The 2 Most Common Ops Mistakes Solopreneurs Make (and How to Avoid Them)

What if the reason you’re feeling stuck isn’t how hard you’re working—but how your business is running behind the scenes?

Let’s have a real moment, solopreneur to solopreneur.

This isn’t a finger-pointing moment—I’m one of you.

I get how hard it is to juggle everything, to keep the wheels turning, to be the sales department, marketing department, service provider, admin, tech support, ops support… all of it.

I’ve been there. I am there at every new level.  

There’s pride in that hustle—but also a real danger. Because in all that busyness, I keep seeing the same two operational mistakes over and over. 

The truth is, most solopreneurs are so busy working in their business that they never have the space to work on it.

They’re the reason most solopreneurs hit a wall. The reason they stay stuck in a cycle of hustle instead of building something sustainable and getting to that next level.

I say this with love (and experience): if you don’t intentionally set up your operations to support your growth, they’ll end up holding you back. 

When we don’t build strong business operations as solopreneurs, we end up doing more than we should, for longer than we need to.

And it keeps us from the kind of growth that’s actually sustainable.

So let’s talk about the two most common mistakes I see solopreneurs make—and what to do instead.

Mistake #1: Your Processes Live in Your Head

You do have systems—but they’re not documented. 

They just happen to only exist in your brain. 

Only you know how they work.

You know how to onboard a client, send invoices, and follow up after a sales call—but if someone asks you to delegate those tasks tomorrow, your brain automatically goes,

“It’ll take more time to explain it than to just do it myself.”

Why this is a mistake:

The business won't be able to run without you...ever.

If it can’t run without you, it can’t grow beyond you. 

When everything stays stuck in your head, it means everything stays stuck on your plate. 

Every small task adds to your mental load, creating a cycle of overwhelm that’s hard to break.

Delegation becomes this huge, intimidating idea. Onboarding feels like a nightmare.

So you keep doing things that someone else could be doing, simply because you haven’t had the time to get them out of your head and onto paper.

You keep telling yourself you’ll get to it “later,” but later never comes—and you keep operating at capacity.

How to fix it: 

The fix doesn’t have to be complicated. Start small. 

Start by writing down how things get done in your business. 

Choose one task. One process. 

Capture it step-by-step. 

Do that weekly—or daily (if you're feeling ambitious)—and slowly, you’ll build a structure that someone else can step into.

Before you know it, you’ll have a living operations manual—and when you're ready to bring someone in (even a VA for 5-10 hours per week or per month), you won’t waste time trying to explain it all from scratch.

Bonus: documenting your processes gives you insight into what could be simplified, streamlined, or automated. 

It’s not just about delegation—it’s about running your business smarter.

You’ll start to feel the weight lift.

Book a Free Intro Call

Mistake #2: You Use Tech, But Nothing Talks to Each Other

You’ve got tech. 

Scheduling tools. 

A CRM. 

An email marketing platform. 

Maybe even a project management system. But they don’t feel like they’re helping you. 

They feel like just more tabs open, more things to manage, more places to forget something.

Why this is a mistake:

When your tools aren’t integrated—or you don’t fully understand how they’re meant to work together—you end up doing a lot of manual work.

You’re not taking advantage of automation, which is one of the biggest levers you can pull as a solo business owner.

You're likely overwhelmed and underutilizing the very platforms you’re paying for.

How to fix it: 

Get curious about your tools. 

What are they really designed to do? How do they work together? 

Most platforms offer great how-to videos and tutorials—use them. You don’t need to be a tech wizard, just tech-aware.

When you understand the basics, you can set up automations that actually serve you (and stop duct-taping workarounds together). 

And if figuring all that out feels like too much? 

That’s your cue to bring someone in to help you connect the dots.

That’s exactly what I do.

Book a Free Intro Call

You Can’t Scale If You’re Buried in the Weeds

If you're serious about growing your business, your operations can’t be an afterthought.

You didn’t start this business to spend your days updating spreadsheets and manually sending reminders.

You started it to serve clients. To create impact. To build something meaningful.

Because the longer you stay buried in low-value tasks, the more bandwidth you lose for the work that actually grows your business.

Rethinking Business Operations for Solopreneurs

You don’t need more hustle—you need better systems.

If your back-end systems are holding you hostage, it’s time to shift the way you work—because the way your business runs behind the scenes directly affects how it grows on the front end. 

I help solopreneurs document their systems, streamline their operations, and learn how to leverage their tech—giving them back the bandwidth they need to scale with clarity.

You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

You just need someone who gets it—and can take it off your plate.

When you're ready to stop managing everything and start leading your business like the CEO you are, I’m here to help.

If you're thinking, “This is exactly what I need,” book a free intro call—I'd love to help.