Join The Sustainable Solopreneur, where I share my 18+ years as a serial solopreneur, and top tips for building a business and life that’s successful and sustainable.
Survive Thrive as a Solopreneur
I’ve told this story as a bit of a joke…
“I had my firstborn on a Friday, started my business that Monday…”
It wasn’t an aspiration… our family needed my income and I wanted to be home with my son!
So, I took my experiences working for an ad agency and helping a former employer start his company, and started my own remote brand / marketing agency.
It was 2005.
I didn’t know much about being in business for myself, but I was happy as could be, working around the clock, and around his schedule…
I thought I had the dream work life.
A few years later I started a second business, licensing art. I had 2 boys by then.
If there was thing I was adamant about, it was my freedom. Family came first.
I thought I was doing the right things:
had location independence
freedom to attend class parties + chaperone field trips
thrived during the economic recession of ‘08
hit 5-figure months in my 30s
I made clients millions of dollars, and helped solve some pretty complex challenges.
Two years into licensing my art, I made over $10K in royalties on one product. It took me less than 20 minutes to make.
I was proud of what I’d accomplished. I’d done everything on my own, without a team or a VA…
But I was tired.
I’d done everything possible to not let work interfere with mom life, but it meant odd hours and a nonstop schedule.
In 2015, I took my very first trip without work… without my laptop.
Yep… 10 years in.
There’s a story there, of course.
Almost immediately, the inevitable happened:
Burnout.
The Glaring Yet Hidden Connection between Success, Stress & Burnout
Part of it was simple: I needed to streamline.
Part of it went much deeper…
Conversations with my business coach, other business owners, and even a therapist…
Led to an eye-opening discovery.
I created a theory... a hypothesis of sorts.
Researching it further revealed a GLARING yet HIDDEN connection between success and burnout.
You couldn’t find this on Google, however.
But...
The more I talked about it, the more people told me they'd experienced the same things.
I created a research project to flesh it out. Recruited a few business owners / colleagues to participate…
Took my findings to a therapist.
Actually hired her as a consultant to either:
1 - validate my theories enough to keep going, or
2 - tell me I was full of it
"Wendy, I see this every day in my practice, and you're right - nobody is talking about it."
Well...
I'm not a therapist.
But this connection is critical.
I know how it hoses people (particularly entrepreneurs!) up, and how it's the source of:
→ Stress
→ Uncertainty
→ Anxiety
→ Overwhelm
→ Perfectionism
→ Procrastination
→ Imposter Syndrome
→ Analysis Paralysis...
(You get the idea.)
At BEST people experience a low-level hum of distress.
At WORST it can lead to a full-blown mid-career crisis, or devastating loss.
But I figured out what to do about it.
MORE TO COME…
In the meantime, if you want to read about my my agency years, go here:
My favorite humans
On a Personal Note
I’m a boy mom and proverbial desert rat.
Having danced ballet for 25 years, you might assume I’m pretty feminine. You’d be correct.
However, I grew up the only girl in a neighborhood full of boys. My childhood revolved around building forts and hanging out in orange trees.
I thrive on working quickly, and infusing life and work with a dose of humor. 😊
My clients speak best about my work, style and approach. Read about it here.