As I’m making my holiday wish list on Amazon and sending it to my mother (Don’t judge! Don’t you wish your mom still sent you fuzzy socks for Christmas?), I’m thinking about those less tangible things I’d love someone to give me that are perfect for a micropreneur like myself (someone who operates a business on a very small scale).
If Santa is reading this, here are the things this micropreneur hope to find in her stocking on Christmas morning:
1. A sounding board
Micropreneurs can be lonely souls. We make all the decisions for our business, so we have to be confident that we’re doing the right thing. It can be exhausting sometimes.
I recently started a second business with a good friend, and let me tell you—having a partner (the right partner) makes for an incredibly different experience as a business owner! It’s wonderful to have someone to bounce ideas off of, who gets just as excited as I do about possibilities for our business . . . and is quick to put the kibosh on dead-end ideas.
Micropreneurs don’t necessarily need to take on business partners to benefit from this. All we need is a business-minded friend to listen to us once in a while, cheer us on, or tell us that we’re making a horrible decision.
2. A day off
I’m actually pretty good about taking time off, but I know that’s not always easy for most micropreneurs. After all, we are the business. If we aren’t there, it doesn’t function. Even if it’s just a fantasy to have a single day off without having to think about our business, let’s add it to the list. No checking email. No texts from our employees if we have them. Just a solitary day doing whatever we want.
3. A financial guru
Yes, I have an MBA and can manage my FreshBooks account, but I still don’t know if I could be smarter with my business’s money. (I suspect I could.) One of the best things I did a few years ago was to hire an accountant to help with my taxes. Rather than scrambling in April to pay a big tax bill, he’s helped me manage my taxes throughout the year, and he checks in come December to make sure I’m organized and on track for tax season.
But, Santa, maybe I need some kind of financial advisor, as well. Someone to tell me where to reinvest—or whether I’m taking too much (or not enough) salary. Someone to see the bigger picture that I usually ignore to ensure my business’s financial future. Yeah, that would be nice. Not sure how he’d fit in the stocking, though . . .
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4. A boundless supply of new clients
I’m pretty happy to say I’m closing out one of my best years ever, but I don’t take that for granted at all. I know that, as a micropreneur, business fluctuates from year to year, based on the economy and how much marketing I do—not to mention, which direction the wind is blowing. I’ve never quite gotten accustomed to the ebb and flow, so it would be great if Santa would bring me more business than I think I can handle because, let’s be honest, we can always handle more!