Latest / The Life-First Solopreneur / 31. Expert Advice for Working Smarter, Not Harder, As A Solopreneur With Nia Lewis
Transcript
- Nia Lewis (00:00): So I always tell women who are feeling up to their neck in work, "Look, your business needs your strengths and not your hustle." So what are you really good at? If your business hired you to do the thing you specialize in, that would bring the most value to your business, or any business, what would that thing be? And is that what you're spending the majority of your time doing for your company? If it's not, then you're probably hustling too much and not focusing enough on your strengths. Intro (00:25): Bigger doesn't always mean better. Welcome to the One-Person business podcast where people who are flying solo in business come for specific tips and advice to find success as a company of one. Here are your hosts, Joe Rando and Carly Ries. Carly Ries (00:44): Welcome to the One Person Business podcast. I'm one of your hosts, Carly Ries. Joe Rando (00:48): And I'm Joe Rando. Carly Ries (00:50): And if you're a solopreneur that's big into podcast, chances are you already know who our guest is today. And if not, you should. Nia Lewis empowers solopreneurs to stop trading their time for money and start using their strengths to build self sustaining businesses. She's the author of Earn More Work Less, A Solopreneur's Guide to Building Wealth and Freedom and Host of The Solopreneur Hustle, a podcast that helps women of color take the hustle out of building a business. She's committed to helping women in business create meaningful lives of freedom and impact. So Nia, welcome to the show. We're so excited. Nia Lewis (01:23): Yay. I'm excited to be here. Thank y'all for having me. Carly Ries (01:25): Well I've kind of looked at your background and everything, but it's really interesting. So can you elaborate a little bit on your background and talk about what drove you to start this business? Nia Lewis (01:36): Right. I'm so glad you asked me that because it really takes knowing a little about my background to understand why I do what I do now. Why I wrote my book and why I started the Solopreneur Hustle podcast. My journey in entrepreneurship kind of began more as a side hustle. I've always had an entrepreneurial itch. The first thing I ever created myself and sold were little beaded bracelets that I pedaled to my grandparents friends when I was like six or seven. So when I learned how to make my own money and knew that it was possible, ever since then I just always had some sort of side hustle going. In high school I side hustled. I did hair out of my bedroom. I was known as the friend that could do everyone's hair. Nia Lewis (02:21): I eventually got my cosmetology license and worked in a salon throughout college. I never waitressed or did retail or anything in college because I was just always working in a salon or doing hair or stuff like that. I had worked internships also throughout college, which gave me kind of a peek behind the curtain at what it would look like to work a corporate job. My senior year I was working an internship all summer. It was almost like a nine to five for me. I knew then that when I graduated I could not work a corporate job. I was having a little crisis where I was like, Oh my God, I'm about to graduate. I'm supposed to be applying for jobs. But I knew no job felt like a good fit. Nia Lewis (03:02): It felt miserable to even think about going to work at a desk somewhere. So I quit my internship six months before I graduated from college and started my first legitimate business. At that time I was doing communication consulting work for local small businesses. I went to school for communication and two years into doing the service based one to one type services, I really just became burnt out and overwhelmed with that. I knew there had to be a better way to create a meaningful life. Time freedom was super important to me and I knew that I couldn't go day in and day out meeting with clients and offering these one-on-one services. It was just very overwhelming and I was always up to my neck in client work and there was never enough time. So once I started developing systems that allowed me to get my gifts and my knowledge out to the world without trading my time for money, I knew that I had to help other solopreneurs do the same thing. Nia Lewis (04:03): That is really where the Solopreneur Hustle was born. This is where my book, Earn More Work Less, was born. From my experience of relinquishing control of all the things that I was doing in my business that weren't my strengths. To get help with that stuff so I didn't have to constantly trade my time for money. Also repackaging my gifts to get them out to the world in a different way so my time wasn't always tied to every dollar I generated in business. That is a little bit about my background and why I do what I do. Carly Ries (04:38): I love that and I love that you've used your skills in your history just to help empower others. Actually that brings me to my next question. You've lived it, you've been the solopreneur hustler, you empower other women to do the same, but with women, what are some obstacles you see women face that men may not when they're exploring their solopreneur journey? Nia Lewis (04:59): Ooh, that's another really good question. I feel like there are some