These are exciting times. There is so much shift taking place across everything we’ve come to know and depend on. How we work is being redesigned, conventional business practices are being diversified, the type of relationships we have with our customers and audiences is being rethought, and the nostalgia of times past is moving an entire younger generation, suddenly making anyone pre-Gen Z feel not so aged after all.
With so much shift and shake comes new priorities. And I believe especially solopreneurs and independent professionals have a great opportunity here.
What follows is a little manifest I’ve written for myself over the past few months as I’ve been exploring and defining what my own business should embody, both for myself and for my customers.
I’ve decided to share it because I’ve noticed so many people going out on their own, in whatever context that may be. I hope it inspires you and gives you confidence in the journey you are embarking on or already pursuing.
The soloist’s manifest
I understand that I am not an island, but a player and contributor to my industry, and as such I do not employ an elbow-mentality when doing business.
As a solopreneur / entrepreneur, I am putting myself in the position to design and define what kind of business I want to be and how I want to do business. I fully appreciate this opportunity by not automatically doing things the way I know to, but by exploring and experimenting what fits to my endeavor.
I wield my entrepreneurial power by considering and evaluating everything I bring into my business.
I am thankful for the wisdom and experience experts in other fields share with me. Yet I do not blindly adopt strategies, practices or systems without first evaluating and finetuning them to my own business needs.
I view the market as a collaborative playing field, not a gladiator’s death pit.
Having said this, I thoughtfully consider who I collaborate and go into business with, paying attention to crucial signs of compatability such as shared values, beliefs or practices.
I am generous with recommendations and referrals of individuals and businesses I have successfully worked with or that have helped me succeed at an endeavor, because I know that each of us is trying to make it.
As a professional, I am the change I want to see manifested in my community, in the market and in the world.
I act out of service, contribution and generosity, not ego and selfishness.
Maybe it’s something to hang on your fridge (because we are being nostalgic these days, after all, and that’s what we used to do in high school). Or maybe you have anything to add. Write me or comment below, I’d love to hear it.
With appreciation
Désirée
About the image by artist Vincent Schwenk
Applications of AI: “I wanted to create two different worlds which are divided into a screen (the one in the middle) and a frame (outside one). The uncompressed world isn’t nice to look at, it is all super packed and busy, the colors are not very appealing (dark, muddy and grey) this happened because there is just too much data. After the compression of the Data, the image in the middle (represents the final video) is looking way better, the colors are nice and there is even some free space, so that the objects have room to breathe.”