Solopreneur Stories

Will Stevens
  • 5.0 (2)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Solopreneur Stories is the podcast that examines the best insights other solopreneurs have already figured out so you can use them in your life.

  1. Family, fatherhood, freedom, and finding focus as a solopreneur

    11/12/2024

    Family, fatherhood, freedom, and finding focus as a solopreneur

    In this episode I speak with Gregory Foran.  Gregory is the founder of a solo marketing agency called Breakaway Marketing.  After working in marketing leadership positions for over a decade helping to turn poor performers into market leaders and generating over $129M in incremental revenue, Gregory jumped into entrepreneurship.  He and I have some very similar stories, which we talk about, including topics such as: Scaling a business Experiences with subcontractors  Family, fatherhood, and taking time off to focus on those things Building a niche while being adaptive to market signals And other topics. This was a great one, and pretty meaningful for me personally. I mention pretty early in this episode that I felt like I was talking to my own conscience at a few points. His story and the way he shares it hit me in the chest, and I felt like some of our similar experiences make for some good lessons to anyone listening. Gregory is a great guy and I’m rooting for him and what he’s building.  As always it was a great conversation and I learned a lot. And I think you will too. Here is - Gregory Foran.

    1h 2m
  2. Sales, solopreneur strategies, and self-employed success

    11/05/2024

    Sales, solopreneur strategies, and self-employed success

    In this episode I speak with Joe Fitzpatrick. Joe is a fractional CMO who has spent his career working with tech founders who were struggling to attract new customers and who needed to switch their marketing from an ad hoc approach to a strategic, long-term approach. We cover topics including: Understanding the context behind a business’s numbers, and developing strategy beyond a spreadsheet The logistical side of running a one person business Being the voice of reality for your client The challenges of doing marketing for companies that aren’t clear about their broader business strategy What Joe has learned on his path of self-employment, including versions of door-to-door sales early in his career and the humbling lessons roles like that can bring And other topics. Joe was another great guest - a great guy with a great resume and a great story. I love his “throw me in and I’ll figure it out” attitude. I’d encourage listeners to pay attention to his story from his sales roles and how his curiosity and drive made him a top performer. I think anyone listening can extrapolate Joe’s lessons for their own professional journey to bring a willingness to learn and develop opportunities. So I hope you enjoy listening to my conversation with - Joe Fitzpatrick.

    1h 9m
  3. Strategy, systems that stick, and success as a solopreneur

    10/30/2024

    Strategy, systems that stick, and success as a solopreneur

    In this episode I speak with Trent Warner. Trent is a fractional CMO and the managing director of Strategic Brand Builders. Where he focuses on bringing marketing strategy and systems into businesses to create clear and consistent growth - not marketing whack-a-mole.  We cover topics including: Some of the problems with the agency model of today  Having high expectations of yourself  Trust, the currency of relationships  The importance of strategy Working remotely and the ‘return to the office’ collision Establishing strategies and systems  And other great topics. Trent is an old colleague from a lifetime ago, so it was great to reconnect with him and hear about all of the great stuff he’s doing.  I was personally able to learn some pretty tactical things as takeaways from my conversation with Trent, and I’m betting for other solopreneurs out there you’ll find the same. So don’t miss this one. Here is - Trent Warner.

    1h 18m
  4. Ergonomics, executing customer success strategies, and entering the enterprise of solopreneurship

    10/22/2024

    Ergonomics, executing customer success strategies, and entering the enterprise of solopreneurship

    In this episode I speak with Parul Bhandari. Parul is a Customer Success startup advisor and consultant.   Following a career in ergonomics consulting and in HR, Parul launched her first Customer Success (CS) team from the ground up, and from then on has focused on driving startup Customer Success journeys.   In addition to Customer Success, she is a passionate advocate of all things food and fitness, and of promoting DE&I. We covered topics including: Her initial path to becoming a doctor  Ergonomics  The “build phase” of companies  Launching a community Being a contributor for online publications like Inc. The importance of documentation  And other topics. It was great to speak with someone in the customer success space. We get into the importance of its function and contributing to revenue in businesses, from hiring to developing and other details that can bring this function to life.  If you’re in that space or working with them, you’ll definitely learn some things from Parul. So here she is. Here’s my conversation with - Parul Bhandari.

