As a solopreneur running a service-based business, one of the biggest challenges I face is balancing the demands of client work with the need to focus on my own business and marketing. I often say to people, “I’m a marketer who is the worst marketer for my own business”. I’m often so focused on helping clients, I forget to prioritize my own marketing needs. With limited time and resources, it can feel like a constant juggling act to ensure both sides of the business get the attention they deserve.
The struggle is real
If you’re like me, you might find that it’s all too easy to prioritize client work over your own business needs. After all, client projects often come with deadlines and our income depends on it, while marketing and business development efforts can feel more abstract, with the impacts less immediate. I’ve learned over the years (and continue to learn) that neglecting my own business marketing in favor of client work can lead to burnout, stagnation, and missed opportunities for growth.
Finding alignment in how I market
One of the ways I’ve managed to balance these competing demands is by finding marketing strategies that energetically align with me. So marketing doesn’t feel like a time or energy drain—it can be something that fits naturally into my week and resonates with the way I feel comfortable putting myself out there.
I’ve had a personal presence in social media for years, but have never felt comfortable posting much about me or my life. When I started my business, I felt like I should be on social media for my business because that’s what the online coaches and business influences were showing me to do. And yet most of the work I was getting was through my network and connections I was making through in-person meet-ups and coworking. So I struggled with what I should be doing and the feelings of having to be more visible in social media versus the reality of how I was getting clients that felt more in alignment. So I shifted strategies to focus on where and how I feel more empowered in talking about my work to call in clients.
This has shown up in the form of networking, joining communities (physical and virtual), and setting up connection calls. I also occasionally post and activate in LinkedIn as this is the one channel that I feel most comfortable in. Focusing on these activities not only help me market my business, but they also energize me by allowing me to build relationships and collaborate with others. By focusing on marketing strategies that align with who I am, I’ve found that I can promote my business without feeling drained or overwhelmed.
Intentional time for my business
Another rather recent strategy that has made a significant difference in my ability to balance client work with marketing is setting up meeting-free Mondays. By dedicating one day a week to focus solely on my own business, I’m able to be more present and intentional in my marketing and business development efforts. This dedicated time allows me to work on crafting marketing materials, developing new service offerings, get my business admin to-dos checked off the list, and check in with my seasonal plan.
This took me a while to implement because I was always afraid I needed to be available for my clients first. So a whole day to remain meeting free felt stretchy. But having implemented it for several months now, it’s been the difference that’s made the difference in being more present in my business. And it hasn’t impacted any of the client work. In fact, I think it’s improved the workflow because I’m more organized and intentional in all aspects of my business.
The power of co-working
I’ve also discovered the power of co-working as a way to stay productive and motivated. This started off by joining physical co-working spaces and then in 2020 joining an entrepreneur community that offered virtual co-working. Co-working provides a sense of personal accountability and community, which can be especially valuable for solopreneurs who often work in isolation.
The power of virtual co-working has been so impactful, I co-founded an entrepreneur community, Full Circle Ideas. The foundation of Full Circle Ideas is coworking time and themed live sessions such as Creativity Circle (artistic playtime) and Learning Lab (dive into those self study courses you’ve purchased and haven’t touched). We incorporate the pomodoro method to focus on build in breaks and check ins. It never ceases to amaze me the magic in body doubling–working on my stuff in the presence of others that inspires productivity and helps me stay focused.
Staying organized
To effectively manage both client projects and business development, finding ways to stay organized has been instrumental. I’ve found that using project management software like Asana coupled with day planner– like Panda Planner–has been a life-changer for keeping my priorities straight. Asana helps me organize and track my all business priorities and client tasks with due dates, while the Panda Planner helps me stay grounded in the tasks for the day.
I also use Asana to stash away ideas for when it’s time to create marketing content or workshop new service offerings. Whether it’s jotting down blog post ideas, saving potential social media content, or planning out a new service launch, having a dedicated space to store and organize these ideas makes it easier to act on them during my meeting-free Mondays.
Asana’s flexibility allows me to break down larger projects into manageable tasks, set deadlines, and track my progress. This not only keeps me on top of my to-do list but also helps reduce the overwhelm that comes with managing multiple aspects of my business simultaneously.
Shifting priorities
It’s been easy for me to fall into the trap of prioritizing client work over my own business needs. But by finding strategies that align with my energy, I’m working on finding that balance that allows both my business and clients to thrive. It’s been a process of experimentation and one I likely will continue to evolve. As I learn more. As the nature of my client work changes. As my needs shift. At the core tho, I’m continuously reminding myself my business deserves just as much attention and care as my clients—make sure I’m giving it the time and energy it needs to grow.
