 Years as a Solopreneur

In 2008, right in the middle of the #GreatRecession and after two previous careers in education and corporate sales, I decided I never wanted to work for anyone else ever again. I knew being a writer and an editor was not the same as having a writing and editing business, but I was confident that I had the experience and expertise needed; I just had to learn how to turn those competencies into a viable, profitable, and self-sustaining business model.

My daughter, herself a world-renowned writer, poet, and spoken-word artist with several published books, had developed her own business as a consultant to other creatives. In May 2008, as the family gathered Indiana for the graduation of my nephew from Purdue, I discussed my self-employment idea with my daughter. She told me: “Mom, you can do this!”

So in the month of June 2008, I say in front of my computer for the whole month and taught myself how to go into business. I studied every website, read every book, developed my business and marketing plans, and made my own little one-page static website. The only “Plan B” that I had was my husband’s “good government job,” which at the time paid him $70K plus full benefits.