Being a solopreneur means being a one-person team. You’re the visionary behind the business, but you’re also the person responsible for every other aspect—product development, marketing, sales, finances, customer service, and everything in between.
Unlike team settings where different people take on specialized roles, solopreneurs must juggle all these responsibilities alone.
It’s easy to feel like you’re constantly playing catch-up, never quite mastering all the skills needed.
This overwhelming sense of needing to be everything can make solopreneurs feel like they’re on an island, with nobody to help distribute the weight of all those responsibilities. The emotional toll can be exhausting. On top of that, when challenges arise—and they inevitably do—it can feel like there’s no one to turn to, nobody to help carry the burden or provide an extra pair of hands.
What you can do
Outsource
One of the best ways to alleviate this pressure is by outsourcing or automating parts of your workload. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Hiring a virtual assistant, using automation tools for marketing, or working with a freelance bookkeeper for your finances can free up your time and mental space. Even if it’s just a few hours a week, getting help with those areas where you struggle can make a huge difference.
Here are three reliable sources for outsourcing typical entrepreneur tasks:
Upwork - A popular freelancing platform where you can find experts in a wide range of fields such as virtual assistance, graphic design, content writing, digital marketing, and bookkeeping. Upwork allows you to post jobs, review freelancer profiles, and choose someone who fits your budget and needs.
Fiverr - Fiverr is a great platform for entrepreneurs looking for quick, cost-effective outsourcing solutions. You can hire freelancers for tasks like logo design, social media content creation, website development, and administrative support. It’s especially helpful for one-off projects or smaller tasks that need completion without a long-term commitment.
OnlineJobs.ph - If you’re looking for dedicated virtual assistants, OnlineJobs.ph is a useful platform for hiring remote workers from the Philippines. It offers a large talent pool for administrative tasks, customer service, social media management, and more, often at competitive rates, making it ideal for ongoing support for daily business operations.
Automate
Another way is automating parts of your workload. Using automation tools for marketing and bookkeeping can make a big difference.
Here are three scenarios where entrepreneurs can leverage automation tools to streamline their tasks, with tool suggestions for each:
1. Scenario: Automating Social Media Posting
- Problem: Consistent social media activity is crucial for building an audience, but manually posting every day can be time-consuming.
- Solution: Use Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule and automate posts across different platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.). These tools allow you to prepare content in advance and plan out weeks of posts in just one session, freeing up time for other strategic activities.
2. Scenario: Streamlining Email Marketing
- Problem: Sending marketing emails manually to a list of subscribers can be overwhelming and inconsistent.
- Solution: Use Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign to automate email marketing. These tools help with creating automated campaigns such as welcome series, follow-up emails, and promotional offers. You can also personalize emails based on subscriber behavior, boosting engagement while saving time.
3. Scenario: Managing Client Appointments and Meetings
- Problem: Manually scheduling client calls or consultations involves back-and-forth communication, which is inefficient.
- Solution: Use Calendly to automate appointment scheduling. Calendly syncs with your calendar and allows clients to book meetings based on your availability without the need for emailing back and forth. You can also set up automated reminders to reduce no-shows.
The pressure of wearing all the hats as a solopreneur is real, but by seeking support, focusing on your strengths, and remembering that perfection isn’t required, you can ease some of that burden. You don’t have to do it all alone—there are resources and people out there who can help lighten the load and make the journey more rewarding.