Solo Business only has the 🧠 space for simple.

— we work hard to make Solo Business simple.

Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe Solo Business doesn’t have to be as hard as we are told it has to be.

Yes, Solo Business has its own kind of hard.

And, yes, Solo Business can always be harder.

But maybe there is a 🦄 kinda hard where it is hard enough for those of us that feel the need to learn the hard way, and hard enough to take more than is necessary to succeed, sustain, and be continually smugly satisfied in our own Solo Business.

( . . . m a y b e . )

Hard is not the only pain pointlessly pointed at in Solo Business.

Another popular part of pitching to grow Solo Business is pointing to the pain of ‘struggling in Solo Business’, where the ‘Solo Business struggle’ is almost said just as often as ‘scaling your Solo Business’.

[* cue eye roll noise *]

It is interesting, because like the ideas of struggling and scaling in Solo Business, so too is the importance of hard being necessary in Solo Business being overlooked.

(Yup. We hear you asking, ‘…ummmmm, what the? Where is this going, Kathy?’  Bear with because, like you, we are going somewhere.)

Okay. It is about now you expect to see the swift shift to solution — we are not going there.

You see, a solution assumes there' is a problem — you and your Solo Business are not a problem.

Which means, if you need not be solved, then what do you need, right?

Well, if you walk away now, please take this one knowing with you…

Everything you are already doing in your Solo Business is working to meet a need. Keep going.

That is it. Now, when that sinks and settles in and when you notice the needs (actually) being met, then you know you are on your way to being ready to grow your Solo Business.

That is what makes this difference the difference this time. We talk about what we doing while we are doing what we are doing (yup, that is some real-life Inception going on here 🤭).

The hard in Solo Business is here to stay 🙌

The hard we have in Solo Business is doing something important. That hard that we have now is meeting an important need. And it is here we walk past the hard to see what the hard is doing to work out where and how Solo Business work hard by decision and design. Which means…

We are suggesting that Solo Business will always be hard…it just doesn’t have to suck (as much). 

That’s right, we believe the suck is our way in 🤭

The Little Language Matters* approach to Solo Business is seemingly simple while working to make this time different. The key is to look at a little so that the little can do a lot (later). We look at the time sucks, the energy sucks, the efforts sucks, even the sucks of the very few daily fucks that flow away from where Solo Business wants to go. 

Now, while Little Language Matters* Kathy Rast has working experience in setting up systems, working with workflows, and making messaging  memorable marketing, we rarely work with our clients in these areas (there are already a bunch of brilliant Solo Business’ meeting these needs).

Instead, we work with Solo Business to get clear (often for the first time) on the thinking behind the Solo Business.

We are meeting this needing Solo Business need a couple of ways.

Before booking below, we ask you to have a click around to see where we fit in (or could fit in for what you are looking for now or on the horizon).

If you are one who looks to get a feel for an idea by hearing the thinking behind an idea, then we suggest beginning with our podcast (we suggest beginning from ep. 30).

And when you are ready to grow in what you know in the thinking behind Solo Business, then our articles are sure to inspire a new view on something you already know.

And when you are ready to thinking your own back-of-business thinking, then you we suggest digitally dog-earring the Solo Business Projects page.

And when you need another Solo Business mind in the room to make this time the different, then, you’re most very welcome to book below.

OPTION 1

Solo Business Mentor

Doing 🧱 🧱 🧱 🧱

Deciding 🧠 🧠

  • Mentoring means something different for everyone. You are either looking for someone to work with who knows a lot about a little or a little about a lot. We are the latter.

    We work hard to know enough for it to be enough. We’re working hard not to be the expert but to be experienced. We’re working to keep a clean separation from the technically correct to keep connected with the practical.

    To be clear…

    We will not do anything it if you’re not in the room (there’s a rare exception to this).

    We will not make decisions for you.

    We will not own or maintain anything outside of our session that is yours.

    And, we will not say it’ll be fine. But we will say, ‘Mmmmm, that’s a fucking pickle we have here, how can we get it working with the way you work?

