What’s your Solopreneur Superpower?

When you start your own business, there’s usually one thing you JUST. HATE. TO DO. But with time, energy, and determination, you can turn that one thing into an asset: your solopreneur superpower. Read on to find your superpower, and learn how other business owners found theirs.

If your one thing you hate is selling to new clients, check the free guide: 3 Keys to Selling: The secrets that make selling easier, more comfortable, and more successful.

---

I thought I was prepared.

When I started my own company, I thought I was prepared to market my business, get awesome clients, and do the great work I had envisioned.

Then, like most entrepreneurs, I quickly learned that it’s 1000x harder to sell your own stuff than it is to sell on someone else’s behalf.

I was most out of my element when I had sales calls with potential clients.

I had “selling shyness.”

About 30 minutes before a call, I’d start hoping they’d cancel.

I never knew what to say, or how to go from “getting to know you” to the next step.

I hated talking about price and I’d make sure to get off the phone before it came up.

---

If you’re a solopreneur, you probably know “selling shyness” too.

It feels like hesitation. It feels like you're "winging it".

It's that inner voice that says, "I’m just not a salesperson."

My “selling shyness” was so bad that I even went back and got an office job, because I certainly wasn’t bringing in enough business to support myself.

But six months in, I decided to recommit to my own business, overcome my “selling shyness”, and really learn how to sell.

---

I read everything I could get my hands on about selling. I tested every approach in my own business, and with my own clients.

The strategies that felt salesy, I ditched. The ones that felt right, I kept.

Slowly, selling started to become easier. I felt more confident. And I seeing results in the number and caliber of clients I was signing.

I had overcome my “selling shyness”. I had found my solopreneur superpower.

I never could have predicted that selling would become something I could do with ease, or that I’d be teaching other business owners how to do the same thing.

But that’s the nature of a superpower. When you have one, it’s your responsibility to use it for good.

---

Every solopreneur has something that scared them when they first started their business. Something they hated so much, they never could envision being good at it.

But solopreneurs, we don’t shy away from a challenge, do we?

Sure, there are some things it’s best to leave to the pros (hello taxes).

But there are other things that we know we can learn, and we should learn, and we need to learn if we’re going to build the businesses we know we can.

They are the things that make us stronger business owners and stronger people.

So over months and years we try, we learn, we test. We have failures and we have successes.

The result? We turn something we dread into our solopreneur superpower.

---

If you’re a solopreneur and there’s something you’re struggling with, here’s how to turn it into your superpower:

1. Trust that you CAN master it, even if it seems impossible right now. Don’t mistake discomfort for inability.
2. Commit to doing it YOUR way. What trips up a lot of solopreneurs is the desire to model what others are doing. We think that’s the way it should be. Decide to do things your way, and you’ll not only master it faster, you’ll do it in a way that’s unique and special to you.
3. Get support. You need to have a support system to remind you that yes, you’re a badass. Learn from someone who’s been there, get a mastermind group, hire a coach, get a mentor. Get a shot of confidence from someone who’s been where you’re trying to go.

---

I asked some fellow solopreneurs about their own superpower. Here’s what they had to say:

"I never thought I’d be able to..."

Find my voice

When I started my fashion line, https://www.LecheLibre.com, I spent a long time trying to figure out what the story was, who my customer was and how I wanted to speak to them. Through the process, I realized I'm at my best when I'm just authentically myself and I let Leche Libre represent my voice. I've always been a total weirdo and I guess I thought at first that, since I've felt like a social outcast in the past that if I was myself, no one would want to buy in. However, the truth is that people respond best to the business when I deliver my messaging in my own very personal voice, so I've just gone with it!

- Andrea Newberry, Founder, Leche Libre

Say no gracefully

For most of my career, I struggled to say no. I always wanted to please people and never wanted to disappoint them. I came to realize, however, that saying “no” is a gift. It allows people to find someone who’s a better fit, and it allows me to do my best work for those I say yes to. Once I started looking at saying “no” through the lens of a gift, I was able to say it with ease and grace.

- Maria Ross, Founder, Red Slice

Do my own website

I’ve hired web designers and copywriters several times in the past decade, and was never 100% satisfied with the results. For my newest project I decided to tackle the whole thing myself. I wrote all the content, chose every photo and built the whole thing from scratch. I have full control over design elements and I found out I’m better than I ever imagined I’d be at web design. I’m shocked, since my interest and aptitude for details has sometimes interfered with my forward progress (at least that was my belief). But I proved this idea wrong!

Charrisse Sweazy McCrorey, Be Wildly Happy

Speak in public

Public speaking, I used to hate it! When I started having to pitch, I started going to a friends' monthly storytelling event to try to get over my fear and practice in front of a live audience. Not only have I come to enjoy it, I've found a whole new amazingly supportive community that my daughter and I spend time with outside of the storytelling events. One of my proudest moments was when my ten year old daughter told her first story last month. I hope it gives her the confidence it has given me and it will never be a fear she will need to overcome.

- Kiersten Pilar Miller, Founder, Bellies Abroad

Promote my business

I used to be SO uncomfortable describing what I do that I'm sure I came across as unqualified. (My business is 5 yrs old but I've been decluttering & organizing for 35+ yrs.) And the whole: How much do I charge & "who's going to pay me to do this?!?" voices in my head... But now- I'm super confident describing what I do & stating my price. I learned along the way that not everybody's going to "get" it or understand my value & that's ok.

- Julie Hegeman, Owner, A Cleaner Space

Show my cracks

I thought no one would hire or respect me if I didn't come across as perfectly professional and professionally perfect, sunrise to sundown. So when I stumbled, I kept it under wraps. I thought everyone else was winning at life except me. Turns out, they're not, and you do good for yourself and others when you display your imperfections. I can't tell you the number of amazing opportunities that have fallen in my lap as a direct result of showing my cracks. From creating a primary revenue stream to becoming a speaker known to inspire and motivate, sharing my literal and figurative stretch marks has been one of the best business decisions I've made over my thirteen years.

- Saya Hillman, Founder, Mac & Cheese Productions

Own my pricing

I used to give giant discounts when someone wouldn’t accept my pricing, and I’d cut friend deals all the time, so I was doing a lot of work for a very low price and burning out. I’ve gained more confidence in my work (and myself) and now I don't budge on pricing. I’ve come to terms that if someone doesn’t value it, they might not be my client. Since I began to stand firm, I’ve worked with so many clients that are well aligned. Sharing this growth reflection with some of my clients has also inspired them to gain more confidence in how they run their own solo-business. It’s a magic loop.

- Regina Felice Garcia, Badass Fotografa, Badass Women Photos

---

Now it's your turn. What’s your solopreneur superpower? Comment below!

If you found this article helpful, please give it a thumbs up. And if you found it really helpful, please share it. Thanks!

To your success,

Leah

P.S. If you want to master the sales process and confidently sell to anyone, check out the free guide: 3 Keys to Selling: The secrets that make selling easier, more comfortable, and more successful.

---

About the Author: Leah Neaderthal

I help entrepreneurs and business owners learn the secrets of confident consultative selling, so they can grow their revenue, bring on amazing clients, and build incredible businesses.

I didn't learn to sell by being a commissioned salesperson. I learned by building my own businesses. I taught myself everything I could about selling, and overcame the natural "selling shyness" most entrepreneurs have, to find the confidence to really go out and sell to new clients. The outcome is a comfortable selling approach that doesn't feel salesy -- and gets results.

Now I share the secrets I learned along the way, teaching entrepreneurs how to confidently guide prospects from first contact to a successful close. Learn more at growthworkssolutions.com.