Simple Business Advice for Solopreneurs

I like Youtube. I play podcast videos while I cook, listen to interviews while I walk, listen to music while I work. My Youtube feed is often showing me some really inspiring stuff. A video posted by Lisa Zahiya, an incredible business coach, rolled up in my feed yesterday and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Here it is:

Lisa could not be more right with her main message, which is “be seen!” When it comes to marketing a small business, especially as a solopreneur, putting yourself out there to be SEEN can be the pivotal action that makes a big difference. Of course, it doesn’t always have to be your face on the screen, but if you do 1-to-1 work, sometimes it can be the thing that convinces someone they want to work with you. They see you, they virtually get to know you, they hear your voice, your expressions and your way of communicating. All of these things are pretty important if you are going to act in a consulting or coaching role.

There are plenty of ways to be seen, but one that I’ve decided to try is recording my blog articles going forward. I don’t know how it will be yet, but it seems like a fun idea and we’ll soon find out if it sticks. The whole exercise reminds me of what I believe about many things in life – it’s all an experiment and there’s no harm in trying to see how they land.

Here are a few ways this could go down depending on how you like to create and/or interact with the world:

For the writers out there –

1. Write your article as usual.
2. Turn your phone around and record a video of yourself reading the article.
3. Edit the video if needed.
4. Post the video on youtube.
5. Embed the video on your blog post so people can have an alternative way to consume.
6. Post your video to social platforms.

For the talkers –

1. Write an outline or script about your topic.
2. Record yourself talking about the topic or reading your script.
3. Edit the video if needed.
4. Post the video on youtube.
5. Create a blog post with a summary of the topic and post the video – you don’t have to write the article, but think about putting a transcript in the article to get all those good keyword phrases onto your site.
6. Post your video to social platforms.

For the shy ones –

1. Outline your topic and find a trusted friend or accountability partner.
2. Schedule a Zoom meeting with them.
3. Set up your phone to record yourself during the call – place it above your laptop camera.
4. Edit the video and post to your blog/youtube/etc.

I hope this helps! Good Luck!