Top tips from Flying Solo: the book

The book I’m referring to is Flying Solo: How to go it alone in business, written by Robert Gerrish, Sam Leader and Peter Crocker.

I received this book when I joined up for Business Class a while ago, and over time I eagerly nibbled my way through various sections. Today I’m delighted to share a few tasty small business tips (from it) with you.

Stay true to yourself

• As a soloist, it’s crucial to keep a handle on the things that are essential to ensure your wholeness. Sometimes you get so immersed in ‘doing it’ you forget to be true to your principles.
• Soloism is a profession where it’s your duty to be yourself. Soloism demands that you be 100-per-cent you.
• Show respect to all people at all times. Poor behaviour in others is not an excuse to follow suit.
• Be your ‘best client’. Treat suppliers in the same way that you expect to be treated by clients.

Surround yourself with ideal clients

• In business, as in life, keeping the right company can be one of the most important choices you make.
• View the people you work with not merely as clients, but as partners.
• Complete a profile of your ideal client before starting your business so that you nurture new relationships earlier, and feel stronger in your resolve when encountering non-ideal clients and projects. (NB: there are questions in the book to help you profile your ideal client!)

Talk about money

• If you’re blasé about money it sends signals that you’re blasé in your work. The same goes for taking your business seriously: if you don’t, you can’t expect others to, either.
• If you’re uncertain about your worth, clients will pick up on this and their perception of your status will diminish (which can likely result in reduced fees).
• Being underpaid leads to resentment. Resentment does not build client relationships, it destroys them.  

There’s more where that came from!

The Flying Solo book is over 200 pages long, so naturally the above points are only a very small sampling from a smorgasbord of information. If I were you I’d grab a copy, slap on a napkin and dig in. Bon appétit!

Do you have some soloist wisdom to impart? Or what standout small business tips did you learn from Flying Solo: how to go it alone in business? Please share in the comments.

Read more on the power of inspirational books, and browse our popular forum thread – The Best Small Business Books Shelf – to find your next business read.