Why did you start your business? It’s not a trick question. Most folks will immediately say, “To make money,” but there is usually another reason lurking beneath that slick answer. The underlying reason you started your business, not the dollar signs, is what will keep you motivated to slog through all of the terror and confusion that’s associated with being a business owner. The Solo Entrepreneur may also be called a free agent, freelancer, solopreneur, self employed, sole proprietor, or home based business owner. Solopreneurs are self-motivators who enjoy the freedom and benefits that come for working for themselves. They thrive on the ability to work on different projects, being creative and flexible, and most importantly creating opportunities for themselves.

Solopreneurs are nothing new. Independent financial advisers are solopreneurs and many outsource administrative tasks to virtual assistants. Many IT and software developers work as freelancers and have generated significant income for themselves as more and more firms move to develop digital tools and websites for their business. Photographers, contractors, and independent consultants have long thrived as working as solopreneurs.

A Freelancer is a self-employed person without any long-term commitments to any one client or employer.   They are often writers, designers computer experts, and consultants. A Solopreneur—a fairly new word derived from solo-entrepreneur, is a one man entrepreneur. The Solopreneur is the pinnacle of success for a self-employed person. Think of the Solopreneur as an evolved Freelancer.  The original freelancer, a medieval free-lance, exchanged his tool of trade—his lance, for a Mac and became yesterday’s Freelancer.   And today and tomorrow’s Freelancer will be using social media, branding, and business plans to evolve into the Solopreneur.