If you’ve ever considered building a business by yourself, you’ve probably heard at least one of these:
Solopreneurship is one of the most misunderstood paths in modern business.
This article breaks down 7 common solopreneur myths, explains why they’re wrong, and shows what actually makes a one-person business sustainable and profitable.
Whether you’re an aspiring solopreneur or already running a business solo, this will help you separate noise from reality.
This is the biggest myth! The assumption is that not having a team equals a low revenue ceiling.
But income in a business doesn’t come from headcount. It comes from:
A well-designed one-person business can generate high profit margins because:
In fact, many solopreneurs intentionally optimize for profit per hour, not top-line revenue.
A 6-figure business with 70% margins and full control of your time often beats a 7-figure business that owns your life.
Side hustles are temporary. Solopreneurship is intentional.
A side hustle says: “I’m testing something.”
A solopreneur says: “I’m building something sustainable.”
The difference is:
A solopreneur business can absolutely replace a full-time income, but only when treated like a real business.
This myth confuses solo with isolated.
Solopreneurs don’t hire employees, but they:
The goal isn’t “do it all.” The goal is to build a business that doesn’t require managing people full-time.
There’s a big difference.
This myth comes from startup culture. In venture-backed models, scaling means:
But solopreneur scaling looks different. It often means:
For solopreneurs, scaling is about leverage, not complexity.
Burnout doesn’t come from being solo. Burnout comes from:
A poorly designed business burns anyone out, team or not.
But a focused solopreneur model can actually reduce burnout because:
When designed intentionally, solopreneurship increases autonomy, and autonomy is one of the biggest predictors of work satisfaction.
This myth traps many aspiring solopreneurs. They think:
“Once I have 50,000 followers, then I can sell.” The reality is that you need the right audience, not a huge one.
For example:
A small, well-positioned audience can outperform a large, disengaged one every time.
This one hurts the most. There’s a cultural belief that “real ambition” means:
But growth doesn’t have to mean headcount. Some solopreneurs choose:
Choosing simplicity isn’t small thinking. It’s intentional thinking. Bigger is not always better. Better is better.
Most myths about solopreneurship come from comparing it to startup culture. But that’s like comparing a sailboat to a cargo ship.
Different tools. Different goals.
The real question isn’t: “How big can this get?” It’s: “How do I want my business to serve my life?”
If you want:
Solopreneurship might not be a compromise. It might be the strategy.
Solopreneurship is not:
It’s just different. When built intentionally, a one-person business can offer:
And for many people, that’s the point.
If you’re considering becoming a solopreneur, or redesigning the business you already run, don’t let outdated myths make the decision for you.
Design the business that supports your life. Not the one that consumes it.
FAQs
Yes. A solopreneur can absolutely build a six-figure (or higher) business, without employees.
Income isn’t determined by team size. It’s determined by:
Many solopreneurs focus on high-margin, specialized offers instead of volume. That allows them to generate strong revenue while keeping overhead low.
In fact, because solopreneurs don’t carry payroll expenses, they often keep a higher percentage of what they earn.
Yes, if the business is designed intentionally.
Solopreneurship becomes unsustainable when:
It becomes sustainable when:
The key isn’t working harder. It’s designing smarter.
A well-built solopreneur business can support income, autonomy, and long-term stability without requiring constant growth or team expansion.
The biggest challenges aren’t technical, they’re structural.
Common challenges include:
Most of these issues aren’t caused by being solo.
They’re caused by unclear business design.
When offers are focused, pricing reflects value, and systems reduce chaos, solopreneurship becomes far more manageable and far more sustainable.