The Real Reason You’re Not Standing Out As A Solopreneur

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Standing out in a crowded market has never felt harder, especially for solopreneurs competing in a world flooded with content, automation, and AI. But in this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly Ries and Joe Rando explain why competition isn’t actually the problem most solopreneurs are facing.

The real issue? Vague positioning, hidden personalities, and businesses that look interchangeable.

In this conversation, Carly and Joe unpack what differentiation really looks like for solopreneurs who don’t want to rely on gimmicks, endless content, or pretending to be a bigger company than they are. They challenge the idea that niching alone is enough and explain why your personal approach, point of view, and transparency are often your greatest advantages.

You’ll hear why solopreneurs should stop hiding behind business names, how being clear about who you’re not for can attract better clients, and why storytelling and authenticity matter more than awards, credentials, or polished marketing copy. The episode also explores how AI has changed the content landscape, and why clarity and honesty now matter more than volume.

If your business feels lost in the noise, this episode offers a practical checklist to help you show up differently, attract the right clients, and stand out in a way that actually feels sustainable.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why a crowded market isn’t automatically a bad thing
• The difference between competition and unclear positioning
• How solopreneurs can use personality as a strategic advantage
• Why hiding behind “we” instead of “I” can hurt trust
• How process, transparency, and fit differentiate you more than tactics
• Why having a clear point of view helps the right clients self-select
• How storytelling builds trust faster than credentials
• What role AI should, and shouldn’t, play in your messaging

Who This Episode Is For

• Solopreneurs struggling to stand out in saturated industries
• Business owners feeling invisible despite “doing all the marketing things”
• Creators overwhelmed by AI-generated content and noise
• Anyone who wants better-fit clients, not just more leads

Key Takeaway

You don’t stand out by being louder; you stand out by being clearer. For solopreneurs, differentiation comes from who you are, how you work, and how honestly you show up.

Episode FAQs

How can solopreneurs stand out in a crowded market?

Solopreneurs stand out by clearly communicating who they are, how they work, and who they’re best suited to help. Differentiation comes from personality, process, point of view, and transparency, not from trying to compete on volume or trends.

Is competition really a problem for solopreneurs?

For most solopreneurs, competition isn’t the issue. The bigger challenge is unclear positioning. Even in crowded markets, there is room for solopreneurs who clearly articulate their approach, values, and working style.

What role does personal brand play in solopreneur success?

Personal brand is a major advantage for solopreneurs because clients work directly with the individual, not a team or agency. Showing personality, preferences, boundaries, and transparency helps attract better-fit clients and build trust faster.

So, if you are lacking direction, having a hard time generating leads, or are having trouble keeping up with everything you have to do, or even just lonely running a company of one, click here to check out LifeStarr Intro!  

Episode Transcript

Carly Ries: Feel invisible in a crowded market? It's probably not your industry, it's your positioning. In this episode, we break down why too much competition is usually the wrong diagnosis, and what actually helps you stand out. From clarifying your point of view and embracing your personal brand, to owning who you're not a fit for, this conversation is packed with real talk and practical shifts you can make immediately. You'll learn why being vague is more dangerous than being niche, how authenticity builds trust faster than polished marketing, and why transparency, yes, even about your flaws, might be your biggest competitive advantage.

So if you've ever wondered, how do I stand out when everyone seems to do what I do? This one's for you. You're listening to the Aspiring Solopreneur, the podcast for anyone on the solo business journey, whether you're just toying with the idea, taking your first bold step, or have been running your own show for years and want to keep growing, refining, and thriving. I'm Carly Ries, and along with my cohost, Joe Rando, we're your guides through the crazy but awesome world of being a company of one. As part of LifeStarr, a digital hub dedicated to all things solopreneurship, we help people design businesses that align with their life's ambitions so they can work to live, not live to work.

If you're looking for a get rich quick scheme, this is not the place for you. But if you want real world insights from industry experts, lessons from the successes and stumbles of fellow solopreneurs, and practical strategies for building and sustaining a business you love, you're in the right spot. Because flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone. No matter where you are in your journey, we've got your back.

So Joe, last week we did a sound bite episode on what to do if your marketing efforts aren't working and you're not getting the clients, and it's so frustrating. But another question we get asked a lot is how do I stand out when my industry feels crowded? Feel like there's gonna be a lot of overlaps between the two episodes, but with some changes, because we're gonna have to start talking about marketing, I guess. I wanna say something. I don't think a crowded market is necessarily the problem.