challenges women in business experience that men may or may not be able to relate to. Just from my experience and also talking to other women who are solopreneurs or early stage entrepreneurs, one challenge we face is trying to wear every hat. Naturally as women we are juggling a lot of different responsibilities, whether you are a wife or a mom, there's always lots of things on our plate. So when we go into business, we go in with the same mindset. I have to be superwoman, I have to do it all. I have to keep this afloat. I have to wear every hat, everyone's depending on me and I should be the person doing all of these things. What I've learned about that challenge and this is for women and men alike, our businesses don't need our hustle, they need our strengths. Nia Lewis (05:56): We don't need to be hustling. If you feel like you're on go mode 24 7, you're always hustling, then you're probably doing too much work in your business and not enough work on your business. I always tell women who are feeling up to their neck in work, "Look, your business needs your strengths and not your hustle." So what are you really good at? If your business hired you to do the thing you specialize in that would bring the most value to your business or any business, what would that thing be? And is that what you're spending the majority of your time doing for your company? If it's not, then you're probably hustling too much and not focusing enough on your strengths. Joe Rando (06:33): I love that. That's just perfect. Nia Lewis (06:36): Thank you. Carly Ries (06:38): Agreed. I am so glad you started talking about your strengths because in the solopreneur world today with a lot of people going out on their own, it can get so crowded no matter what industry you're in. So speaking of strengths, can you talk a little bit about the importance of developing your unique edge to get you to stand out? Nia Lewis (06:57): Yes. So I always feel like your unique edge comes from a place of really figuring out what no one could do quite like you if they were to replicate your exact business. So in this social media driven world, a lot of us fall victim to comparison. How can I do what they're doing as good as them, or as well as them, or how can I achieve the same success they're achieving? But when we're constantly comparing ourselves to others, really we block the creative energy that allows us to really see what our secret sauce is. So to develop your creative edge, and I can only speak from my experience, what's really helped me is taking a step back and really looking at my value. What is the one thing I have that if someone started a podcast and called it the Solopreneur Hustle and shared the same information and knowledge, what is that secret piece that they would not be able to do quite like me if they were behind the same mic? And that's what I found is where my secret sauce lies. That's where the unique edge comes from, thinking about what your secret sauce is and what no one can do like you. Sponsor (08:09): Now a quick word from our sponsor. 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? LifeStarr has created 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. Carly Ries (08:35): You have a new book coming out, Is it next week? This week? Nia Lewis (08:42): Yeah. Well tomorrow my first batch of pre-orders will actually ship out. So yes, this week Carly Ries (08:49): Okay. I thought I had the right timeline, but just wanted to make sure. We'll definitely talk more about that and where they can find it at the end of the episode. But with this new book, what are some things solopreneurs can implement starting today that will help them work smarter and not harder? Nia Lewis (09:04): Ooh, that is such a good question. So the first thing I would recommend doing, if you're a solopreneur listening and you are just feeling burnt out, overworked and overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities and micro tasks that go into operating your business day to day, the first thing you wanna do is think about one thing on your to-do list that is very overwhelming. Then think about who the perfect person would be to help you with that task. A lot of times we have difficulty relinquishing control and delegating things. We stay up to our neck and work because we are overthinking. "Oh my gosh, there's 10 things I need help with. I can't afford to hire a team of 10 people, so what am I to do?" Well then I just get immobilized and I do nothing. I recommend starting with one task. Nia Lewis (09:54): What can you delegate that would make a huge impact in your business if it got done today and it wasn't sitting on your to-do list for the next six weeks. If it could just get done today by the perfect person, who would that perfect person be? How can I find them or connect with them? I would just start there if you want to start working smarter and not harder. Really the secret to working smarter, not harder, I always say, that really in order to grow your business, you have to find the sweet spot between implementing the right systems and connecting with the right people. I always say start with that people piece. Who could you bring in to help you with something? And if you can't afford to find someone to help you with it, can that task be automated? That's the second piece here. Nia Lewis (10:37): In order to grow and