This spring season marks seven full years of business for Lettering Works. I’ve been feeling particularly reflective lately and also working to solve some challenges that seem to be popping up more and more and I become more established in business.

In this blog post, I’m transparently sharing some of my thoughts around intentionally being a solopreneur, my journey towards building my dream values-aligned business, frequent requests for free advice and mentorship, and the power of boundaries, as well as introducing a new program called “Take Chelsie to Lunch.”

Solopreneur by Choice

Since 2016, I have mainly existed as an intentional solopreneur. There have been a small handful of times that I have subcontracted someone or outsourced aspects of my business. I’ve had some good experiences and some rather negative ones, so I’ve personally found that I love most when it’s just me. I love the flexibility of working for myself - both because I do not have to report to anyone and because no one has to report to me. I can take a semi-spontaneous staycation day, book whatever international vacations I want, and take needed time off for doctors appointments and medical testing. This flexibility allows me to maintain a needed work-life balance that allows me to best show up for my clients.

I’ve started to embrace this intentional choice of being a solopreneur more as I’ve started to rework some previously held beliefs around having a lifestyle business. For a long time, the idea of a lifestyle business was presented to me in a negative light, so much so that I avoided identifying as one. At the end of last year, I joined the Lifestyle Business League, and I have to give them a shoutout because their definition of lifestyle business really resonated with me. It centers around five pillars: profitability, values-aligned autonomy, growing intentionally, doing business differently, and legacy. These are all things I care deeply about in my business and have helped me reclaim the title as my own.

Being a solopreneur comes with some incredible benefits, but also some frustrating challenges. The biggest challenge for me is that I am only one person. I have to come to terms with the fact that I cannot do all of the things. There are a variety of projects, people, ideas, and opportunities constantly competing for my time. It can be overwhelming at points, which requires me to be very intentional about how I choose to spend my time and energy.

Journey Towards Building My Dream Values-Aligned Business

One of the greatest benefits of being my own boss, a lifestyle business owner, and a solopreneur is that I get to do things my own way. I get to say yes to things that excite me and no to things that drain me. Without a doubt, this is easier said than done.

With the help of therapy, I’m continuously growing and strengthening my ability to choose what is best for me. It’s been a true joy to learn about myself and better define what I would like out of life. I’ve also identified how starting my business in Peoria has impacted me and how the communities I’ve gotten involved with in Chicago have had a positive impact on the business owner that I am today.

I am forever grateful to Sunnyside Chats and Lifestyle Business League for being my safe spaces to learn and grow in business. Being surrounded by so many values and mission-driven business owners in Chicago has truly helped me achieve a better work-life balance, find more meaningful work, and take my business to its next level.

Requests for Free Advice and Mentorship

If you’ve attended either of these small business groups, you know that I share very openly and transparently. I am there to help others and receive help to grow my own business. I have met some of my closest friends, both business and personal, in these groups (and other similar ones I’ve participated in over the years).

I am no stranger to sharing resources, providing feedback, and supporting others. (Exhibit A: At the bottom of this blog post, you’ll find a brand new webinar I put together for artists and creative business owners.) But here is where it has been starting to get uncomfortable for me…

I have been getting increased requests for coffee dates, free advice, and mentorship. And I quickly realized that it was cutting into both my work and personal time. A question here and there is okay but I’ve been finding these requests to be piling up and pulling me away from what I need to be spending my time on to maintain my personal and business success.

In order to get ahead of some of this, I’ve worked hard to develop programs and offerings that can be the solution for the types of questions I’ve been asked. (See: 1:1 Consulting, Self-Made Artist Academy, and the Artist Trade Program.)

I’ve also hit a point where I’ve sat on a calls with someone who is trying to convince me how great of a mentor I would be for their program, group, or someone they know personally. And I’ve realized lately that I do not need to be convinced of this because I actually offer exactly what they are asking for as a paid service. So of course I would be a great fit! But the catch in these situations is that these are unpaid opportunities, which means that I’m now hearing these asks as requests for free work. Specifically, free work without a clear benefit or return on my investment of this time. Please note that I fully believe that everything we do does not have to have a financial or business benefit.

Of course I want to help all of the people and groups and have an impact. It is my mission to create, inspire, and empower through art. But as I’ve shared, I am just one person with a limited capacity to do it all. And I am making some shifts away from saying yes to these unpaid requests as they are getting in the way of creating the business and life that I want for myself (and quite frankly, burning me out).

Rest assured that I am always open to new opportunities, especially ones that help me value my time and make an impact. #KnowYourWorthAndThenAddTax

Purchase this design as a sticker to remind you of the importance of boundaries here.

The Power of Boundaries

As any good therapist will tell you, boundaries are essential to our mental health. As one of my favorite Lettering Works’ stickers puts it “Boundaries are self care.”

I am currently focusing on implementing boundaries in a way that feels right for me and my business. I still try to answer questions and be helpful, but I am also in the process of building out more programs and resources to alleviate some of the stress that I’ve been personally experiencing by trying to help everyone and do it all.

A boundary that I’ve held in my business for a handful of years that has been really great for me is not offering discounts on my services. I stick to this boundary by not reducing my price simply to reduce my price. I can however reduce the services rendered to fit a budget in many cases. I also have an opportunity to get creative to make projects work and I do this regularly by offering trades with artists and small business owners. I’ve found that this leads to better working relationships and partnerships, ones that discounts have never helped me achieve. I am committed to instilling new boundaries in my business and personal life as I see fit.

Introducing “Take Chelsie to Lunch”

My newest boundary and subsequent program is called “Take Chelsie to Lunch” and I have created it to direct anyone who is interested in “just grabbing coffee” to “pick my brain” into a tangible way to learn from me 1:1. This program makes the exchange a win-win and is meant to be a more affordable way to connect with me than my standard, paid services.

You can learn all about the program and how it works here.

Maybe you aren’t located in Chicago or simply don’t have any funds to dedicate to learning at this time? I also share some recommended resources that you can find at the bottom of the page here.

Explore the 'Take Chelsie to Lunch' Program