A solo business used to mean choosing between freedom and real money.

@ · LinkedIn post · a-solo-business-used… original · 2026-07-11

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A solo business used to mean choosing between freedom and real money. In 2026, you can have both.

The tools are cheaper, the audience is bigger, and one focused person can do what used to take ten.

Most people CAN do it. But getting started is the hardest part.

What they’re missing is a clear system to follow.

(Credit: Will McTighe)

So I wrote one you can use:

1/ Solve Your Own Pain

The easiest business to build is around a problem you actually have. Find the solution you’d pay for yourself.

2/ Validate Before Building

Talk to 10 people who have the same problem before you spend time and money on any idea. Ask what they’ve already tried and whether they’d pay to solve it.

Most people skip this and build for 3 months in the wrong direction.

3/ Build Your Personal Brand

Your online presence can give you a serious advantage. It makes people feel like they know you before you even approach them.

Pick one topic you know well, write about buyer problems, and use personal stories and case studies to prove you can help.

4/ Build An Offer Ladder

Your first product can be one free lead magnet. Solve a narrow, painful problem with a fast win. Then build up from there.

A checklist or template that saves someone an hour is worth more than a 40-page ebook nobody finishes.

5/ Use AI Wisely

Use AI to draft, research, and organize - NOT to decide what to build or who to sell to. The strategy has to come from you. The execution is where AI can help.

6/ Ship The Simplest Version

The first version only has one job: prove people care enough to pay. Start with something simple to build and maintain like a checklist or email course before building anything more complex and expensive.

7/ Make Buying Easier

People buy when the result feels clear, fast, and low-risk. “First lead in week 1” converts better than “grow your business.”

8/ Say No Often

A one-person business only works if that person is maniacally focused on the main goal. Every yes to something outside your focus is a no to the thing that’s actually working.

A one-person business lives and dies by focus.

Do fewer things. Do them longer.