Connecting

Connecting dots, connecting solopreneurs.

In the coming weeks, I’ll introduce myself a bit more, for those who don’t know how I got here, to solopreneurship. Sometimes I don’t fully know myself!

I’ll try to connect the dots between becoming an African Historian, to moving into public health and communications work, to starting my own user research business, to now, connecting with you.

Photo by Katie McNabb on Unsplash

These dots are only connected in hindsight, however. There was no discernible line at the moment, and very little sense for what could be.

I hope that connecting the dots in retrospect will help others connect the dots a bit in their own lives. When you see a side path, and you see some footprints, it makes you feel like you can go off trail a bit, right?

I also want to share some of what I’ve been doing as a solopreneur that, quite frankly, keeps me (mostly) sane. I went on a solo business retreat! I’m swimming laps in the middle of my work day! I’m finding new ways to connect to new audiences. I’m not going to sugar coat it; solopreneurship can be really difficult at times. But there’s lots of positives, too, and ways we can all make our lives easier as solopreneurs.

I also want to share my values upfront: this Substack will be unapologetically anti-hustle, it will likely refer to my politically progressive views (though it won’t be about that, per se), and will reflect my ongoing attempts to be a card-carrying feminist and anti-racist. The personal is political, and in many respects the line between personal life and work life is blurry, as it should be. I’m a mom, and I am sure that parenthood and solopreneurship will make its way in here at some point, too.

If any of this is not your thing, I warmly invite you to either agree to peacefully disagree, or unsubscribe.

If there’s something you’d like to ask me or want me to write about, and I think I have something to say about it, I will! You can contact me on my website’s contact form (www.sparkinsightsgroup.com).

PS. Shout out to Kathleen, who has me thinking about dots lately!!