I started working as a remote employee back in 2006, long before it was common. I talked to my colleagues during the day, sure, but they were all in an office with cubicles. I worked alone.
Later in my career, I was part of an executive team at a software company, making decisions about budget and strategy.
So when I started my own business in 2022, many aspects felt like a natural extension of the way I’d always worked.
Most advice about leaving corporate life focuses on the financial safety net: savings, pricing your services, and side hustles. But money isn’t the only reason people leave solopreneur life and go back to a nine-to-five. Some people are genuinely not wired for the day-to-day reality of working alone.
Before you make the leap, it’s worth being honest about whether the nonfinancial parts of solopreneurship are a fit for you.
You’ll be making every decision
In corporate jobs, decisions get distributed across teams, managers, and leadership. As a solopreneur, every call is yours.
You’ll face decisions daily, without the option for a second opinion. You don’t have a colleague to gut-check an idea or a manager to absorb some of the risk. It’s just you.
