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Things I learned from launching 3 businesses as an introvert, female, minority solopreneur

Brief background:

First company: I opened a marketing and promotions company for artists/musicians and quickly pivoted to marketing for finance and real estate professionals when a client of mine went to jail. I was 19. The real estate market was roaring and when it dipped, I dissolved the company and went to college.

Second company: I opened a coffee shop based in Downtown Phoenix. It was located inside an awesome co-working space called COHOOTS. I had a co-founder and it was in the middle of getting my Masters degree in Philosophy and Business. I later bought her out and then sold the company to a supplier. My overt mission was to practice "extroverted" tendencies that I believed were necessary in the start-up world.

Third company: This was designed for lifestyle. I went from one extreme of rigid routine with the coffee shop to extreme flexibility in just needing a laptop. In my many years--for fun--I'd build full on businesses on Squarespace and test them out. It was like a weird Friday night hobby, but I got really good at it and that was the base service I provided. I wasted zero time on a logo and made the company name my last name. No wasted time.

Now that that's out of the way, here's what you should know:

  • Ageism is a thing. It was really tough to be a 19-year old consultant but the truth was I had been studying business and the evolution of entrepreneurship since I was 15. Now I'm 33, and the gray hairs make people believe I know what the hell I'm talking about.
  • Make a standard process. I stopped meeting clients in person because if they were guys, they weren't always professional. After a few uncomfortable instances, I made it a point to simply make every consultation a call.
  • Service companies are easier to start than Product companies. Look for ways you can sell your knowledge, which includes doing what you know how to do well. I read this book called "Selling the Invisible" and that stuck with me. People will pay you to think. Crazy times we're living in.
  • Warm your cold leads. It's tough to get clients in the beginning. What I did was "warmed" otherwise cold clients. I would email friends of friends or acquaintances (this was largely based on an article I read that said most people get jobs by people they don't know that well). This tactic literally started my business.
  • Referral clients require a near zero marketing effort. I once saw a drawing that Seth Godin shared that said "Do Great work --> Get Great clients" in a revolving circle. That really is the process.
  • Design your business around your tendencies. While some might consider this a lifestyle design choice, it's really about self-care. Don't force yourself to do things you hate if you can maximize doing things you love (e.g. I take client meetings only Tues-Thursday). My business my choice.
  • Your family will be very confused at first. Especially if you're coming from an immigrant household, your parents, siblings, cousins, friends will all completely disrespect your work boundaries and think you're merely "playing on the computer." This applies until you live on your own in a nice place with all the "playing" you've done on that computer.
  • You still need to socialize. You just do. Some people are more comfortable doing this online but do what works for you. I was lucky to find a community of people in Phoenix that I absolutely adore and even though I don't see them often, when I do see them, I always learn from them or feel energized--that's just a matter of "finding your tribe" as they say. But try social things in general and reorient what they are in your mind from "just socializing" to "an opportunity to practice saying what I'm doing these days" --there's a lot of self trickery that has to happen for the greater good.
  • Drop off donuts. One of the best marketing strategies I heard was from a mortgage consultant who would drop off donuts to the tellers at his local bank. He would make a deposit, hand them the donuts, and leave a few cards. He did this often and not long after, the tellers started to refer clients to him. This is something I like to call Partners and Alliances. It's when you align yourself with organizations that can either refer you or recommend you (formally or informally). In my case early on, I was featured on a "Squarespace Experts" list. I also joined a Community Alliance here in Phoenix that boosted my credibility and kept me in the loop with local things. The co-working space I was part of was also a value-aligned partner. All these things you join are potential partners. Help them (without expectation) and let them know when to think of you.
  • Tech is still extremely white. One day I looked up and realized that all my mentors--literally all of them--were bald white dudes. I'm not sure how this happened but it wasn't on purpose--I really did (and do) love all their work! Still though, it gives me great joy to see more women and minority women break into tech. I still feel a resistance in the industry (it's subtle but it's there) and in order to combat it, I align myself with the white guys that both understand and promote the benefits of diversity.
  • Start with what you've got. This is my 8th year in this third business but in Year 1, I started with a used Macbook Air and made the decision early on to only use cloud-based software (because my computer at the time couldn't handle Adobe). I used a free logo maker from Squarespace. I sold what I knew how to use (because I had used it for fun). And I was ridiculously generous with information because I think people remember you better that way. Now in my 8th year, I have that latest Macbook, a ridiculously expensive desk (that I bought gently used because I'm not a sucker), and all the best tech gear I could want. It's a natural evolution.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone who might label themselves any one of those things above. If you like the way I think, check out my book: Loveisthebusinessplan.com --it's got a lot of these short, helpful bits. Super grateful that the IndieHacker community exists and I'm excited to participate in it more. Please don't hesitate to comment or question. I'm rooting you on.

