The solopreneurs guide to engaging the right mindset in 2025
Calling all solopreneurs who need a kick up the proverbial to get organised this year! This guide to mindset for solopreneurs is just what you need.
This post is a little bit off-piste for me but I wanted to share a little story with you.
When I came back to my desk after the Christmas break I was full of panic because I had only one job booked in this year.
After a super busy period leading up to Christmas I unfortunately had not been managing my diary well and didn’t give myself many ‘desk days’, which is when I strategise and work on my marketing.
This meant I started the year with no business booked in, no new leads and a whole lot of worry!
So how then, did I manage to turn this around and end up having my most successful month yet? Read on…
The obvious one... Goal Setting
Everyone uses January to set goals for their businesses and personal growth and development. This is no different for me.
When I sat down to work our my targets for the year it was a lot easier than last year because I could go back and use last year as a benchmark, rather than having to guesstimate. I sort of know which months will be busy and which ones I need to market harder.
But rather than setting a turnover goal and cracking on I find it much easier to work quarter by quarter.
I use a whiteboard in my office to track my sales each quarter, with my overall target for each month written in bold. I input my actuals next to it at the end of each month and this helps me keep on track.
Aside from basic financial goal setting I also set myself some business growth related goals for the year. For me, these include being a guest on a relevant podcast, having a good PR piece in a relevant publication and applying for some business awards.
Have a think about 3 additional things you want to do this year to help position yourself as a leader in your industry and add them to your 2025 goals. I personally think doing this helps us to stay aligned with our overarching mission and stay true to our values rather than just focusing on the financials.
Once I got my head around the things I wanted to achieve this year I already felt more motivated, and planning how I was going to reach them then became less daunting.
Reverse Engineering
Every bit of my planning is done through reverse engineering.
I work out my ideal turnover, gross and net, and break this down into quarters and then monthly to work out what these figures are in smaller chunks.
If, like me, you have months or quarters that are typically quieter or much busier than others use this knowledge to adjust your goals accordingly, so you’re not setting unrealistic goals for months that are very quiet.
From here I then work out how many of each service I need to be selling to hit those targets, and how many leads I need to convert that number.
Once I got my head around reverse engineering my whole business became so easy to run, because I wasn’t flying blind and setting random targets. Forecasting became a lot more accurate and it helped me to also plan my marketing strategy.
Healthy Habits
I know I sound really boring now but last year was the first time I tried Dry January, and look what happened…. I launched a bloody business!
Me and my husband both love a social drink at the weekend, and we do a lot of things that usually involve alcohol, so having a complete detox from it in January has become ritualistic. It helps to reset the mind and body and gives you razor sharp focus.
I also struggle with sleep. It’s rare that I sleep through and usually go through months of waking up several times a night, or waking up at 3am and not getting back to sleep, leaving me permanently shattered.
This month I have slept like a baby. I’ve realised that my body doesn’t have time to recover from the weekend before I’m back chugging pints of Guinness again the following weekend. So this has been a bit of a wake up call for me and although I’m not quitting drinking altogether, I’ve made the decision to heavily reduce the number of times per month I drink.
Alongside this, I started journalling which has been such a beautiful thing to do. I had a gratitude journal for Christmas from Papier and it’s just so lovely to write in each morning and evening.
I love it that much that I’ve just ordered a wellness journal too! If you want to grab yourself one I’ve linked mine here
As a self-confessed fitness-phobe the thought of working out makes me cold. I’m definitely not interested in joining a gym, that environment just isn’t for me.
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve turned 35 this month or if this has just been a side effect of the other healthy habits I’ve put in place but I had the urge to get fit.
Yes, I know, this is normal for people in January, and only time will tell if I manage to stick to it or not, but I downloaded the Couch to 5K app and I’m now going into week 3 of the challenge.
So far I’m absolutely LOVING it. For me, the best part of it is I get to do it alone. I’m really self conscious about my fitness and my lack of natural athleticism, so gyms and classes have always scared me.
If you feel this way too just give this a try, you can go entirely at your own pace and it’s designed to ease you into it so you are less likely to quit.
I’ve learnt a lot about myself in the past year and I’ve realised that although I’m far from being a ‘control-freak’ in general, I do like to have control over my own health, wellbeing and success.. which I guess is why I’ve always wanted to be self-employed. I like to be in control, and that’s okay!
Tools to Succeed
I use a combination of different apps and tools to help me keep all of the above running smoothly and I want to share with you below what these are:
- Google Calendar
This thing runs my entire life. I colour code work, appointments, meetings, personal and things like bill days so I know exactly what’s happening at all times.
I also preset my desk days and days off so that when I’m booking work in I don’t end up working 5 days in a row on back to back ceiling projects, or end up neglecting desk days which result in problems further down the line when I’ve not got any leads lined up to convert.
You can also add links to Zooms and other online meetings direct from your emails so you never have to search through your emails to find that damn link! - Canva
I use Canva to design anything I need to print and anything I need branding such as testimonials, banners and profile pictures. I have my brand kit setup on there so I can alter any template using my brand colours and fonts quickly. I pay for the pro account because I use it so often, £13 per month is worth it for me but if you don’t really need to use it much in your business then the free option is really good too. - G Mail
I recently switched my emails over from Outlook to Gmail and my god my life is easier now. I had so many issues on Outlook which were affecting my ability to run my day-to-day. Switching to Gmail (on the advice of many of my Instagram followers) was a genius move. Especially as I use all of the other Google applications too. - G Drive
This cloud based storage system is awesome. I can keep all my brand assets, photography, contracts, proposals and anything else in colour coded files on my drive.
I use share the link to my brand assets folder with anyone who needs it – eg marketing agencies who are making some content for me and my gifting company who make the bespoke gift boxes for my clients.
It’s super easy to share the link and saves you attaching file after file to an email. - FreeAgent
I got this accounting software free when I opened my Natwest business bank account and what a life-saver it is!
Although I still keep a manual weekly sales report, all the other info I need is worked out and presented automatically through this clever technology.
You can link you bank accounts to it so it displays realtime balances and categorises your expenses and income so you don’t have to go through it all when it’s time to pay the taxman.
I also use it as a CRM because you can generate quotes and invoices through the system, emailing them directly to your clients. You can also brand the invoices to look the way you want them to with your logo, colours and fonts.
It even works out your profit and loss, and can provide a benchmark for similar businesses in your area so you know how you’re tracking compared to your competitors.
I’ve not used any other accounting software so I can’t comment on those but I can confirm I love FreeAgent and will continue to use it!
Networking & Learning
The last thing I want to add to this post is about the importance of networking and continuing to learn.
I love learning. If there’s a course relevant to me and it’s free you can bet your ass I’m doing it.
Networking for me is a necessary evil. Like many people, I don’t like networking and I’m not good at it. I have to force myself to go but it does often pay off, making connections with people who then become part of your extended network.
The one thing I will say is PLEASE go and contact your local council or Chambers of Commerce, because I most definitely would not be sat here with a business that is generating a profit without the help I received from these organisations.
There are so many free events, training and resources available and I think if you are just starting out you should prioritise utilising these. Block time in your calendar to attend the workshops, you’ll not only learn a lot about the foundations you need to have in place to get going but you’ll meet people in the same position as you, which is a really great thing because being a solopreneur can be really lonely!
You can also access information on grant funding and other initiatives to help you launch and grow your business.
I hope you found this guide helpful, if you did please leave me a comment and don’t forget to drop a link to your business pages so I can give you a follow!
Here’s to a successful 2025!