The anti-VC playbook.

When I started my business, I had a simple goal: make enough money to avoid having a boss.

No big vision. No exit plan. Just something small, profitable, and mine.

But as things started working, doubt crept in.

“Should I scale this thing?”
“Am I thinking too small?”

And I’ll admit it. I got caught up comparing myself to other creators chasing growth. It took me years (and a lot of unlearning) to realize something important:

Staying solo isn’t settling. It’s a strategy.

And done right, it can be wildly successful.

A friend of mine is wrestling with that same problem now. He has an opportunity to take some VC money, but something doesn’t feel right about that path. He’s wondering if he’s crazy to turn down the money.

My take? The moment you raise capital, you get a boss. Maybe several. Pressures are entirely different, and the whole game changes.

Saying no to growth-for-growth’s-sake may seem like a rebellious (or idiotic) idea on the surface. But if you’re focused on quality of life, it’s probably the smartest move you can make.

So today I wanted to share nine rules that have helped me stay solo, profitable, and in control of my own business.

If you're aiming to build a business your way, I hope these ideas will help you.

Let’s dive in.

Rule 1: Start with your lifestyle in mind

Before you build anything, decide what success looks like for you personally.

Do you want to run a lifestyle business for 20 years that makes less but gives you more freedom? Do you want to grind for 80 hours per week to try and build something sellable? Do you want to pass a business on to your kids? What would the perfect day and week look like?

Your answers determine nearly every decision you'll make.

VC-funded companies optimize for acquisition or exits. Independent companies can optimize for sustainability, lifestyle, or impact. Know which game you're playing before you start playing it.

Rule 2: Build attention before you build revenue

Become a master at getting attention and build an audience before you worry about making any money. Too many people build products, courses, services, SaaS, etc., and then realize nobody knows who they are. That's a big problem.

Start by solving problems publicly. Write about challenges in your industry, share your learning process, and document your experiments. Interview people, distill down your learnings, and share. Approaches like this build trust and position you as someone worth paying attention to.

Once you get a little traction, your audience becomes your biggest asset. They'll tell you exactly what they need, validate your ideas before you build them, and become your first customers when you're ready to sell something. Attention is the foundation that makes everything else possible.

Rule 3: Choose profitability over sheer growth

Every feature, every hire, every decision you make should pass this test: Does this make the business more profitable or just bigger?

Profitable businesses can survive terrible market conditions, economic uncertainty, and competition. Big businesses that aren't profitable can't. Focus on unit economics that work at 10 customers and will still work at 10,000.

Rule 4: Automate operations, not strategy

Use technology to handle repetitive tasks, but keep all strategic decisions in your hands.

Automate your email sequences, your payment processing, and your customer onboarding. But don't automate your creative, your product roadmap, or your pricing. Those decisions should always be yours. The pulse you have on your customers will always help you make better decisions than some consultant or board member will.

Rule 5: Build multiple revenue streams

Diversify your income within your area of expertise to reduce risk and increase the stability of your business. I'm doing this right now as AI changes the game for everyone. It's important to be able to make money five, six, or seven different ways.

This might mean offering both done-for-you services and self-serve products. Or combining one-time sales with recurring revenue. Or combining all four of these things. Your goal as a solopreneur is to stay alive and kicking.

Multiple streams protect you and give you more options for growth.

Rule 6: Master customer development

Instead of pitching investors, get really good at talking to customers.

Spend time understanding their problems, their language, and their willingness to pay. The conversations you have will guide you to create better products than any investor feedback ever could.

Your customers are your best advisors because they're the ones actually using and paying for what you build.

Rule 7: Keep optionality front of mind

Whenever you make a decision, remember to keep your future options open. There's nothing worse than making the wrong decision and being locked in for two or three years. This significantly decreases your optionality as a solopreneur.

Avoid long-term contracts you can't get out of. Build systems that scale with you, and keep your business model flexible enough to pivot when something new and exciting comes around.

Optionality is incredibly valuable when you're building a solo business.

Rule 8: Plan for plateaus

One of the best parts about building a one-person, non-VC business is that you have no mandatory quarterly or yearly growth goals. You don't have to double or triple. Not every month needs to be a growth month. You just need to pay your bills, live your life, and save.

Build systems that can handle flat revenue without breaking your business or your sanity.

This means having healthy margins, keeping fixed costs low, and having enough runway to get through slow periods.

Sustainable businesses have seasons, not just hockey stick growth.

Rule 9: Network with others

Surround yourself with other solopreneurs who understand the independent path rather than startup founders who don't.

They'll have gone through similar challenges and have advice that is extremely relevant. Find your tribe of people and start learning from them. Start a WhatsApp group and chat every single day. Or come join my membership of 900 entrepreneurs building together. There's nothing better than getting support from people who are actually doing what you're doing.

The bottom line

There's no "right" or "wrong" way to build a business.

Some businesses and founders want to raise a bunch of capital. There's nothing wrong with that. Other folks want to stay solo, keep it small, and build a lifestyle business. That's where these rules help the most.

They're designed to help you keep control, reduce risk, and create options for yourself. And that's what solopreneurship is actually all about: the freedom to build a life you love, supported by work you enjoy...without anyone else telling you how to get it done.

If you want to learn how I've helped 6,000 people build a better life and business, then come check out my flagship course, The Creator MBA. It's a behind-the-scenes look at how I built my business from $0 to over 8-figures in revenue at 90% profit margins in just 5.5 years.

That's all for today.

See you next Saturday.