
Well, it's been a bit since I've written anything for a blog... anywhere. And today, I'm trying something new (yet again!). This time, blogging on my very own web site - woot!
Being a solopreneur has a steep learning curve, but I'm starting to get the hang of it... even if I don't yet have any income from it (soon, I hope!).
It's much the same as when I was a consultant for a firm. There are multiple layers/hats that I'm wearing. I have to worry about the job for the client (when I get a client), and I have to worry about preparing for that client (how's the course preparation going?). I also need to think like a marketing pro (LinkedIn activity, blogs, getting seen), and like an accountant (do you know that double-entry accounting was made popular in 15th century Venice by a friend of daVinci?). By the way, I'm not much of a marketing or accounting wiz... There's so much to think about, and it is sometimes difficult to decide what to do next.
I'm learning a lot, though:
Time management and energy management are inter-related. I can't block off two hours to do deep, creative work late in the afternoon. The two hours are there, but the creative energy just isn't.
We all pay more attention to ourselves than others do. That small stain on your shirt that you've been obsessing about all day? Yeh, no one noticed.
Style and image and formatting are important, but only to a point. I'd certainly love to have a PDF document for my pilot class with form fields that are formatted perfectly. But that's not gonna happen. The content of the document is spot on, however.
Making videos is REALLY HARD! I'm creating short videos, and it's a lot more work than presenting live. When I do in-person (or even live online) training, I certainly still prepare, but I'm not stressing over each and every word that I say, like I am now that I have to listen to myself, and try to keep the videos really short, and keep everything somehow cohesive...
I need to take care of myself.
If you're interested in the course I'm building (communications for dev managers), I'd love to hear from you! Contact me, and we can chat!
Susan, I've recently learned about my time management and energy management. Best of luck to you in your endeavor! --- Tomo Watanabe