Advice for "Solopreneuers" from Redhead Writing

Starting or running your own small business? Then you know it's fraught with the potential for missteps and blind alleys that can slow you down.

So why not save yourself some trouble and check out this great advice from "solopreneur" star Erika Napoletano, aka Redhead Writing? Here's a sample:

1. Trade is crap. It’s a very fine line and there’s little margin for error. Someone always ends up getting the short end of the stick. If you’re looking for ways to build a portfolio, I think it’s better to quietly do work for pennies on the dollar and later raise your rates than give it away for something that’s unequal in value.
2. You’re not a freelancer. You own a business. Start treating what you do like a business from day 1 because sooner or later, you’re going to wish you had.
3. Pick a ditch to die in. Take a stand. Believe in something. Being wishy washy gets you nowhere. Grow a pair. When you stop caring about the people who will never like you, the coolest thing happens: you find the people who actually do.
4. Your target customer is not “everyone.” I watched roughly twenty six-minute pitches from startups on the DEMO Conference live feed this week, and not one startup stood up on stage and said that “everyone” was their target customer. Take a hint.
5. There will always be naysayers. If everyone agrees with you, you’re doing it wrong. But then again, if everyone disagrees with you, you just might be doing it wrong, too.

There are 14 more great nuggets of wisdom, so check out the rest of the post here.