If you're still getting your business advice from that one guy on LinkedIn who hasn't updated his profile since 2014... this episode is your wake-up call.

We're diving into what it really means to future-proof your solo business—and spoiler: it’s not just about hopping on the latest tech trend. From decluttering your feed to actually talking to your audience, Carly and Joe share no-fluff strategies to help you stay ahead without burning out.

Whether you’re overwhelmed by AI hype or stuck in scroll mode, this episode will help you cut through the noise and tune into what actually matters to help you run a successful solo business.

Being a solopreneur is awesome but it’s not easy. It's hard to get noticed. Most business advice is for bigger companies, and you're all alone...until now. LifeStarr Intro gives you free education, community, and tools to build a thriving one-person business. So, if you are lacking direction, having a hard time generating leads, or are having trouble keeping up with everything you have to do, or even just lonely running a company of one, be sure to check out LifeStarr Intro!

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Ever hit rock bottom (physically, mentally, or in your business )and wondered how to climb back stronger?

Zachary Del Monaco has done it twice before age 25. From spinal surgery that left him relearning how to walk to rebuilding his business and relationship with his father, Zach shares what it really takes to rise again as a solopreneur.

In this powerful and personal episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, he joins Carly and Joe to talk about grit, authenticity, and the small wins that build unstoppable momentum. Get ready for an episode that’s part inspiration, part blueprint for resilience...and all heart.

Q&As from the Episode

What can solopreneurs do when their business isn’t taking off as fast as they hoped?

Zach reminds us that success often takes far longer than expected and that persistence is the differentiator. Most people quit during the slow, uncertain middle, but those who stay consistent eventually outlast the competition. His advice? Focus on small, daily wins instead of distant goals. Each mini-milestone builds momentum and confidence until those big results finally appear.

How can solopreneurs rebuild after hitting a major setback or starting from scratch?

Having faced both physical and emotional rock bottoms, Zach believes that every collapse offers a chance to rebuild stronger. Whether it’s losing a business, a partnership, or confidence, setbacks are opportunities to reassess foundations. Instead of rushing to recover, solopreneurs should focus on what they’ve learned, redefine their “why,” and rebuild with a more stable mindset and structure.

Why is authenticity such an important part of solopreneur success?

In Zach’s view, authenticity is what cuts through the noise (especially in a world where AI can make everything sound the same). He believes that people connect to real humans, not polished perfection. By being transparent about both victories and struggles, solopreneurs create genuine trust and attract audiences who want connection, not just content.

🌟 Featured Resource: LifeStarr Intro for Solopreneurs

Are you building a business on your own and feeling like you’re going it alone? That stops today. LifeStarr Intro is a free, forever membership built especially for solopreneurs who want real support, real resources, and real community.

When you join LifeStarr Intro, you unlock:

• A vibrant community of like-minded solopreneurs for feedback, encouragement, and connection
• The LifeStarr productivity app (coming soon), built to support your workflow using GTD principles (that’s Tasks, Projects, Inbox that works)
• Live problem-solving meetups, expert sessions and strategies...and you don’t pay a thing

Total value: $65/month. Your cost? Zero.

👉 Ready to stop struggling solo and build a business that works for you?

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So, you’ve got a business idea you’re excited about. But here’s the big question: does it actually work on paper, or will it drain your bank account before it takes off?

In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly and Joe break down how to test the feasibility of your business idea, spot potential deal-breaking showstoppers, and price your services with confidence (without letting imposter syndrome drag you down).

If you’re ready to stress-test your solo venture before you dive in headfirst, this one’s for you.

🌟 Featured Resource: LifeStarr Intro for Solopreneurs

Are you building a business on your own and feeling like you’re going it alone? That stops today. LifeStarr Intro is a free, forever membership built especially for solopreneurs who want real support, real resources, and real community.

When you join LifeStarr Intro, you unlock:

• A vibrant community of like-minded solopreneurs for feedback, encouragement, and connection
• The LifeStarr productivity app (coming soon), built to support your workflow using GTD principles (that’s Tasks, Projects, Inbox that works)
• Live problem-solving meetups, expert sessions and strategies...and you don’t pay a thing

Total value: $65/month. Your cost? Zero.

👉 Ready to stop struggling solo and build a business that works for you?

Join LifeStarr Intro for Free

Have you ever wondered how to get in front of the right audience without constantly chasing leads?

In this episode, Christina Lenkowski shares how solopreneurs can use podcast guesting as a powerful tool to build credibility, attract clients, and grow their businesses. From pitching yourself with confidence to turning interviews into lasting opportunities, you’ll learn exactly how to make guest podcasting work for you.

Episode FAQs

I don’t have a huge following. Can podcast guesting still work for me?

