80% of people age 45+ consider changing careers; only 6% actually do. Can you relate to this statistic?

Especially in our changing work climate, security oftentimes is fleeting at best. It can catalyze daydreaming about the “what if” scenarios. What if I could be my own boss? What if my schedule was more flexible? What if I could travel more? What if I had a little freedom?

I think many of us have drifted off into the world of “what ifs” before. The more vital question of all is, what are you going to do about it?

All the hopes and dreams don’t amount to anything except spinning mental wheels without action.

In order to have action, you can’t have fear. The most successful business people that I know have one thing in common, fortitude. That attitude is really an ingrained pattern in how they live their life. There is a fierce determination coupled with daily effort.

I always thought it was confidence that put the...

I hear a lot of people saying the work-life balance is a big fat lie.

Is it a farce? Can you, as an entrepreneur, actually have a balance between your work life and your personal life?

The power of choice

We have choices, especially as solopreneurs, decisions to make that are totally up to us. One of the benefits of being an entrepreneur is not working the typical “9 to 5,” but actually cultivating our own reality. Making choices that affect how we construct our day, our life really. With choice, there are many opportunities to acquire balance. One of the keys is navigating between the “get to” and “got to” things on the list.   

There is this general conception that in order to be successful, you have to hustle. In order to hustle, you have to put in the time and grind it out. Often that can look like an 80 hour week. It usually consists of multitasking, partially listening most of the time, and nearly being burned out at the end of the...

Can you think of a tiny 3-lettered word that holds infinite possibilities?

If you answered “YES,” then you are correct!

Every single day, we encounter thousands of questions, both in our lives and businesses. They start with small ones, like if you should have a healthy green smoothie for breakfast. Later in the day, once you’re at work, you might be asked more complex questions that could alter the course of your solopreneur journey.

When you’re confronted by a big, scary question that could change everything, our instinct might be to say, “NO.”

Your brain may come up with a multitude of reasons for this, like:

• It’s not the right time
• I can’t afford it
• I’m just not ready
• Sounds too difficult
• And on and on…

I want you to take a minute and imagine something with me. What if the next time an opportunity presents itself, you push aside that little voice that says “No” and instead allow an immediate...

Have you ever had pneumonia? Trust me, it isn’t fun! 

I came down with a case of pneumonia a few summers ago, and believe me, it’s true what they say about taking good health for granted until you don’t have it! Reflecting on that experience inspired me to share some thoughts about surviving as a solopreneur during times of sickness and ill health.

As solopreneurs, we have the unique experience of being responsible for most things in our business. Marketing, production, client outreach, and support; it’s ALL on us. This can be difficult enough when we are vibrant and healthy, plowing through our daily tasks with steadfast determination and energy. Give a solopreneur that same workload when their health is failing them, and you have a recipe for panic. 

Around the same time that I was struggling with my upper respiratory thing, I recall that there was a rash of hurricanes around the country. They were often so bad that they forced Southern residents...

As I am writing this, I’m gazing at an active and playful fire in my woodstove. The flames are a dancing red, deep orange, and purple-gray. In this late fall, it’s become chilly here in Upstate, New York, but at the moment I am completely insulated from the weather conditions.

It got me thinking about the climate of the world and how, being nestled in my secluded home, I am insulated from that as well. I wondered, in what other ways can we protect ourselves from outside discomfort, threats, and emotional warfare that can be a constant in the life of an entrepreneur (or anyone, really)? 

Thankfully, some things are in our control – like how we act, who we trust, what we eat, etc. But other things can fall into a “karmic destiny” category – life lessons that may be painful, who cross our paths, time of death, etc. The latter is usually the hardest to accept, even though they are all out of our hands. In actuality, it has to be more of a...

Everyone has their own little slice of paradise. You only need to find it!

Just off the same road that takes you to the southernmost point of the United States (South Point in Naalehu, Hawaii) sits a 75-acre organic farm: Paradise Meadows Orchard and Bee Farm. It’s the home to 1400 lime trees, 300 Sharwil avocado trees, coffee trees, macadamia nut trees, 35 beehives, a slew of various veggies, and, of course, a family of parrots.

From the minute you pull into their “off the beaten path” driveway, you are immediately greeted with a warm Aloha and encouraged to sample from a huge selection of local goods, ranging from chocolate-covered macadamia nuts to their award-winning coffee. 

When I visited Hawaii a few years ago, Paradise Meadows was a must-stop. When we arrived, the generosity of the whole staff was overwhelming and touched our hearts. The owner, Scott Buske, is a jolly and sincere chap. He came out to greet us and explain the procedures for proper...

Do you ever find yourself feeling stuck in your business?

Either you have no idea of how to progress, or you have too many ideas and are spinning out. In both cases, it’s easy to find yourself looking at your laptop or tablet, wondering, “What the heck have I actually accomplished?”

Being “stuck” is a widespread issue among solopreneurs. It usually manifests as confusion, indecisiveness, indifference, discouragement, or all of the above.

Thankfully, it doesn’t need to be a permanent state. I’ve felt stuck many times in the past, but discovered some strategies that helped pull me out of the funk and push forward.

Here are five things you can do when you’re stuck in your business:

1. Go Back and Review your Past Accomplishments

It’s easy to forget the massive number of things that we do daily as a small business owner. It can move so quick, with the days piling on one another, the blog posts getting archived, the client reviews...

If you are anything like me, then learning, improving, tweaking, growing, and keeping up with the trends is a fun and exciting part of being an entrepreneur!

I was recently organizing my bookmarks tab and suddenly realized all the courses that I’ve enrolled in over the last couple of years. In addition to the dozens of lead magnets that got me clicking the “Yes, I Want In” button.

But I have a big admission to make to you. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t completed many of the programs that I’ve signed up for. I simply didn’t have the time! And that got me thinking...

Go Deeper, Not Wider

This concept has always resonated with me in the past.

Being interested and capable in many different realms has always tagged me as a “Jane of all trades.” I think this has to do with being an entrepreneur for most of my adult life – where the culture of being the cook, chief, and bottlewasher is commonplace.

But as I get older and keep...