How to Scale as a Solopreneur

The emergence of the startup model has placed a keen focus on scalability and the acceleration of business growth. This is exciting for small business owners many of whom want to grow, but dont know how.

With that said, most small businesses arent really businesses in the traditional sense but rather people who are self-employed and for all intents and purposes, have created their own job.

In some ways, people who are successfully self-employed approach the task of business growth from a disadvantage because they have built their business on a one-person show model, which is not a sustainable model for growth.

In short, what got you here, wont get you there.

So, as a person in the trenches of scaling not one, but two businesses, here are the four concepts at the center of my journey.

Learning

Scaling your business requires a constant diet of business education. Whether its books, podcasts, talks, workshops, webinars, conferences youve got to put in the time. Business is about strategy, tactics, maneuvering, etc. and requires skills that extend far beyond what you charge people for. If youre not inundating yourself with information, you are foregoing a serious competitive advantage.

Strategy

If there is one business concept that I have most embraced, it is to work on your business, not in your business. Sure. That is more aspirational than actual in my world today, but it is very much my North Star. Strategy doesnt have to live in a business plan. You can use a one-page business canvas template or go old-school and write out your goals on a notepad, along with basic tactics for accomplishing them. It doesnt have to be deep. It just has to be intentional.

Execution

In the words of a Japanese proverb, Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. Strategy and execution go hand-in-hand, and if youre not prepared to truly execute on your strategy, dont even waste your time. For me, that means committing to extreme delegation, and resisting my control freak tendencies at every turn, redirecting my energy to relationship development and away from project work and creating dedicated time for strategic priorities, rather than packing my calendar to the gills. Its about doing whats necessary to achieve my goals and refusing to default to how Ive done it in the past.

Habit

Transforming yourself as a business person isnt easy, but it is possible. With every small victory, Im building the muscle to delegate, pitch, sell, say no and say yes. Im updating myself constantly and creating new habits, which are sure to better serve my business in the long-term.

Real business growth doesnt have to be reserved for the swanky, venture-backed startups. Its for anyone with a solid business idea, the desire to grow and a real commitment to doing things differently.

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Kelly Burton Ph.D. is an accomplished entrepreneur with over a decades experience launching and scaling start-up companies. She is the brains behind Founders of Color , a digital platform designed to help minority firms grow and is the CEO of its parent company Nexus Research Group , a social research firm that helps foundations and nonprofits do good in the world.

Follow Kelly Burton on Twitter and Instagram @iamkellyburton or at kellyburton.net .