A solopreneur plans to start and run a business all on their own. This can be a great option for you if you want to break free of the 9-5.
A solopreneur is a person who starts a business on their own, working on something they’re passionate about and have a lot of expertise in.
A solopreneur can be compared to both an entrepreneur and a freelancer, but there are some key differences.
What makes a solopreneur different from an entrepreneur?
Usually, an entrepreneur also starts a business on their own—but their long-term goal is to perfect their idea, scale their business and get employees, partners, and investors on board. Down the road, the entrepreneur might very likely be looking to sell their business at a profit so they can move on to a new project.
A solopreneur starts on their own too, but unlike the entrepreneur they plan to continue on their own too. This means a solopreneur won’t have any partners or employees—although they might outsource some work to a freelancer, contractor, virtual assistant, and so on. The goal isn’t to grow, but to earn enough to make a living, doing something you enjoy.
To see this in practice, here’s an example of how a solopreneur and an entrepreneur might approach the same business idea of starting a t-shirt company.
Entrepreneur: An entrepreneur might start alone—designing a small range of t-shirts to sell online—but over time they’ll scale up their business, for example by including more designs, enabling shipping to more countries, having warehouses in several locations, and maybe even setting up stores in big cities. They might hire employees to help scale up and might even try to get investors on board. They might also collaborate with famous designers to create limited edition shirts and find brand ambassadors to help strengthen their brand.
Solopreneur: A solopreneur will also set up the business on their own, selling a small range of t-shirts online, but they’ll aim to stay at that level or close to it. They’ll likely use a third-party supplier instead of having their own inventory stocked somewhere. They won’t hire other people, although they might have freelancers or contractors come in to do some tasks for them.
What makes a solopreneur different from a freelancer?
A freelancer and a solopreneur share a lot of characteristics. However, freelancers are usually considered to run a more casual operation than a solopreneur. Often, freelancers operate as sole traders or self-employed, and don’t set up a limited liability company.
There are some types of freelancers who are more likely to be considered solopreneurs, for example a freelancer who runs a hairdresser, a pottery store, or a cleaning company—while people who work on their laptop, such as digital nomads, are more likely to be considered freelancers only.
However, if a freelancer formally register a business they could well be considered a solopreneur.
Often, people will use these terms interchangeably. Whether you do or not, is up to you!
Ready to try it for yourself?
There are many good reasons to become a solopreneur: Maybe you have a great idea you’re passionate about, maybe you want to set your own schedule, or maybe you want to work while travelling?
2025 is a good time to start a solo business as new tech makes it easier than ever. Whether it’s accounting, invoicing, marketing, payment solutions or e-commerce, there’s free or affordable software that can do most of the job for you.
If you sell goods online, you can outsource warehousing, shipping and returns to a third-party. You can get a graphic designer to help with branding, and a web developer to help you set up a website or e-commerce site, and you can even use AI for tasks that you don’t have time or an interest in doing yourself.
With Conta, you can invoice customers for free!
These business ideas can help you get started as a solopreneur:
- 10 business ideas to do from home
- 15 business ideas for millennials
- 13 business ideas for Gen Z
- 40 business ideas for women
- 40 business ideas for men
- 20 business ideas for students
- Business ideas for retirees
- 10 businesses that thrive in a recession
There are also tons of resources online about how to become a successful solopreneur: articles, podcasts, LinkedIn posts—you can even find solopreneur groups on Reddit to inspire you.
Good luck!