posted to Icon for group Lessons learned
Lessons learned
on February 20, 2022
  1. 3

    This is super inspiring! Thank you for sharing. In my podcast I have interviewed some talented female entrepreneurs but I wish to interview more. Somehow it is easier to find male entrepreneurs to interview and I wish it would be a bit more balanced...

    1. 1

      I'm with you on this! I think consistently doing a call to female founders will be a big help. Glad you're working on the podcast!

      1. 1

        I will keep on doing it!

  2. 2

    Congrats on the book launch Tanya! Will def be picking up a copy. I was pleasantly taken aback when I saw your name in the IndieHackers newsletter and had to come through to say howdy :).

    Will there be a physical copy? I wonder if you are putting it on Amazon KDP as well and if not how you went about deciding to go Gumroad only.

    Godspeed!

    1. 2

      Hey Rico! Thanks so much, appreciate your support! As far as a Physical copy vs Gumroad only, I was initially thinking to launch on Gumroad and then pitch more formally to publishers. That said, I've spoken with a professional agent (not mine, found through London Writer's Salon) who suggested it may actually be worth it to self-publish, referencing people like Steph Smith with the argument of keeping significantly more revenue. That said, I'm interested more in Impact than Revenue with this book, and with that in mind, still considering the formal pitch and getting to know more about the agent/publisher world.

      One huge plus with Gumroad was the ability (initially) to Pre-order the book. This just helped me gauge interest in the beginning. And now I can release an audio copy (in the works!) to everyone that's purchased as an added benefit of being an early supporter. I love having the flexibility and closeness with my readers that way. That's a huge selling point of distributing exclusively on Gumroad.

      I'm still finding my balance between self publishing on KDP, pitching formally to publishers, or maintaining exclusive Gumroad distribution but one thing I know for sure is that I always want early supporters to benefit significantly (whether that's getting first dibs on anything new, an additional format for free, or fun bonuses like illustrations or AMAs).

      Hope that helps. Cheers and thanks for saying hello!

  3. 2

    Tanya, this post is packed with great lessons.

    I don't know how I came across Selling the Invisible, but I — a software engineer with little in the way of marketing chops — loved that book. Full of great insights. I should re-read it. Going to check out your book, too.

    Thank you for sharing!

    1. 1

      Haha thanks Matt! Much appreciated. That book stuck with me for a long time; I'm probably overdue for a re-read as well. So glad it resonated with you. 💛

  4. 2

    Hi Tanya,

    Thanks for the very helpful advice.

    I am intrigued by this:

    "I'd build full on businesses on Squarespace and test them out."

    What kind of businesses? Would you get orders etc? Would you deliver on the orders? It seems a great way to learn about marketing.

    1. 1

      Hey Steve! It's definitely a great way to learn about marketing; it's also a great way to learn more about what you actually like doing. I would almost exclusively design and build service businesses. One of them for example was called MapHap, it was like a TaskRabbit but for Phoenix (because we didn't have cool SF companies). I'd build out the proper pages, forms, post-submit messages, integrations--the whole turn-key business really. And then I would see if it's something I actually want to run or not. If not, I'd just shrug it off and let the domain expire.