Absolutely. You don’t need a big audience to get results from podcast guesting, you just need the right audience. Focus on smaller, niche shows that attract your ideal clients rather than chasing big-name podcasts. Those intimate, topic-focused audiences are often more engaged and more likely to convert. Think quality over quantity.

How do I find the right podcasts to be a guest on?

Start by leveraging your network. Ask peers, clients, or your online community what shows they listen to. Then, use the Podcast Piggyback Method Christina mentioned: search for someone who shares your target audience, look up the shows they’ve been on, and explore similar ones. Tools like Apple Podcasts and ListenNotes make it easy to spot patterns and find aligned shows.

How can I measure if podcast guesting is actually helping my business?

Track results in a few simple ways:

• Add a “How did you hear about me?” question to your intake forms.
• Use a unique link or promo code when sharing your offer on shows.
• Review your growth quarterly (email list, website traffic, social followers).
  Remember, podcast guesting builds long-term trust and visibility, so results often compound over time as people hear you on multiple shows.

Making changes in your business doesn’t have to feel messy or overwhelming. In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly and Joe introduce the SMOOTH method, a step-by-step framework to help you sequence changes, manage your energy, communicate with transparency, and lock in the lessons you learn.

If you’ve ever struggled to implement improvements without burning out or losing momentum, this method will give you the clarity and structure you need to move forward with confidence.

Q&As From The Episode

How do I know which changes to make first in my business?

Start by sequencing smartly. Not every change needs to happen at once, and some are dependent on others. Look at the order of operations: what’s foundational and what relies on that foundation. Begin with the changes that unlock or support others, so you don’t waste time redoing work.

I’m worried about overwhelming myself while making improvements. How do I avoid burnout?

The Smooth Method emphasizes managing your load and energy. Take on one change at a time, and give yourself breaks between projects. Running a business while trying to improve it is demanding, and protecting your time and sanity ensures you don’t stall out before seeing results.

How do I make sure changes actually stick and pay off?

First, track your success with clear metrics. Define what “done” and “successful” look like before you start. Then, after implementation, harvest the lessons by reflecting and documenting what worked and what didn’t. This way, every improvement becomes a repeatable process rather than a one-off experiment.

🌟 Featured Resource: LifeStarr Intro for Solopreneurs

Are you building a business on your own and feeling like you’re going it alone? That stops today. LifeStarr Intro is a free, forever membership built especially for solopreneurs who want real support, real resources, and real community.

When you join LifeStarr Intro, you unlock:

• A vibrant community of like-minded solopreneurs for feedback, encouragement, and connection
• The LifeStarr productivity app (coming soon), built to support your workflow using GTD principles (that’s Tasks, Projects, Inbox that works)
• Live problem-solving meetups, expert sessions and strategies...and you don’t pay a thing

Total value: $65/month. Your cost? Zero.

👉 Ready to stop struggling solo and build a business that works for you?

Join LifeStarr Intro for Free

Making changes in your business is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming when everything seems important at once. In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly and Joe walk you through the PRIORITY Framework, a practical tool to help you decide which changes are worth your time, energy, and resources. From spotting critical survival moves to weighing risks, opportunities, and alignment with your vision, this framework will help you cut through the noise and focus on what really matters.

If you’ve ever felt stuck staring at a never-ending list of “should-dos,” this conversation will show you how to turn it into a clear, strategic plan.

Popular Questions and Answers From The Episode

How do I know which business changes to tackle first?

Start with survival. If something threatens the health of your business, like a major client loss or a broken system, it automatically goes to the top of your list. Joe calls this the “Peril” step in the PRIORITY framework. Handle what keeps the doors open before anything else.

What if I have a change in mind, but I don’t have the skills or resources to pull it off?

Then it’s not a priority...yet. Implementation and resources are key filters in the framework. If you can’t realistically execute the change now, put it on a “someday/maybe” list instead of draining energy and momentum.

How do I avoid wasting time on changes that don’t move my business forward?

Ask whether the change creates real opportunity and aligns with your vision. Will it grow revenue, reduce stress, or bring you closer to your long-term goals? If it’s just a shiny object, it might feel exciting, but it won’t serve your bigger picture.

🌟 Featured Resource: LifeStarr Intro for Solopreneurs

Are you building a business on your own and feeling like you’re going it alone? That stops today. LifeStarr Intro is a free, forever membership built especially for solopreneurs who want real support, real resources, and real community.

When you join LifeStarr Intro, you unlock:

• A vibrant community of like-minded solopreneurs for feedback, encouragement, and connection
• The LifeStarr productivity app (coming soon), built to support your workflow using GTD principles (that’s Tasks, Projects, Inbox that works)
• Live problem-solving meetups, expert sessions and strategies...and you don’t pay a thing

Total value: $65/month. Your cost? Zero.