not be up to your neck in work, figure out what systems you can implement and figure out who you can hire to help you. If you don't wanna start with that piece of finding someone to help you with that one task that you're gonna find on your to-do list that is bogging you down, then think about, okay, I don't wanna hire someone, so is this something I can automate? Is there an online tool that I can use to help me with this? Is there some way I can find something online that I can delegate this task to? Whether it's an app, an automated system, or an online tool. Do some research and figure out what you can do to create a system to get that task done for you. Joe Rando (11:18): What do you find when you give this advice? And it's great advice by the way. But when you give this advice to people and they either push back or don't follow through, which I'm sure happens sometimes, is it fear? Is it that I can't afford to do this, Is it I'm afraid to give up control because they won't do it as well? What kinds of excuses do you either hear or divine from the people that you're working with? What do you tell them to change about their thinking? Nia Lewis (11:52): Ooh, that's a good question. So I think some of the biggest, most significant types of pushback, I don't wanna say excuses cause it sounds so negative, but a lot of the pushback I get is all usually centered around fear. Oh my gosh, how could I trust somebody? My business is my baby. I can't give this task over to someone yet because I'm the best person to do it. I've always done it. Some is fear and that's really a combination of not wanting to relinquish control. If you've always done it, why not keep doing it? That's the mindset a lot of entrepreneurs or solopreneurs are in. Another conversation I have with entrepreneurs about why they don't wanna take this advice is that, oh well you know, I'm bootstrapping right now. I just started, I can't really afford this right now. Nia Lewis (12:41): The advice I give there is, just because you don't have money to pay someone doesn't mean you don't have value someone needs. When I started my business, especially when I was in college side hustling, oh my gosh, when you're a broke college student, you have to find ways to get creative to bootstrap your business. And so one of the most creative strategies I found to get what I needed when I didn't have any money was bartering collaboration. I think every CEO's secret weapon should be your ability to spot out talent in others. A smart CEO focuses on finding the best talent, not striving to be the most talented person in the room. I can have one conversation with somebody and know whether or not they have value that I need. If they do have value I need, then I start having a conversation about them, about what value I have that they need and how can we work together to accomplish our goals together. Just because you don't have money to pay someone doesn't mean you don't have value someone needs. For example, I was doing live classes relating to my background in cosmetology, live hair designing classes in college. I needed a venue to offer my class, but I didn't really have money to pay for one upfront. Because of my background in communication and I had done some brand development work as well. I was really good at designing websites and I had done my own. It wasn't a business really, but it was just something that I had in my back pocket, my toolbox. I ended up at this networking event connecting with an entrepreneur who had an event space and I bartered three hours of web design work in exchange for using her venue for three hours and it worked. Nia Lewis (14:26): If there's something you need that you can't afford, that you don't have money to pay someone to do or help you with, think about how you can collaborate. My second tip for that, I can't afford help fear, is consider hiring an intern. That goes back to, just because you don't have money to pay someone doesn't mean you don't have value someone needs. There may be someone who desperately needs work experience and your business' resume notation may make them a more ideal candidate for a job that they're looking to get. That's also something to think about. I think the most pushback comes from fear and the inability to relinquish control. The advice I give there is figure out how to document what you need help with, the way someone could do it without your supervision. If you know that you're giving someone the steps that they can follow to do it without your presence, then you should be able to trust who you hire enough to trust who you hire. So the fear not wanting to relinquish control and feeling like you can't afford it. Help is way more affordable than a lot of people realize. Joe Rando (15:29): That's awesome. Great stuff Carly Ries (15:32): Joe. I'm so glad you asked that question because I feel like I could have just listened to you talk for the next hour or two. Just before we dove into that question, I was like, okay, delegate, automate, delegate, automate. Now I'm like, delegate, automate, find great people, delegate, automate, find great people. just playing in my mind over and over again. Thank you so much for that. Nia Lewis (15:56): You're welcome. Carly Ries (15:57): You are so insightful. Aside from your book and your podcast, do you have any resources you think would be helpful