Sam Burkmon's Linkedin Analytics

The first letter I ever got from the IRS freaked me out. I had paid the wrong state taxes 2 years back. Woops 🤣 With a lot of help, I got the ordeal settled, even ended up overpaying (of course), and learned many valuable lessons. In business, it can feel like everything matters. Because it kind of does. I was in the business of branding, not the business of business. I knew logos, not ledgers. But all my knowledge in branding didn’t mean I could snap my fingers and turn that knowledge into a business. Because even though everything does matter in business — accounting, branding, marketing, sales, product, community — you can’t do it all. Spoiler: you’re not supposed to. 2023 is definitely different than 2018. It’s hard to believe how technologies like AI have transformed our world. Overnight. But even with powerful resources like ChatGPT, Midjourney, you-name-the-next-AI-tool-I-can’t-keep-up, it’s still hard to do it all by yourself. Be the head of sales and marketing and product and accounting and... Even the BEST solopreneurs will tell you that going it alone is dumb. Because we’re human. Even in 2023, we still need each other. The world today is immensely complex, as are the problems we daring founders try to solve. Whether it’s climate change, transportation, mental health, or f*ck — a bad*ss video game…we need others. One perspective is rarely enough to do the best job. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have your own business. You abso-freakin-lutely SHOULD. I’m just saying doing it together rather than alone is probably your biggest ticket to making progress. Here are the best ways, I’ve found, for founders to stay small, nimble, and mighty without going crazy (or feeling lonely): 👯 Join a community 📅 Attend local events 🔊 Build a voice online 🤝 Co-create with other founders / builders / creators (whatever we call it now) 🏸 Work with a coach 💼 Work with a consultant Basically: don’t do it all by yourself. Some part of it, do together. You can be a solopreneur and a co-preneur. Because all that vision you have, the world needs. When it's only you, you don’t just limit yourself. You limit the vision. Whatever you’re in the business in, you’re not alone. If you feel that way now, know you don’t have to if you’re willing to put in a little effort. You can start right now by DM-ing me and telling me your story, why you feel stuck, or just to say hey if you can’t think of anything else to do. Or try one of the ideas above. You got this. I’m rooting for you. Even if we haven’t met. Human-to-human, ya know? 👊