I think a vague business is the problem. Very few people are gonna be unicorns in the sense that they're not gonna have competition or a lot of competition.

Joe Rando: And as we've talked about, that's not a really a big problem for most solopreneurs because they're not trying to rule the world. Right? So there's room.

Carly Ries: Yeah. There is room, especially as the solopreneur world continues to grow at a rapid pace like it is. a crowded market is almost a given. I hate to say it because people don't wanna hear that. They wanna think that they're gonna stand out and it's gonna be easy.

And I would argue there's never been a harder time to stand out in the world between online space, AI, everything's global like in terms of the customers you can reach. It's just really really hard. Content is being produced at a rapid pace because of AI. It's just really tough.

Joe Rando: Bad content.

Carly Ries: Bad content. But content nonetheless, which makes it hard because that used to be a differentiator for people. So now you really need to look inwards and think how am I different? The market may not be different, but how am I different? is it the way I talk to people?

Is it the way I market? Is it my process? Like, is the working experience people get with me different than the working experience that people get with another person doing the same thing that I do? I think to stand out, you just really have to show, especially as a solopreneur, who you are and how you work. And see if it's a good fit. I won't name names, but we signed on with a social media company a couple months ago to see if they could maybe like take that off of our plates. And the way that the process works, it wasn't a good fit. I'm not saying it's a bad company. They're a great company. They have great reviews.

But they weren't a good fit for us. And they didn't fully grasp our tone, our style, our personality. And that just wasn't the right process. there was nothing wrong with the company. We just didn't work well with them.

And so you need to think of how you can portray that to your audience. I would say number one, before I move on, Joe, anything you wanna add to that?

Joe Rando: No. I mean, I think you're absolutely right that it's a function of differentiating yourself in some way that is important to the client. But I guess the only thing that it kind of leads me to is to say, you know, when we talk about solopreneurs, really I think one of the best ways to differentiate yourself is kind of and I'll use the term, but I don't quite mean it exclusively this way, personal brand. Right? But I really mean you. as you were pointing out, it's like you have a certain personality, a certain approach. And if people get to know you, there are certain people that are likely gonna be attracted to you, as the person that they would like to work with. And I think some solopreneurs hide behind a business. They say they have a business name, and they say we instead of I, and they try to pretend they're a bigger company when they're not.

But in a way, you're not playing your superpower. Your superpower is you're one person. What you see is what you get. It's not gonna get handed off like we always talk about agencies, and, you know, you go to an agency and you get handed off to the kids that just graduated college.

And I don't know. It just to me, I think that people are shooting themselves in the foot there. So that's my take on it.

Carly Ries: Knowing who you are as a personal brand, but also knowing who you are not. And that's another big thing that you should share with your audience in terms of standing out, is you're not gonna be right for everybody. somehow this gal was in my wedding and is still one of my best friends to this day, but she is not a morning person. And when we work together in person, I'm like a jolt of caffeine in the AM.

And so she'd walk in and I'd be like, oh, blah blah blah This is what happened blah blah blah. And it got to the point where she'd put up her hand and say, not now, Carly. And she called me Carl. Not now, Carl. And she and I knew I couldn't talk to her for forty five minutes.

And I know I was not her cup of tea in the morning. we didn't mesh. And you need to if you are a person that doesn't like bright and chipper people in the morning, like you just gotta not work with me because that's when I'm gonna be on my A game. And I'm gonna be a little drowsy in the afternoon and kinda low energy. And if that's when you work best, we're not gonna work well together.

So I think even just knowing those little things about the people that you're trying to stand out to. Say, if you don't like this, if you don't like this, if you don't like this, I'm not the solution for you. But hey, these people might be, and be helpful. And also consider that as a way to stand out. Like don't bash other people in your street. Be helpful, and that will also separate you from a lot of others.

Joe Rando: That's such good advice. if you're not the right fit, send them to somebody that is. If you're completely booked, send them to somebody that's got some availability. It worked so well for us at our last company. people would come to us, and they couldn't afford us most of the time because we were the high priced leader.

And we would send them to this other company that was lower priced. And, you know, they were like, thank you. Thanks and then sometimes they get more budget and come back to us later, you know, a year later, two years later. So, yeah, I totally agree with that. Just be helpful. That's always a good thing.

