The Hardest Part of Being a Solopreneur Isn’t the Work - It’s the Mental Game

Here’s how to shift your mindset for long-term success.

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

The Real Challenge of Solopreneurship: It’s Not What You Think

The hardest part of growing on Substack or social media as a solopreneur isn’t the writing.

It isn’t even the strategy.

It’s the mental battle of staring at your stats and wondering if it’s all worth it.

I’ve been there—refreshing my dashboard every morning, hoping to see a spike in subscribers.

And when the numbers didn’t move? It stung.

Doubt crept in.

“Maybe I should try something else…”

I’d start a new post, then abandon it, convinced no one cared what I had to say.

But then something changed.

I started getting comments and testimonials from fellow solopreneurs.

“Your advice helped me finally launch my product!”

“I took action because of your post, and it worked!”

And another one most recently:

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

I’d been preaching about delivering value over chasing vanity metrics… yet here I was, sometimes overly obsessed with numbers instead of the real impact I was making. (We are all humans afterall…)

Your Most Impactful Work Might Not Be Your Most Profitable

Nobody tells you this, but the things that truly change lives might not be the ones that make you the most money.

And yet, that’s why we become solopreneurs in the first place.

• It’s not just about making money.

• It’s about making an impact.

• It’s about helping people take meaningful action.

• It’s about doing all the above while being in control of our lives and work.

Because at the end of the day, would you rather have 10,000 passive followers or 1 person whose life completely changed because of your work?

That’s the real question.

The Shift: From Obsessing Over Numbers to Serving People

If you’re stuck in the cycle of obsessing over subscribers, likes, and follows, here’s how to break free:

1. Focus on One Person at a Time

Instead of thinking,

How do I grow my audience?

Shift to:

💡 How can I help just ONE person take action today?

One engaged, successful follower is worth more than a thousand lurkers.

2. Build a Business, Not a Following

Having a big audience doesn’t always mean financial success. Some solopreneurs with 1,000 true fans make more than influencers with 100,000 followers because they solve real problems.

Build solutions, not just content.

3. Reframe “Success” Beyond Metrics

Success isn’t just:

• Subscriber count 🚫

• Views 🚫

• Follower growth 🚫

Success is:

• Helping someone take real action ✅

• Creating products that change lives ✅

• Getting genuine feedback from people you’ve helped ✅

When I finally let go of the numbers, the crazy thing happened—my audience actually grew faster than before.

Why?

Because people connect with impact, not just content.

Final Thought: What If Your Next Post or Product Changes Someone’s Life?

If you’re staring at your stats today, wondering if it’s worth it…

Think about this:

🔥 What if the next thing you create is the one that changes someone’s entire trajectory?

🔥 What if it’s the one idea they needed to take action and become successful?

Because one person taking action because of your work?

That’s worth more than a thousand passive subscribers.

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This is why I created the solopreneur resource hub, an all-in-one toolkit for building a profitable one-person business, something I wish existed when I first started.

It saves me 20+ hours a week.

Now, it’s yours.

For FREE.

💻 Solopreneur Success Hub

Reply this email if you haven’t gotten the URL link to this ultimate resource, because it is FREE for you as a subscriber of Solopreneur Code.

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So go.

Create.

Keep building.

Because impact > numbers.

Always.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.
Don't settle.
- Steve Jobs.

Hit your first $5K month!

Get instant access to a step-by-step blueprint to build a profitable one-person business that works for you, giving you the freedom to live life on your terms.

Download now for free and start building your dream business today.

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Interesting Substack Posts I Read This Week:

• I Attended Unleash the Power by Tony Robbins - a Review by

  Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi

• Getting Started with n8n: Simple Automations for Beginners by

  Robert Andrei

• Million Dollar Weekend: Illustrated Book Summary by

  Lewis O’Brien

• Generating $110k+ From Our Training Courses: A Step By Step Breakdown by

  Richard Millington

• Learn To Make Better Decisions Using Your Intuition by

  Scott Perry
  and
  Sandra Tjoa

• Magnetic Notes: 10 examples of Notes that grow your audience (with stats) by

  David McIlroy

• Struggling to sell your Digital Product? Here is why by

  Claudia Faith

• I Quit Substack. Then, Grew My Newsletter to 5,000+ Subscribers & $5K Monthly in 6 Months (Here's How) by

  Wes Pearce

• Protect Your Focus: A 10-Minute Guide 🎯 by

  Jeremy Caplan

• How to Become a Millionaire in Your 30s by

  Tim Denning

• Thoughts on Life-Changing Books by

  Max Lissenden

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