👉 Ready to stop struggling solo and build a business that works for you?

Join LifeStarr Intro for Free

You’ve worked hard to get your solopreneur business off the ground, but what happens when things start to stall, or worse, head in the wrong direction?

In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly and Joe dig into the “improving” phase of the Solopreneur Success Cycle. They uncover the seven most common failure modes that can quietly sabotage your progress, from burnout and stagnation to external threats and even your own mindset.

Whether your business is thriving or just surviving, these insights will help you spot trouble early, course-correct with confidence, and keep your business aligned with the life you want to live.

Popular Questions and Answers From The Episode

What’s the first thing solopreneurs should address when improving their business?

If there’s an existential threat, that has to come first. These are big, business-ending issues—like a major competitor undercutting your prices, new technology disrupting your industry, or a business model that simply isn’t working. Before worrying about tweaks or small improvements, solopreneurs need to tackle these threats head-on to ensure survival.

What are the “seven failure modes” solopreneurs should watch out for?

Joe outlined seven common failure modes:

1. Misalignment – your business no longer matches your goals or interests.
2. Overload – you’re working too much and burning out.
3. Money problems – not enough revenue or profit to sustain you.
4. External risks – outside forces like platform changes or new competitors.
5. Stagnation – growth stalls or customers start slipping away.
6. Execution failure – not delivering quality results to clients.
7. Psychological barriers – mindset issues like fear, procrastination, or undercharging.

Recognizing which one you’re facing is the first step toward fixing it.

How do solopreneurs know when it’s time to reimagine their business?

It’s time to reimagine when your business stops serving your life. Even if it’s profitable and running smoothly, if you’ve lost enthusiasm, feel misaligned, or your personal goals have shifted, that’s a signal to step back. Sometimes improving your business isn’t about fixing broken systems—it’s about reshaping it so it supports the life you want today, not the one you wanted years ago.

🌟 Featured Resource: LifeStarr Intro for Solopreneurs

Are you building a business on your own and feeling like you’re going it alone? That stops today. LifeStarr Intro is a free, forever membership built especially for solopreneurs who want real support, real resources, and real community.

When you join LifeStarr Intro, you unlock:

• A vibrant community of like-minded solopreneurs for feedback, encouragement, and connection
• The LifeStarr productivity app (coming soon), built to support your workflow using GTD principles (that’s Tasks, Projects, Inbox that works)
• Live problem-solving meetups, expert sessions and strategies...and you don’t pay a thing

Total value: $65/month. Your cost? Zero.

👉 Ready to stop struggling solo and build a business that works for you?

Join LifeStarr Intro for Free

After spending so much time laying the groundwork in the planning phase, it’s finally time to take action. In this episode, Carly and Joe step into the doing phase of the Solopreneur Success Cycle, where strategies move from paper to practice. They share how to run your business with intention, capture issues before they slip through the cracks, and decide what deserves your immediate attention versus what can wait. From simple fixes to documenting big-picture improvements, this is the phase where solopreneurs turn ideas into execution and momentum into results.

Important Questions From The Episode:

Why is it important to document issues instead of just fixing them right away?

Because not every problem is urgent. Writing issues down helps you pause, evaluate the impact, and decide whether it needs immediate attention or can wait until you’re in the improvement phase. It also preserves the insights you have in the moment or ideas you might forget months later when you finally revisit the problem.

What framework can solopreneurs use to prioritize what to work on?

The Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool. It helps you separate tasks into four categories: urgent and important, urgent but not important, important but not urgent, and neither urgent nor important. Doing this allows solopreneurs to focus on what truly drives the business forward rather than just reacting to whatever feels pressing in the moment.

How can writing things down reduce stress for solopreneurs?

Carrying everything in your head creates mental clutter and even sleepless nights. By getting issues, tasks, and ideas out of your brain and into a trusted system, whether that’s a notebook, worksheet, or an app, you free up mental space. You’ll rest easier knowing nothing important will slip through the cracks.

🌟 Featured Resource: LifeStarr Intro for Solopreneurs

Are you building a business on your own and feeling like you’re going it alone? That stops today. LifeStarr Intro is a free, forever membership built especially for solopreneurs who want real support, real resources, and real community.

When you join LifeStarr Intro, you unlock:

• A vibrant community of like-minded solopreneurs for feedback, encouragement, and connection
• The LifeStarr productivity app (coming soon), built to support your workflow using GTD principles (that’s Tasks, Projects, Inbox that works)
• Live problem-solving meetups, expert sessions and strategies...and you don’t pay a thing

Total value: $65/month. Your cost? Zero.

👉 Ready to stop struggling solo and build a business that works for you?

Join LifeStarr Intro for Free