Carly Ries: I think the other thing in terms of standing out. we talk about niching down in almost all of our episodes. So I'm not gonna dive into it because sometimes even when you niche down, it's still a crowded market. I mean, that's just the state of our world. you still might have competition no matter how far down you niche. So when you get to that point, I think a big big thing to consider is a point of view. If you have niched down as far as you can and you still

Joe Rando: And to observe who you serve, you're saying. So just to be clear. So yeah, we help, you know Carly has a business helping women, that have, school age children, you know, develop, additional educational programs for their kids when they come home from school. Or I don't know. I'm just making it up.

So yeah. you've got something like that, but so that you can take it beyond that.

Carly Ries: because there still might be people as specific as that was, there still may be people competing for your attention. Having a point of view these days is so important. Joe, you talked about this on the last episode. But to the point like you'll probably offend people, and I know that makes people squirm, and that makes people feel uncomfortable. But if you just say the same thing that everybody else is saying, then you're gonna get thrown in with everybody else.

But if you stand there and be like, this is the stance I'm taking, like it or don't, again, the like it people will wanna work with you. The don't people, you can refer to the other competition within your space. But I know that came up last week, I just feel like it's worth saying. And I would say to stand out, become a good storyteller. People don't need the, I got this award at this thing, and I'm blah blah.

I'm ranked this, and I'm so awesome. They want a story. They want to be the hero of that story. I mean even though it's said time and time again to use story, not a lot of people use it. And so if you could position your business in a storytelling way that relates to people, that will get rid of a lot of your competition if you can master that craft.

And you need to master it. You can't rely on Chat GPT to master it for you. You could train ChatGPT to work with you on it, but it should really be a big skill that you possess in order to stand out from the crowd. Anything you wanna add there?

Joe Rando: Yeah. I like using ChatGPT to see how to do it wrong. You know? I'll give ChatGPT certain prompts and then go, oh, yeah. That's not at all right. but it does inspire me . you know what I'm saying? It gives you that contrast to work from. It can save you some time. And sometimes it is a good idea. I don't wanna discourage people from using chat GPT. But it should start with you and start with, how you see yourself in the story that you're telling.

Carly Ries: I think the last thing I wanna say is to be authentic and transparent. If you guys don't follow Marcus Sheridan, he is so great about saying put your pricing on your website. Answer all the questions. Be vulnerable. Be honest about what you do, what you don't do.

I Think I've said that enough on this show in today's episode. But show all of your cards. Don't hide anything. They're gonna figure it out one way or another, whether it's before they hire you or after they hire you. So you may filter the ones you don't wanna work with out at the beginning, then wait to get through the whole lead nurturing process and all the way to the sale and maybe even beyond to find out you guys aren't a good fit.

So just put everything out there because, again, not everybody does that. So that's a big differentiator as well.

Joe Rando: that's a great point, Carly. And on that, with Marcus, he'll basically tell people you know, he was in the pool business, he did fiberglass pools. And he, on his website, would tell people the downfalls or the negatives of fiberglass pools versus other kinds of pools. So he would say, this is why they're better, but these are the things that are worse, and it might not be right for you. You might want a gunite pool or a liner pool.

I don't know all the the details. But he would literally tell people, let them figure out that they did not need his product. But the people that did , trusted him so much because of that, that they were being fed the truth that he just got all the sales. That he was due, so to speak.

Carly Ries: Absolutely. So I think those are my 2¢. If you are having issues standing out in a crowded market, try to go through this checklist and see what you could be doing differently, and maybe, hopefully, that will help move the needle. Anything else, Joe?

Joe Rando: I'm done.

Carly Ries: Alrighty. Well, thank you so much for tuning in. As always, please leave that five star review. It really helps us spread our message to other solopreneurs who are in your shoes, and that is why we do what we do. We genuinely, genuinely like helping people, so those reviews will help us do that.

Share this episode with a friend that's having trouble standing out in a crowded market, and be sure to subscribe to our show on your favorite podcast platform. That includes YouTube. We have a video. This recording is up there as well. So do that, and we will see you next time on The Aspiring Solopreneur.

Closing: You may be going solo in business, but that doesn't mean you're alone. In fact, millions of people are in your shoes, running a one person business and figuring it out as they go. So why not connect with them and learn from each other's successes and failures? At LifeStarr, we're creating a one person business community where you can go to meet and get advice from other solopreneurs. Be sure to join in on the conversations at community.lifestarr.com.