for people going it alone? Nia Lewis (16:07): So going at it alone, I mean, some of the most helpful resources for me, not in terms of educational resources, have been systems that I use online that help me to run my business in the background more efficiently. For example, one is a social media scheduling tool that saves my life. If it doesn't get batched, it doesn't get done. So a lot of times when I'm overwhelmed and up to my neck in work, I have to figure out how to batch things so that I don't have to be stressed every day. Maybe there's just one day a week that's a hard and heavy admin day. And then the rest of my week I'm doing things that I really enjoy, things that bring me joy. So for one, it's a social media scheduling tool. Nia Lewis (16:53): The same for email marketing. I use Mailer Lite for that. There are a ton of really great podcasts I listen to like this one, and mine, that really give me a lot of insightful information that helps me with my business. One podcast that's coming to mind for me right now is the Confidence Podcast. That's another really great one to listen to. I think a lot of our barriers to success in entrepreneurship have less to do with strategy and the perfect business advice or having the right tip. It's more so about having the confidence to go after our dreams without fear. If there's one thing I would dive deep into in terms of resources, if I was just getting started, it would be to focus on having more confidence. I think that's super helpful as well. Carly Ries (17:40): Yeah, I just added the Confidence podcast for my list. So Nia, we're actually at the last question. This is something we ask all of our experts, and that is, what is your favorite quote about success? Nia Lewis (17:57): Ooh, my favorite quote about success. That's a good one. I don't necessarily have a quote that describes my favorite part of success, but I'll give you guys a little piece of advice about success that's really been meaningful for me in my journey in business. That as solopreneurs or entrepreneurs in general, if you're running a business, in order to really get all that you can out of your experience, you have to give yourself room to evolve. I think when I first started my business, I was so focused on being successful out the gates. I need people to know that I know my stuff, I'm building a successful business. But as time has gone on, it's really been my ability to evolve and reinvent myself in every new stage of growth that has allowed me to achieve success. Nia Lewis (18:57): That's really meaningful for me, not success defined by other people's standards, but success that's really meaningful for me. So a lot of times when we come up with our definition of what success looks like, we're basing that on what other people say we should do or what people say our experience should be like. But if we give ourselves room to evolve and find our way and try things and figure things out and fail and get up and do it again, that gives us the opportunity to really define success for ourselves. So if you're listening and you're starting a business and maybe you are new or you've been at this for a while and you've kind of lost your way, give yourself room to evolve. There's nothing wrong with saying, You know what? I need to get my gifts out to the world in a different way in order to create a scenario that's more meaningful and fulfilling for me in life. There's no right or wrong way to build a business. There are so many ways to achieve any given business goal. We have to really take a step back and think about what really makes us happy when we're finding our way and trying to figure out where we fit and what's important to us. So that's the most important thing that I've learned about success in terms of just like a life tip, I guess. Carly Ries (20:13): You have such great nuggets of wisdom. If people want more of them, where can they find you? Nia Lewis (20:19): You can connect with me on social media. I'm on instagram@nialewis.co. You can also follow my podcast page. I'm on Instagram there at the Solopreneur Hustle and then also on Facebook at Solopreneur Hustle. My website is www.thesolopreneurhustle.com and that is also where you can find my new book. I know you mentioned that earlier, Carly, and I just want to give a little plug about that, if that's okay. Carly Ries (20:49): Oh, please, Nia Lewis (20:50): . Thank you. So my new book is called Earn More Work Less. It's a solopreneur's guide to building wealth and creating freedom. So if you are listening and you're a solopreneur who's just overwhelmed with all of the micro task and responsibilities that go into building and growing a business on your own, I think my book will really give you some helpful insight that will help you relinquish control and start focusing more on your strengths so you can do more of what makes you happy. Carly Ries (21:20): Awesome. So excited for that. And Nia as expected, you were so great. We were so excited to have you and I'm sure our audience will agree, Joe, I'm sure you agree with me as well. And there you have it. That's it for another episode of the One-Person Business podcast. Be sure to listen to other episodes and subscribe at lifestarr.com/podcast or anywhere you subscribe to your shows. We'll see you next time. closing (21:49): 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.