The Solopreneur Business Model is Changing: Here's What You Need to Know to Avoid Being Left Behind

Read time: 3 minutes

I had a tweet hit 50,000 impressions with only 100 followers.

It helped that Dan Koe retweeted it to 300,000+ followers (thank you, Dan, if you ever read this).

But the point of this story is not how that happened.

The point is there was something in the tweet worth exploring.

I decided to dive deeper.

The market is trying to render you obsolete.

In solopreneurship, you often encounter shiny distractions that lead you astray while genuine opportunities remain hidden in plain sight.

The winners identify these hidden opportunities to become future-proof.

Solopreneurship is a one-person business model, but it’s not about tackling everything alone. It resembles a general contracting model, much like building a house. You align yourself with others to deliver value.

• Creators help you deliver your message

• Coaches unlock your untapped potential

• Consultants provide direction and strategic advice

• Agencies and freelancers fill the gaps in your operations

You own 100% of the company. You advertise an offer to the market. A customer buys that offer. When you need support, you outsource services in exchange for cash.

Standard.

But that’s changing.

The creator economy’s power of distribution and leverage pressures the business model.

More strategic partnerships will develop.

These partnerships will leverage shared expertise and distribution to bring joint products and services to market. Not every outsourced transaction will be in exchange for cash. And not every offer will be owned by a single company.

It’s a subtle shift in how solopreneurs work together but a drastic change to asset ownership.

This change is giving birth to the solopreneur portfolio model.

Instead of a single business with a primary offering, you will share ownership in many products, services, and ventures. It requires giving up control for the sake of leverage. And offers opportunities for creative problem-solving, broader exposure, and cost efficiencies.

Plus, the freedom to explore curiosities at a reduced risk.

These portfolios will fall into 2 approaches:

• Diversified approach: Spreading risks across various markets and niches to achieve balance and sustainability.

• Flywheel approach: Connecting products and services (where each adds value to the next) to amplify the customer experience within the ecosystem.

So, how can you embrace this model?

The answer is simple:

Invest in strategic partnerships with diverse specialties to curate a portfolio of lean, time-rich micro-businesses.

It also requires a mindset shift.

• Move beyond doing the work and embrace the mindset of an entrepreneur constructing a portfolio of value.

• Double down on creating a brand, building distribution channels, and cultivating networks.

• Internalize the tradeoff between control and leverage.

Here’s how you can start without damaging your current business.

This portfolio model still demands your existing expertise but with new packaging, distribution, and, of course, ownership.

It’s a paradigm shift that can reshape your solopreneur journey.