My Solopreneur Life

Here’s the thing: nobody warns you how weird, and sometimes downright cringey, it feels when you try to sell your own services for the first time. If you’ve ever wondered why asking for business is so much harder when you’re the product, you’re not alone. In this episode, I open up about my own early sales stumbles, breakout moments, and the wild learning curve faced b...

In this Season 2 finale of My Solopreneur Life, I recap what “starting” really took for me and the breakthroughs I had along the way. I share why starting is not a one-time event but a choice I make at key moments, guided by intention, mindset, and the story I tell myself. I talk about how inquiry and qualitative research shaped my practice and how spotting client patt...

In this episode of My Solopreneur Life, host Terry Pappy talks with Natalie Benamou, founder of Her C-Suite, about launching and growing a purpose-driven business in the second half of life. Natalie shares her journey from corporate trade show executive to community builder for high-achieving women, including how COVID-19 forced a pivot, the challenges and lessons of r...

In the second part of my interview with Pia Silva, author of “Badass Your Brand,” we explore how solopreneurs can build businesses that truly last—even when things plateau or feel like a rollercoaster. Pia gives practical advice for sustaining growth, tackling dry spells and peaks, and freeing yourself from the need for “perfect” monthly income. We talk honesty in clie...

In this first part of my two-part conversation with Pia Silva, author of “Badass Your Brand,” we dive into the practical foundations of building a sustainable solopreneur or small agency business. Pia shares how her simple, bold business model transformed my own career, and we discuss real-world strategies for pricing your services, building confidence, and creating a ...

In this episode, I catch up with Stevie Johns, founder of Inkwell Management. Stevie shares her personal story of leaving a corporate career to start her own boutique speaker management agency, and how she grew her roster from three to eighteen speakers in her very first year. We talk about the importance of building authentic, heart-driven relationships and how that’s...

In part two of my conversation with Dale L. Roberts, Dale shares real-world advice and actionable steps for solopreneurs at every stage. We dig into practical considerations when starting a solo business—like making sure you have a financial safety net, getting educated about your field before “burning the boats,” and the powerful impact of finding a mentor. For those ...

In this first part of my two-part conversation with Dale L. Roberts, I talk with Dale about how he got started as a solopreneur and self-published author. Dale shares how a challenge from his corporate wellness coach led him to write his first fitness book—something he’d always dreamed of but never pursued seriously until that moment. Dale talks honestly about those ea...

In preparation for a talk to a group of folks considering starting their own business, I worked up a list of 7 items that matter A LOT. Here they are:

1. Finances - get on top of your finances before doing anything else

2. Passion - be clear on ...

Meet Harry Travis, solopreneur and ex-specialty pharmacy executive turned community building and network genius. Harry is a client of mine who I met in late 2024. He has a wonderful two part story (part one is episode 209, part two is episode 210) of his journey into solopreneurism and shares detailed challenges and realizations he faced when he launched his new consul...

In this episode, I sit down with my client—and now friend—Harry Travis, who shares his inspiring journey from a long corporate career in pharmacy and healthcare to building his own solopreneur business. Harry talks about making the leap after leaving CVS Caremark, reinvesting in himself through executive education, and how classic networking led to the creation of the ...

Before anything else, when starting a business or leveling up a business, solopreneurs must have a strong network. Building relationships as an ongoing effort will lead to more opportunities for people to help you, you to be of service to others, and for people to know about you and the problems you solve.

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Your story will make or break your solopreneur business success, depending on how you use it. If you are intentional about creating a new story about your business, how you sell, how you serve clients, how you deliver value, how you market and promote your business, you'll find each area rewards you with positive results. If your story is defeatist, negative, or self-d...

Starting a new business is exciting and intimidating, especially if you've left the corporate world or a longstanding job and are at a loss on where or how to start. But before you figure out the practical stuff, you need to get your mindset up to speed with where you want to go. In this episode, I talk about the fears and diminishing beliefs that can thwart your progr...

Learn how to incorporate AI to help you visualize positive outcomes for your business. Your success begins with your imagination, and when you focus on what you want, lean into positive outcomes, before you know it, magical things happen. And, you can use AI to help craft some very creative scenarios that you can deliberately think about and visualize to stay positive ...