My biggest hurdle as a solopreneur is going after clients.
A year ago I actually contemplated getting into a slightly unfavourable business relationship with a partner because he’s comfortable reaching out to people and I’m not. What I’m saying is I would have given him more of the business just to do the part I don’t like, which seems kind of insane in retrospect.
But I thought I could handle it. Ahead of time I had this plan: I would approach new clients carefully and easily. I even took a course last year in order to prepare myself.
But so far, things are just same old same old. Every day I reach out to people I have things in common with instead of good clients.
I do this because it’s easy. I can chat someone up about basketball and then pretend I did all I could when he’s not interested.
I do this because, at the end of the day, I can tell myself that I tried.
But deep down I know the prospects weren’t good and that I’m wasting my time.
I know what I really need to do is make a really good list of my connections and work off that.
But I find that daunting in part because I know that list will be short. And if it’s not short there will be lots of strangers on it. And I don’t like talking to strangers.