Hello there,

๐ŸŽ„ I hope you had a cozy and joyful Christmas with your loved ones!

Can you believe weโ€™re just days away from saying goodbye to 2024? ๐Ÿคฏ

At the start of December, I told myself, โ€œThis will be a peaceful time to reflect on the year and set new goals for 2025โ€”no client work!โ€

Fast forward to the end of the month, and while I stuck to the โ€œno client workโ€ rule, I still couldnโ€™t fully unplug from my online business. Hereโ€™s what kept me busy:

๐Ÿ“ Prepping for the upcoming tax season
๐Ÿ’ฐ Calculating profits from my client work and side hustles
๐Ÿ“ˆ Brainstorming ways to scale my online business
๐Ÿ’ป Trying to show up online more often

...and so much more.

Itโ€™s not easy to be a solopreneur and content creator nowadays.

Once youโ€™re on this path, your mind is always runningโ€”thinking about wins, losses, and how to create a sense of stability (which, letโ€™s be real, is rare in business).

Even 2.5 years after quitting my full-time job, Iโ€™m still figuring out what it truly means to be my own boss.

Here are a few lessons Iโ€™ve learned as a solopreneur in 2024: ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ

1. Faceless content just doesn't cut it anymore

Thereโ€™s so much content out there now, and weโ€™re all wondering why we should stop scrolling and spend our time reading someone elseโ€™s stuff.

Letโ€™s be real โ€” weโ€™re more likely to engage with people we already know and trust, right? ๐Ÿค

Thatโ€™s why showing personality, sharing your unique voice, and building a connection with your audience are more critical than ever.

At the end of the day, people connect with people, not just random words on a screen.

Plus, the latest Google algorithm updates make it clear that Google loves creators with authority. ๐Ÿ”

This means having a solid personal brand can actually boost your websiteโ€™s performance in search results.

I wrote more about it in this article. ๐Ÿ‘‡

Thatโ€™s why we see individual creators soar while big sites like Forbes and Quora are losing their audience.

Iโ€™m all-in on building my personal brand, and Iโ€™ll keep growing it next year. ๐Ÿ’ช

2. Your temper shapes the style of your online business

If you're an introverted creator, you might find yourself wanting to connect with fewer people while still building your online business. ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป

You'll probably lean towards quieter, more focused ways of working.

But if you're extroverted, you'll love engaging with your community! ๐Ÿ™Œ

Networking, collaborations, and creating a sense of belonging will likely be at the heart of your business.

Trying to force yourself into the opposite style can hurt your mental health ๐Ÿ˜“ and might not help you hit your goals.

Itโ€™s all about finding what works for you! ๐Ÿ˜Š

3. Scale your business in a way that fits your values

One of my core values is having the "freedom to shape my own life," so anything that restricts that just doesn't work for me.

This year, I tried scaling my client business by taking on more dealsโ€”since I had a lot of SEO writing requests coming in. ๐Ÿ’ผ

But here's the thing: working more hours, even at a higher rate, doesn't really align with my goal of more freedom. ๐Ÿ˜…

I've always been drawn to the idea of passive income, and Iโ€™ve tried building it multiple times. ๐Ÿ’ธ

The client work is all about trading time for money.

But I want bothโ€”freedom and income.

So, in the coming year, I'll probably be saying โ€œnoโ€ more often. โœ‹

4. Partnering with brands > freelancing

Let's be realโ€”working with brands as an influencer is way more rewarding than just freelancing.

When you build your authority and grow an engaged audience, brands will start noticing you and want to work together to promote their services. ๐Ÿ’ฅ

And here's the best partโ€”youโ€™re in charge!

You know your audience best, so you get to call the shots and decide how to connect with them. ๐ŸŽฏ

Freelancers earn money per project, but influencers get paid for the value they bring.

Thatโ€™s the real difference. ๐Ÿ™Œ

Iโ€™ve had the opportunity to experience both sides this year, working with amazing clients and top brands like Fiverr and beehiiv.

Honestly, thereโ€™s nothing better than collaborating with brands you genuinely love and believe in.

Itโ€™s like a partnership where your values align, making the work not only financially rewarding but also personally fulfilling. ๐Ÿ’–

Talking to beehivโ€™s content manager and just an amazing human - Kanishka. Thatโ€™s one of the best collaborations of 2024.

5. Community makes solopreneurship less lonely

๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ’ป Solopreneurship isn't really "solo" when you find your people. ๐ŸŒŸ

Iโ€™ll admit, itโ€™s tough to carve out time for chats, but I'm super grateful for my friend and fellow creator Tina Lopez (the automation queen ๐Ÿ‘‘) for our monthly "creator therapy" calls.

We brainstorm, support each other, and itโ€™s just the kind of motivation we all need. ๐Ÿ™Œ

Weโ€™ve finally met with Tina in Toronto this summer.

My unsolicited advice:

๐Ÿ‘‰ Want to move at your own pace? Go solo.
๐Ÿ‘‰ Want to grow faster? Surround yourself with like-minded people.

These lessons have been game-changers for me, and I hope they help you, too. ๐Ÿ’ก

Whatโ€™s one thing youโ€™ve learned this year?

Hit reply and let me knowโ€”Iโ€™d love to hear from you! โœจ

Cheers to an amazing 2025 ahead! ๐ŸŽ‰

Iโ€™ll be back in your inbox during the first week of the new year!

Victoria

Victoria Kurichenko

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