    1h 1m
  5. Self-advocacy, speaking from the stage, and the secrets to success as a solopreneur

    10/15/2024

    Self-advocacy, speaking from the stage, and the secrets to success as a solopreneur

    In this episode I speak with Shailvi Wakhlu. Shailvi is a seasoned Data Leader and Self-Advocacy Expert with over sixteen years of experience building technology products.  She has spoken at nearly 100 global conferences and Fortune 500 events, coached close to 500 individuals, and authored the best-selling book "Self-Advocacy." Which I’ve read and would recommend you read, too. Her career includes notable roles at Salesforce, Fitbit, and as the Head of Data at Strava. We cover topics including: Her experience writing her best selling book, and the supporting speaking engagements she’s done The topic of self-advocacy, which I think a lot of listeners will get a lot of value out of  Her experience building an online course  And other topics. It was a great conversation. Her passion for self-advocacy really comes through. The word authenticity gets thrown around a lot, but when you speak with someone like Shailvi you can really connect with how genuine she is for the work she’s doing and why she’s doing it. I learned a lot. And I think you will too. Here is - Shailvi Wakhlu.

    1h 2m
  6. Data dilemmas, digital decisions, and being a dad as a solopreneur

    10/08/2024

    Data dilemmas, digital decisions, and being a dad as a solopreneur

    In this episode I speak with Michael Strachan. Michael has served in all roles of digital agency life, starting in the weeds, overseeing cross-channel teams in multiple locations, developing strategy for companies of all sizes including several fortune 500.  He’s since gone on to found Mediaconfidant. The initial market opportunity Michael saw was identifying where data was inaccurate - in his agency life he saw more clients leave due to fights over what the numbers were than actual performance, so he created a tool to identify not only what the issues were but where they came from.   When he showcased it to Google, they put MediaConfidant in their Google Startups for Cloud program at the Scale level and awarded them dev hours to build the next gen of reporting that includes forecasting, data source comparisons, anomaly detection, PII detection, hacking vulnerabilities, and real actionable insights.  Michael is an old colleague and friend and it was great to catch up with him. We cover other topics including: Fatherhood and family  Data vs. insights  Qanon, 4chan, and shady website data  Leveraging AI Setting your own boundaries  And other topics. Please enjoy my conversation with - Michael Strachan.

    57 min
  7. Solopreneur strategies, shifting priorities, and setting yourself up for success for your one person business

    09/24/2024

    Solopreneur strategies, shifting priorities, and setting yourself up for success for your one person business

    In this episode I speak with Garrett Jestice.  Garrett is a GTM Strategy consultant and advisor for B2B startups.  Before founding Prelude Marketing, Garrett was the Chief Marketing Officer for Eddy, where he helped build a successful go-to-market strategy that boosted revenue 3x and website traffic 10x in his first 18 months in the role.  I reached out to Garrett to come on the show. He is someone who operates in a similar space and function as I do, and he wrote an open letter to himself on LinkedIn that covered some of his current thoughts on his own future in solopreneurship. If things go well, there seems to be a somewhat inevitable intersection one faces with their solo operation, which includes scenarios like: Hiring more people to grow - which puts you in whole new area essentially running an agency Niching even further and trying to become more of an expert in a single function Do nothing and continuing on the path you’re on You get the idea. Garrett was super easy to talk to. He’s a great guy with a lot of smarts, and there were moments where I felt like I was talking to the voice in my own head with how similar some of our experiences have been. It was a ton of fun, and another conversation I got a lot of lessons and value out of. And I think you will too. So here it is. Here is - Garrett Jestice.

    1 hr
  8. Freelancing, friendships, and fresh perspectives

    08/22/2024

    Freelancing, friendships, and fresh perspectives

    In this episode I speak with Rachel Meltzer. Rachel is a freelance tech writer, writing business coach, and also host of her own podcast, The Guidebook. Rachel and I cover topics including: Working with a business coach as a solopreneur Healthy outside perspectives  Perseverance vs stubbornness  Developing honest internal signals and learning how to trust yourself  Comparison and how to avoid comparing your own joy away And other topics. Since filming, Rachel and I have become pals. We’re both located in New England, Rachel in Massachusetts and myself currently in Rhode Island. We’ve been hosting meetups at some local breweries to connect with other fellow freelancers, consultants, and solopreneurs in the New England area. It’s been a lot of fun - meeting new people, discussing what’s working and what’s not, making introductions to each other’s network, and all the good stuff to help each other learn, grow, and win out there. So if you’re a New Englander, stay tuned for more events - we’d love to see you there. For now, here’s my conversation with - Rachel Meltzer.

    1h 4m
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5
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About

Solopreneur Stories is the podcast that examines the best insights other solopreneurs have already figured out so you can use them in your life.

Information

  • Creator
    Will Stevens
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Will Stevens
  • Show Website
    Solopreneur Stories