The Resilient Solopreneur: Building Mental Stamina When There's No Team to Lean On
Running a solo business comes with plenty of missteps – and honestly, that’s how we learn what works. Endless decisions, things not going as planned, not meeting our standards — it’s all part of the process.
Trust the process, they say!
Yet if we don’t have the right mindset and systems to counteract the effects of overwhelm, it’s easy to give up.
Imposter syndrome makes this even more likely, especially when we constantly see other solo business owners like ourselves who appear to have it all in order.
Make no mistake, my friend. Those who may be further along than us have been and STILL are facing daily challenges and mental breakdowns. CEOs, superstars, and those who excel in their field all cry, get frustrated, and lose their cool.
Resilience is not about being invincible to crises.
It’s about adopting our own way of picking ourselves back up, growing through issues, and moving right along.
What Actionable Resilience Strategies Can I Use?
So what strategies do I include in my resilience toolkit to ensure I get back on my feet every time I encounter a hurdle?
My first strategy is a solid foundation. I keep up with my health and wellness as best I can. This means grounded routines and uplifting rituals such as self-care, nature walks, and hot yoga – so glad it’s summer again so I can swim!
My second strategy is to neutrally observe and identify reaction patterns.
What is my behaviour after something doesn’t go as planned? How do I react when I’ve messed up? What do I tell myself when my decision, post-consequences, turned out to be a poor choice?
Remember, we’re making judgment-free observations. There’s no right or wrong answer here. There’s identification and awareness to make room for improvement.
My final strategy is to build a support system. This is a powerful element that helps during tough times. For now, though, let’s focus on how we can cultivate resilience without support, because that's what will make us embrace our vulnerabilities and solidify a resilient mindset.
The Mindset Shifts to Bounce Back from “Oops” Moments
We’ve all had those moments where we’re blindsided by our own brain. At least, I have. Recently, I deleted 16 online lessons from my Lead Yourself, Lead Your Biz Membership. I hilariously explained what went down here.
Even if it wasn’t something I could have anticipated, I still could have kicked myself for it. As a solopreneur, it often feels like brain farts aren’t just a few seconds long. Sometimes, I invest time, effort, and energy into things, just for it to turn out to be a waste of time because I wasn’t focused on my overall goals.
Other times, things happen beyond my control, and I’m in the “Why meee?” mindset for some time.
The truth is, while such responses are normal and common, it doesn’t help to dwell on the bumps in the road if our goal is to move our business forward and sustain growth in the long term.
Here’s what I’ve started doing instead:
I Practice Being Kind to Myself
I’ve learned to accept that my reactions are okay and stopped beating up on myself. Why would I expect perfection when I’m still learning? This also applies to the common theme of overthinking before starting new projects, prevalent among solo business owners.
Being kind means acknowledging that we won’t get things right the first time, including our desired reaction to mistakes. Change doesn’t happen in an instant. Those popular books on self-improvement aren’t one page long because change isn’t one day away, so give yourself lots of grace.
I Rewrite Mistakes as Information
Instead of associating my mistakes with shame and guilt, I shifted my mindset to seeing mistakes as data. I could then use all the data collected — what happened, how I reacted, how I resolved the issue and what I might have done better — to better gauge risks and to improve my future performance after mishaps.
I Embrace A Learn As You Go Mindset
Some of us refuse to follow through on ideas and projects because “everything has to be perfect.” And while it’s understandable to be hesitant due to various fears, it’s also important to not just endure, but to embrace growth through failure.
Confusion, challenges, mistakes, and even technical issues, are often what we need to refine our offer or product. There’s just no way around it. I realized I can anticipate setbacks up to a point. Beyond that point there’s a learning curve, whether it’s learning from making mistakes or having to learn new skills.
While some skills are easier to pick up for some, there will be areas of my business where I just have to figure it out as I go, however long it takes, if the returns are worth the investment, of course.
So I stopped delaying the inevitable and embraced a learn as I go, grow as I go, mindset. Thankfully, I also expanded my team.
Grow With A Team – An External Support Network
In business, teams are typically colleagues or employees. As a solo business owner, my team is not just who I lead, but also who I grow with in my business.
My teammates don’t always have to be in my field. They can be family, friends, or the result of networking.
I especially appreciate my team for those times when my own resilience isn’t quite cutting it. While it doesn’t happen as often as before, spiralling from stress still hits me now and then.
Having support to help me exit a spiral is a lot easier than fighting through the frustration myself.
From Oops to Resilience
I’d love to help you cultivate resilience because I’m rooting for you, Ripple Maker. In order to take your resilience and tenacity to another level, I invite you to head over to Ripple Effect’s Workshops On-Demand, where I host my recently recorded workshop, From Oops to Resilience.
It goes way more in-depth with building resilience. And it includes a worksheet which will immediately turn your resilience goal into an active exercise and get your growth underway from today.
In the Workshop, I covered:
Practical strategies to turn setbacks into growth opportunities.
Tools and habits to stay motivated, focused, and adaptable.
Actionable steps to move forward, keep calm, and carry on like the kick-ass pro you are.
Visit Workshops On Demand here.
