What Motivates Me As A Solopreneur – (It Might Surprise You).

Let’s have a real conversation today.

My main motivation to build as a solopreneur ALWAYS comes back to time.

I want more of it. Not necessarily more hours in the day. I want full ownership of more than 30 minutes of true time I enjoy. And I want it just for me.

Up until this very epiphany I am having as I write this, all of the changes I’ve made in how I approach my career have been motivated by parenthood.

• I left my 9-5, so I had time to help homeschool my kids in quarantine.

• I left my stylist job, so I had time on the weekends to go to soccer and t-ball games on Saturdays.

• I left an agency position, so I got back 2 hours in commute time a day, which allowed us to sign our kids up for extracurriculars in the evenings.

And as they get older, their calendars are getting busier and busier. I’m a glorified Uber driver, from school pickups and dropoffs to weight lifting, soccer, hitting, and social gatherings for the high schooler.

I have to admit that I’m proud of myself for how I’ve redesigned a life that allows me to be present and give our kids these opportunities. I LOVE watching them excel in sports, enjoy their friends, and get a front-row seat as they discover who they are and what they like.

But I’m getting that gnawing restlessness I have come to recognize as a signal that it’s time to shift gears and reinvent how I approach things. Again. And this time, the motivation isn’t THEM. It’s ME.

I want time back for myself. I want to go to lunch with my husband on his day off and not feel like I have a list of 100 tasks that I should be doing before the kids get home.

I want to go to the gym consistently again.

I want to take a day and wander through coffee shops and bookstores and just get a little lost.

I’m creative by nature, and I’ve learned that when I don’t give myself space to be alone and daydream about where I want my life to go, I get sucked into the rat race, and it’s getting harder and harder to jump off the hamster wheel every time.

You’re probably thinking, “Mindy, what’s the point here?”

And the point is that I’m not going to sugarcoat this process. I’m not going to put an aesthetic little Instagram filter on what it takes to monetize online and build passive income, and I sure as hell won’t be wrapping it up in a “get rich quick” type of delivery.

If you’re here, I assume it’s because you, too, are looking for something more. When I started my first blog in 2020, I promised I’d share what I learned, what I loved, and what was a struggle.

This week is one of those struggles, but the best type of clarity comes from these moments. And I’m convinced that it’s only starting to take shape because I’m openly sharing it with you.

I have no tips or tricks to share with you on how I will overcome this moment, because I’m still overcoming this moment. But as I wrap up this week’s newsletter, I can already feel the glimmer of a pathway begin to open in my mind.

I know I'll be taking stock of all the projects I'm working on currently and evaluating what will serve the goal of building income and taking back more time for myself. And, of course, how I can streamline this process to make it easier for you to adapt to your own journey!

For now, just know I’m so thankful to have you on this wild ride and for giving me a safe space to be vulnerable and think out loud. I can’t wait to share these next discoveries with you!

p.s. If you find these articles helpful, I’d love for your to subscribe to The Download and share it with your friends!

Happy Creating,

Mindy