  • (who) We are most experienced in working with professionals with qualification(s) who are looking to grow or begin in their own Solo Business.

    (what) We will say it again because it is important - Mentoring means something different for everyone.

    And, you’re either looking for someone to work with who knows a lot about a little or a little about a lot —we’re the latter.

    We work hard to know enough for it to be enough. We’re working hard not to be the expert but to grow and maintain experience in Solo Business.

    We work to keep a clean separation from the technical to keep connected with what’s practical — we’ll work with you to learn what you know now, what you have already, and what you need.

    We’ll work with you to only start that which we can finish each session.

    We do actually break down the big things into little actions and outputs.

    We do name the options to make for easy decisions.

    We do track the parts as they present and pop then in place to be ready to pick up at the right time.

    We do work with you to navigate the real human parts to grow your real human self in the context of running in your business.

    We do actually believe Solo Business can be more than the balance and can be more akin to adding value and quality in living our lives.

  • Some who gets it. That someone who knows when to move, when to pause, when to take the lead, and when to take the backseat.

    Someone who is all about and for the focus of being in business where all can be done by one #solobusinessgoals 🤸‍♀️

  • Mentoring is one of those someones we know to go and for what.

    Sometimes we map the thinking together (actually this is a big part of what we do here).

    Sometimes sometimes we press the buttons together (if it‘s in our wheelhouse)

    And, sometimes we’re that trusted someone to get what you’re thinking out on the page, into a plan, and on your way to know who to work with next (if it’s outside of doing it yourself).

    From experience, it’s always clear either in the first or the last 5 minutes of our First Session whether we are a oner or only just starting.

  • Tracking all the parts in the room.

    “I love that you pay attention to what we are working on and continuously noting what else is in the room as it comes up. I couldn’t belief how it was clear what needs to be done now (or later or never!). After a while I realised everything was there as I needed it and I was the one making the decisions all along.”

OPTION 2

Solo Business Thought Partner

Deciding 🧠 🧠 🧠 🧠

Doing 🧱

  • Not everyone is fit for this kinda thang. Working with us as a Thought Partner does not add value when you see you and your business as:

    • being new in Solo Business

    • wanting to press buttons and not nut something out (yup, it tickles to wade a little below the surface of something), or

    • not having the time or energy to slow the noise and busy to focus on one thing for a time.

  • (who) We are most experienced in working with professionals with qualification(s) who are established in their Solo Business.

    (what) Typically, as an experienced Solo Business you will have so much knowledge and experience and when you want to work with a Thought Partner, it’s as much about the process of pulling it all out as it is as processing what was, what is, and what will (by design) be.

    A thought Partner differs from coaches, advisors, and consultants.

    A Thought Partner is more akin to being a second brain in the room that at times can feel likes a true extension of your own thinking (sometimes it’s that part of your knowing you have likely pushed aside, until now 🤭 ).

  • Typically, we would expect you were directly or indirectly pointed to this point by someone you know (and trust).

    So to give you an idea, we know professionals who are usually the one others look to in the room for answers go-to enjoy love themselves silly in working with someone else who is a gun at what they do too.

    Some specific examples of where you may be at include:

    • exploring a new opportunity (e.g., working with someone new, sizing up a new direction for the business)

    • navigating something that happened (or is happening), e.g., receiving a complaint, breaking up with someone (client, supplier, or network), or finding peace with unsubscribes,

    • walking away - calling it a day - saying aloud for reals that that you may close your business.

  • Honestly, it is usually always very clear if this is a oner or if there is a need for a couple of sessions to think thorough through the thinking (usually if we go over the two session mark on the same focus then we are usually building it out to get it done).

  • PostIt Noting 🤣 Seriously, the words we hear pretty much each session are, ‘oooo, I just love this part.

    I just love that I can talk and you will pop it on the (Miro) post it notes the way I meant to say it. I love what we do with them after as well, but just that first part was something I didn’t know I needed in getting my thinking out of my head!