September 11 and the Solopreneur

September 11, 2001 touched all of us. We all remember precisely where and when we first learned of the unfolding events of the day. Every year, the month/day 9/11 takes us back. We reflect. And then we move onward and get back to business. Business as usual.

But we can learn some lessons from 9/11 and instead strive to do business even better…

• Don’t let adversity kill your spirit – Being in business for yourself will be incredibly difficult at times. Keep motivated by your vision of what you want for your business and keep working to achieve your goals.

• Look for something positive in even the worst situations – There’s something to be learned and gained from any experience.

• Helping others gives strength – Being a solopreneur doesn’t mean you should only look out for Number 1. Coaching a new business owner (even a competitor), giving some free guidance to a client, referring a prospect to someone for services, etc. are ways to create good will and build relationships in a business environment that is sometimes “every man for himself.”

• Evil exists, but good outweighs and outlasts it – Although you’ll occasionally cross paths with a client who doesn’t respect your time and talent or a malicious online discrediting by a jealous competitor, most others you encounter will be upstanding, ethical people. Don’t let bad experiences with one or two people lead you to believe that everyone aims to drag you down to lift themselves up.

And above all, exercise persistence and resilience for a brighter tomorrow!

What other lessons from 9/11 can we apply to living and working as solopreneurs?