Solopreneur in need of advice

AAnonymous ·December 3, 2014 ·7 answers

I’m a fledgling solopreneur who has just completed my first project for an absolutely horrible client. I undercharged and was overworked, even bending the rules of my own contract with the expectation that my client would offer more leads. Instead, I received disrespect and a total lack of communication. A month later, my work is not online and their domain has expired. I’m now further financially begone than I was a month ago with no leafs and little stream to push forward.

My social network is small and my website is getting no traffic which isn’t helping my SEO one bit. I’m at a loss and on the verge of taking up another crappy job that I’ll despise, the whole reason I went out on my own…

What should my next move be?

7 answers from the community

AAnonymous· Dec 3, 2014

Make sure you have means to feed yourself and keep basic services going. Otherwise, have the courage to ask for help. Entrepreneur yourself to find some good, supportive friends/colleagues.... local networking groups, maybe? Then push forward again and again.

AAnonymous· Dec 3, 2014

What is it that you're trying to build?

AAnonymous· Dec 3, 2014

"things not to do again" ?

Move forward ?

What is your character about ? All the successful people on earth

have failed miserably at some point .?

You going to give up ?

AAnonymous· Dec 3, 2014

So you get your advice from a gym?

AAnonymous· Dec 3, 2014

This is called the "world of work" and you are just a contractor, whatever you call yourself. Welcome to the real world.

If you want to become an entrepreneur, you need experience, capital, network, references, and potential clients. Go get a job where you can acquire those things, then try again.

AAnonymous· Dec 3, 2014

I will note that if the client is one which is a real, going concern - you should be pushing hard to at least get paid what you were owed. The info you posted, however, makes it seem more like you did a bunch of work for someone - perhaps someone with a 'name' but no real product or existing revenue stream. In a case like that, you really don't have much recourse except to let it be known that this client screwed you (via their social media accounts) so that at least other contractors won't get taken in the same way.

AAnonymous· Dec 7, 2014

Hey dude, I feel your pain. I work as a webdesigner and I get tons of situations like that. And I have been thinking alot about wether should I get a job or keep going with my webdesign business.

In my case, I lost the passion (or steam as you said) for my work. But you know what? I guess the best to do at one of those low points in life is to ask yourself these questions:

Why did I started this business? (in my case, it was because I want to travel and become a full time digital nomad - google it, if you don't know what it is).
Does the reasons why I have started this business fits my ambitions for the moment, or is it time to seek a new path?
What can I do, to prevent myself from such situations as the one that made me post on startupsanonymous? How can I protect myself better in the future?
What can I do to get back my "thunder"?

I guess you realize that you have screw up along the way with this project. And well, we all do it at some point... But does that mean that this project was really the "wall"? Or you realize that you could have done things differently? So, I guess that half of the mile you know the answers, and the other half is something that you will need to figure it out by yourself. However, I know your pain and good luck with your next move...

Solopreneur in need of advice

7 answers from the community

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