Brave Enough to Be a Solopreneur (Pt 1): One More Voice in the Noise
Have you ever opened social media just to check one thing, and ended up twenty minutes later still scrolling? And, hearing yourself sigh, wondering if you're ever going to measure up?
I have.
There they are. Women doing what I do. Beautiful websites. Bigger audiences. Successful programs. Podcasts with hundreds of episodes. Books that seem to be selling like crazy.
And somewhere in the middle of all that scrolling, a little voice starts whispering.
What makes you think there's room for you?
Look at all these women doing exactly what you're trying to do. And they're so much further ahead.
Sound familiar?
I think this is one of the hardest things about building a business on your own. We have an idea, something we're passionate about, something we really believe could make a difference.
And then we look around.
There are hundreds of other people doing something similar. Some have been at it for years. They have the followers, the testimonials, the teams, the money to invest in things we can only dream about.
And suddenly, instead of feeling excited about what we're creating, we're questioning whether we should even bother.
I've been there more times than I care to admit.
And then there's Fred
If you've been reading my writing for a while, you'll know that I call my fear “Fred”.
Fred is that worried little voice in my head who, to me, looks like a little Disney-type dragon. He’s always trying to protect me, not only from falling off a roof, but also from embarrassment, rejection, criticism, or anything else he thinks might hurt.
And Fred has a very good memory.
He remembers the times I put something out into the world and nobody responded. He remembers the times someone else was chosen. He remembers what it felt like to be overlooked or to wonder if I belonged.
So when I see all those successful women doing what I do, Fred starts to get nervous about where I could be headed.
See? They're already doing it. They're better at it than you are. Maybe you should just keep quiet.
Remember, Fred has been with me through every disappointment and every time I felt that I wasn't enough. And he'd really rather I didn't have to go through any of those feelings again.
But here's what I'm learning.
I can listen to Fred and still make my own decisions. I can thank him for being concerned about me. I can acknowledge that, yes, putting myself out there feels scary sometimes.
And then I can ask myself a much more important question: Who do I want to be here?
One more voice in a very big room
Last July, I was reading through introductions in an online group of authors and creators.
These were accomplished people. Published books. Big platforms. Credentials and experiences I didn't have.
And there I was, listening to what everyone else had done and feeling smaller by the minute.
Oh yes, Fred piped up. You don't really belong in this room.
But I had joined that group for a reason. I wanted to learn, connect, and be part of the conversation.
So, when it was my turn, I pulled my shoulders back, lifted my chin and told them who I was, what I did, and about the work I was building to help women become Brave Enough.
That night, I wrote something in my journal that I've come back to several times since, "I was brave enough to put myself out there in the noise to become another voice."
Think about that for a moment.
I didn't become the most important voice in that group. I didn't suddenly have a bigger platform or a list of impressive credentials.
Nothing dramatic happened. But something important happened for me.
I had evidence that I could feel intimidated, question whether I belonged, and add my voice anyway.
I had taken a Tiny Brave Step.
And that, my beautifully passionate friend, mattered.
Maybe we're asking the wrong question
I wonder how often we look at other women's success and ask ourselves why anyone would choose us when they could choose her.
See my hand in the air? That’s me.
But lately I've been thinking about something else.
I believe with everything in me that we were each made on purpose.
Not all alike. Not with the same strengths, personalities, experiences, or interests.
Each of us has our own way of seeing the world. Things we care deeply about. Things we notice that someone else might miss. Experiences that have shaped what we believe and what we want to contribute.
And I don't believe those differences are accidents.
I've watched this in the women who come to my Tiny Brave Steps groups.
These women are building businesses around things that matter to them. They have ideas, skills, experience, and a genuine desire to make a difference.
Yet sometimes they're so busy watching what everyone else is doing that they forget what they bring to the work themselves.
And I recognize that because I do it, too. How can we shift away from doing this?
We can remind ourselves that hundreds of women may be helping the same kinds of people I want to help.
Some of them are doing wonderful work. I can admire them, celebrate them, and learn from them.
Their success doesn't make my contribution any less valuable.
I don't have to be better than they are.I have to be willing to bring what I have.
My experiences. My strengths. My particular way of seeing things.
My heart for the women I serve.
And you know what?
So do you.
So where do we go from here?
If you've been following my Tiny Brave Steps journey, you know I often talk about building a bridge between where we are today and the horizon we want to reach.
That horizon is the life and work we really want to create.
We don't get there all at once. We build that bridge, one Tiny Brave Step at a time.
And I think adding our voice is one of those steps.
Not waiting until our website is perfect. Or we have more followers. Or we've taken another course and finally feel qualified enough.
Just being willing to say, This is what I believe. This is what I've learned. This is what I have to offer.
Even when Fred is tapping you on the shoulder with a worried warning.
Say thanks to Fred for the concern, try something with me this week.
The next time you catch yourself comparing your work to someone else's, stop for about 90 seconds. Notice what you're feeling. Let Fred have his say. You don't have to argue with him or make the feeling disappear.
Ask yourself: Who do I want to be right now? Maybe your answer is: I'm a woman who is brave enough to add her voice.
Now, take a sheet of paper. At the top, write Who I Serve. Think about the woman you're building your business for. Not a demographic or an imaginary ideal client.
A real woman.
What do you understand about her because of your own experiences?
What have you heard her say that stayed with you?
What does she struggle with that you genuinely care about?
Write down three things. Don't worry about whether they're the cleverest or most original observations anyone has ever made. Just write what you know.
That's the beginning of something we're going to build together over the next few weeks. I'm calling it your Horizon Page. By the end of November, you'll have a clearer picture of the work you want to create in 2027, the women you want to serve, and some of the steps that will help you get there.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
For now, choose one of those three things you've written down. And share it.
Perhaps you'll write a short post. Maybe you'll leave a thoughtful comment on someone's LinkedIn page. Or you might simply send a message to a woman you know who needs to hear it.
Nothing elaborate.
Just one small, slightly scary step that lets someone hear your voice. And when you've done it, write that down too. Because whether anybody responds or not, you've done something important.
You've gathered another piece of evidence that you're a woman who can do hard things.
There's room for your voice, too
I'm still learning this myself. There are days when I look at the size of what I want to accomplish and wonder how on earth I'm going to get there.
There are days when I look at what other women are doing and think I should be further ahead.
And Fred is usually quite willing to join that conversation. But I keep coming back to what I wrote in my journal last July: I was brave enough to become another voice in the noise.
I didn't have to be the biggest voice. Or the smartest. Or the most experienced. I just had to be brave enough to add mine.
And perhaps that's what I want to leave you with today.
There’s room for you to do the work you care about, in the way that only you can do it.
You don't have to prove you're better than someone else before you begin. You don't even have to feel completely confident.
You just need to take that next Tiny Brave Step.
And let your voice be heard.
Come take a step with us
If you're building a business on your own and would enjoy some company while you do it, I'd love you to join us in Creative Spaces: A Tiny Brave Step By Step Space.
We meet on Zoom this Tuesday, October 27, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time.
It's a place where women come together, talk about what's getting in their way, remember who they want to be, and give themselves time to actually move something forward.
Bring something you've been wanting to get done. It doesn't have to be big.
We'll make room for you and your next Tiny Brave Step.
Want a little help getting started?
Copy this prompt into your favourite AI:
I'm a solopreneur building a business around something I care deeply about. Sometimes I compare myself with other women doing similar work and wonder whether there's room for me. Ask me five thoughtful questions, one at a time, to help me recognize what I understand about the women I want to serve, based on my own strengths and experiences. Then help me choose one Tiny Brave Step I can take this week to add my voice to the conversation.
Comments