      For me, the fun part was designing the business. If I liked it, I'd pursue it. One I created and did like was called ProMusicShorts that took advantage of the then new SoundCloud Integration with Squarespace and was essentially a business that sold amateur music to amateur videographers--creating a win/win. That got a bit of traction but again, it was mostly to serve my own self interest (I was an amateur producer that liked to create film scores).

      The process of creating a website forces you to think about who you are, who you serve with the business, what potential price points might be or a pricing strategy might look like, where people might find you online or offline, and how you'll deliver on those services. So it's kind of a channel for business design--that's how I used it anyway.

      Hope that helps!

  5. 1

    Service companies are easier to start than Product companies

    Too, consider the point that service companies can accelerate your way to develop a product. A lot of successful product companies, look at Dropbox or Mailchimp, started with services, detected a need and gradually became product companies.

    1. 1

      Wow I did not know that about Dropbox and Mailchimp. Thanks for that fun tidbit! And I agree, it's a great way to develop products with at least some sort of measure on what clients might need. The tough part is getting unstuck from services and making the transition into products; so far something that's helped me is playing with ratios: 75% services, 25% product development, and then slowly increasing that latter percentage. But it is tough, that's something I'm excited to dive more into this year.

  6. 1

    Great post Tanya! I'd love to know how you tested your businesses during your Friday night sessions.

    Cheers, David

    1. 1

      Thanks, David! How I tested my business ideas was less market validation and more self-validation. As in, "Do I actually want to be doing what this particular type of business entails?"

      If it passed that test, I'd move on to market validation by asking, "Can I get someone to pay for this?" Sometimes that meant scouring Craigslist for Gigs, reviewing search terms, and analyzing market trends (referral link). But more often than not, I'd ask myself if this product or service was worth having. Then I'd share with others what I'm working on and gauge their reaction: was it intriguing to them? Did their eyebrows go up? Were they skeptical? Suffice to say, I was (and am) pretty damn good at reading people so I'd look out for those positive microexpressions--especially from people who might be in my target market.

      In my case now for instance, I essentially help experts in their field who are super smart and genuinely good humans but who don't know anything about marketing or positioning or building a digital presence. Before analyzing the potential market however, I asked myself these three things: 1) Will I consistently be learning? That's an important value to me, I love it, I think it's fun and all of these people are smart as hell in their industry so they often teach me something. 2) Can I (really, actually) help them in some way? If so, then there's a potential need. And 3) does this industry have money in it to pay me? If the answer to those three things is Yes, then I take it on.

      I know it might be a weird approach, but running a business idea through these filters is, I believe, the first and foremost test:

      Is it...

      1. Something you want to be doing
      2. Helping the people you want to be helping
      3. Sustainable (in that people will spend money on what you're selling, even if it's just for a short time)

      If the answer is Yes, then Go, go, go.

      Hope that helps!

  7. 1

    Thanks for sharing! Very interesting perspective.

    1. 1

      Most welcome. Thanks for reading!

  8. 1

    Thank you so much for your story! It really is an amazing story! It gives motivation to a naturally introverted person such as myself looking to make the leap into solopreneurship.

    1. 1

      🙌🏽 Glad to help! Keep going. 💪🏽

  9. 1

    This is so inspiring Tanya! Makes me so happy to see your accomplishing great heights!

    1. 2

      Thank you! 🙏🏼

  10. 1

    Great story Tanya! You’ve got a lot of grit.

    The need to socialize resonates with me. I quit my job in September last year to learn to code for web applications and build my business. I do feel like I have fallen off the social graph and try to compensate by being more socially active online. But it’s tough, especially if solopreneurship is not usual in your geography and limits socializing in person with similar people.

    1. 3

      I definitely feel this. Honestly, a good coworking space can really help with this. Even if it's doing drop-ins at different ones. Even if it's once a month. That and having small challenges for yourself like introducing yourself to one new person every two weeks. Socializing, at least for me, is a bit of muscle that needs flexing. Best of luck!

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