It seems everyone in the world of entrepreneurship wants to be a “solopreneur” these days. The fame and glory go to the entrepreneur who is able to find a way to make enough money to travel the world, buy a big house, and publish a monthly income report to prove it.
For some people, this works well. They find a way to set up systems and outsource work in a way that gives them complete freedom. It opens up new possibilities and lifestyle opportunities that would otherwise be a pipe dream.
Here’s the thing: one person companies don’t build jet engines. They don’t build electric cars. They don’t build the best training platforms in the world. They don’t solve huge, scary problems because one person simply can’t do it alone.
Teams build jet engines, electric cars, and training platforms. They build technology startups, space expeditions, and LED lightbulbs. They find subatomic particles and cures to cancer.
If you want to live a life of passive income on a beach, then great. Maybe you should be a solopreneur and find schemes to make your dreams come true.
But if you want to solve important problems, perhaps the goal isn’t to be completely self-sufficient. Perhaps the best way to solve important problems is to be completely codependent on a team of people who are more talented than you.
Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem that matters is to join a team that already exists. If you see an organization solving a problem better than anyone else in the world, and aligned with your vision for how the world should be… why not join them and accelerate the momentum rather than trying to start from scratch?
Similarly, what if you create the best solution in the world for a problem you care about by hiring full time employees? What if the answer is not to hire virtual assistants and contractors for the minimum possible rate?
Instead, the best way to do work that matters might be to take the best possible care of the people you work with, paying them a generous salary, offering full benefits, and giving them however much vacation they might need.
The best answer for you is the one that aligns with your north star. If your north star is to create the best solution in the world for a problem that matters to you… Perhaps being a solopreneur is a false idol.
Don’t underestimate the remarkable power of a team of talented people committed to solving a problem better than anyone else in the world.
Thank you to Corbett Barr, Chase Reeves, and Steph Crowder (my team at Fizzle) for the inspiration for this post. You’ve restored my faith in the power of a team.