One of the shared passions among all solopreneurs and wantrepreneurs is the “metrics.” That could be about their target monthly income or the number of clients they would like to get by a certain point in time, or worse, buy a fancy gadget to prove that they’ve made it in life.
Although there’s nothing wrong with having goals, I feel these fellas need to chill out a little. There’s no guarantee that your business will hit those goals in the first 12-18 months of its existence. You’re the newest entrepreneur in the block or are hustling on the side. There’s a lot of street-cred to be built before the business starts humming. And that could take some time.
The challenge is nobody wants to wait for that long as they’ve got bills to pay or a family to support or debts to be paid off or maybe all of them and then some. That’s life. And it’s okay to be in that position. Getting frustrated or hustling harder will only worsen things, and you lose confidence in whatever you are doing.
A quick fix almost always is to get a job and hustle on the side. If that’s too much to ask, pick up gigs that pay you for the skills, expertise and experience that you bring in. Although not a lot initially, you will get paid and still have the time to focus on building your own business.
If you have a job, fantastic! You can give your best at the workplace 8-10 hours every day and focus on building your business during your off-hours. You won’t be able to do a lot but do what you can with your time. That’s how the most successful people you’ve known and read about have done. And it’s not going to change any time sooner unless you’re the one who believes in “striking riches.” The concept doesn’t exist.
There’s no get-rich-quick scheme. Progress takes a lot of time and a heck of a lot of time. So, be patient. Know that you’re in for the long haul. It could take anywhere between 1,2,5,7,10, or 15 years to build something on the side, but you will have the stability from your day job or those freelancing gigs.
If you have an option to build your business in a stress-free way, take that option over the conventional approach of banging your head against the wall or worrying your way to a hospital ward. It’s not worth it.