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'Being agile'​ while getting started as a solopreneur: a first-person account

About eight months ago, when I decided to go from being 'employed' to being 'self-employed' and start off as 'solopreneur', I also made a conscious choice of 'being agile' in what I call 'my personal transformation journey'. After all, if I was going to make #agility the centerpiece of the next phase of my career, I'd better practice before I preach. The Agile Manifesto, Scrum Values, and continuous learning-continuous improvement using PDCA (plan-do-check-act) framework were the prominent tools in my toolkit - coupled with tons of grit and perseverance and a steady #growthmindset.

Here's some of what I've observed and learned so far:
  • Writing down my WHY - not typing it on my laptop, but actually physically writing it down using my hand, pen and paper - helped me immensely! It not only helped me articulate my purpose for others, but also clarify it for myself. Next, I moved on to writing down the Who-What-How pieces of the puzzle - this is my version of a vision board. Who is my target audience? What services do/can I offer? How am I going to do provide these services - in-person/virtual/group sessions, one-on-one coaching?
  • Crafting, practicing and refining my 'elevator pitch' turned out to be a refreshingly enjoyable iterative process. I quickly realized that practicing in front of the mirror while helpful was definitely not enough! I scoured the internet (Eventbrite is a fantastic starting point, Meetup is another good one, and LinkedIn of course) for free and/or inexpensive training programs and networking events - this gave me the opportunity to practice my pitch in a safe space and get some immediate feedback based on the listeners' nonverbal cues and extent of follow-up from them or the lack of it!
  • Focusing on 'give before you can get' is something I've always believed in, but it's been by far the most significant learning I've had in the past few months. The more I give, the more I learn and borrowing from Paul Coelho's words, the more the universe conspires in my favor. The ways I've chosen to give are in sync with my WHY and so in my case, some of the ways I've chosen to give are: providing free ESL training to guests of a local food pantry, volunteering to do regular social media posts on behalf of a lean-agile women's group , and volunteering as a reviewer of speaking submissions for a global scrum conference. Each of these and my other 'give before your get' pursuits are not only intrinsically tied to my professional objectives but are also aligned to my personal values of fairness, integrity, respect and empathy.
  • Discovering the power of the internet and online communities has been yet another huge learning! In the last eight months, I've attended a full-fledged global remote conference, two fairly inexpensive out-of-state leadership conferences that were simulcast/re-broadcast at a co-working space near me, numerous live webinars all of which have been free, and a few Meetup group meetings that were 100% virtual! The connections I've made through these virtual platforms are absolutely no different from any that I've made in physical environments - and the quality of content, learning and interactions is just top-class! I've learned to value every single conversation and interaction I have - be it virtual or in-person - because every conversation, every interaction is a learning opportunity, simply waiting to be grabbed!
  • 'Sharpening my axe' and 'slowing down to speed up' have also been some of my key practices during this time. In addition to all the free learning from webinars and TED Talks, I also did a few paid training programs including earning my Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Master credential. Next, I've signed up for paid Coach Training (via Coacharya) to become an ICF-credential professional coach. Now, I consider these investments - and not, expenses - and they are all aligned with my personal goals and my vision for my business.
My personal step-by-step guide for getting started as a 'solopreneur' and setting up NorthStar Solutions and Services:

In keeping with my focus on #beingagile, I chose to build an MVP (minimum viable product) for launching my business - I stuck to the basics: name of business, website name, business cards, social media presence and of course, networking.

I chose to start with articulating my personal brand since NorthStar is an expression of a combination of my personal values and experiences, and my professional experience, skills and abilities. Since my business is knowledge work-oriented and I choose to work from home, I focused on doing everything possible to contain my expenses.

  • Get a business license as per local government regulations. Several free online resources and free/inexpensive in-person classes on how to set up your own business are readily available.
  • Keep personal and business identities 100% separate.
  • Get a Google account for your business venture and create an official-sounding email address - it's free.
  • Get a Google Voice number and use that for your business - it's free. (This way you don't need to publish your personal cellphone number and you get the benefit of using both phone numbers from the same phone. p.s. I use an Android phone.)
  • Get a business card - use the real estate on both front and back of the card to convey your WHY-WHO-WHAT-HOW. This helps you buy time to build your website(I used Vistaprint to create mine.) p.s. I prioritized designing my business cards over building my website because, in my case, I am the brand, and attending local events in person has been a priority for me. I also know that for the foreseeable future, I am going to generate business through personal connects - so, my website traffic is mostly from me directing people to it, and not the other way round.
  • Other things you can do while you create your website are:
  • build a pitch deck using PowerPoint, Keynote. p.s. I created mine more for prospective clients and not for investors.
  • get a Zoom account (free) so that you can get started with business meetings via video conferencing. The free Zoom account provides unlimited 1:1 meetings and has a 40-minute session limit for meetings with more than 3 people.
  • get a Calendly account (free) to provide your potential clients a hassle-free way of scheduling meetings with you - no more back-and-forth via email/phone
  • Build your own website - start with a landing page to make it easier. (I tried Wix, Webflow, and 1&1 Ionos). Get feedback on your website from a diverse group of your friends, family and business colleagues. The more diverse the group, the broader the perspectives. Ask pointed questions such as: "What message does the website convey to you?", "What is the ease of use on your mobile phone?". Remember that your website is meant for your target audience - I used Human-centered design principles to stay on course. 
  • Create social media accounts - and establish a cadence for posting content (I prefer LinkedIn and Twitter). Ensure that your content is reflective of personal brand and business purpose. Most importantly, show up no matter what and be authentic and thoughtful with the posts - because words are powerful!
In closing, I'd like to say that perhaps, the most important of everything I've learned is that it takes a village to start a business! My journey - in the last eight months, and in the future - is a testimony to the Ubuntu philosophy of "I am because we are".

I'm all about #payingitforward - I'm available to chat if I can help answer any questions or if anyone would like to talk more about 'being agile while getting started as a solopreneur'. Thank you for your time and attention and my best wishes for your next (ad)venture - let's remember to be humble, be hungry and be kind!
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