What Is a Solopreneur? You Might Already Be One.

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I was 43 years old when I found out what a solopreneur was.

I was nine years old when I started acting like one.

I live in a world where the word “entrepreneur” is shoved down my throat so hard that it never allows me to give meaning to who I really am.

Even now, as I type the word “solopreneur,” my word editor underlines it in red, convinced it’s a typo. Here is the reason why:

“Many word editors still don’t recognize solopreneur as a standard dictionary word, even though it’s widely used, so they mark it as a misspelling by default.”

The issue isn’t the word. It’s the lack of recognition.

Even software hasn’t caught up to what solopreneurs actually are.

Society highlights anyone who starts a business as an entrepreneur, with a special focus on those who manage teams, build large companies, or raise eye-catching amounts of capital.

The famous people I look up to typically have unmentioned teams, and are presented as a one-person show. The truth is that they have PR folks, personal assistants, accountants, managers, marketing teams, admin assistance, lawyers, and so many others that keeps the train on the track.

Until I was 43, I never heard about anyone like me.

At nine years old, when I started my candy machine business, I wanted to do the work myself and avoid a middleman.

I talked directly to business owners about getting into their stores, bought the bags of candy at Sam’s Club, and tracked what was selling fastest in my journal. I wanted to be the one counting the quarters, logging the amounts, and making the deposits at the bank.

I rode my BMX bike to the bank every Saturday morning with a Ziploc bag of quarters.

What pushed me further into this pattern was college, when professors assigned group projects and gave all participants the same grade regardless of who did the work.

Guess who did all the work?

I found that laziness, a lack of pride in one’s work, and the daily mistakes that happen to all of us humans were more fuel for wanting to be the only one accountable for my work.

I love working with a team, but what I love even more is knowing that my contribution is going to not only be welcomed but seen as a respected addition.

I took four full-time jobs and converted them into long-term contracting gigs, and then added another 26 clients around that work for a total of 30 clients.

I do my own taxes. I answer my own calls. I respond to every email daily. I map out my calendar. I write all of my content. I strategize my investments. I run my life.

Rarely does anyone shine a light on the people doing everything (and I do mean everything) themselves: the strategist, the executor, the accountant, the marketer, and the visionary, all in one.

When a role isn’t named, it isn’t acknowledged. When it isn’t acknowledged, it’s easy to assume it doesn’t “count.”

It fucking counts.

Solopreneurs keep businesses running, serve communities, innovate quietly, and create real impact without needing a team behind them.

In 2025, solopreneurs contributed $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy.

The red underline wasn’t telling me the word was wrong. It was reminding me that the word hasn’t been given the value it deserves.

The world can keep underlining it, but the value? Undeniably solo.

I know $1.7 trillion reasons why, and over a million of those reasons are from my work alone.

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