Oh sh*t. I'm in Sales.

How to put yourself out there online: in a way that feels natural to you.

The number one question people ask me when they’re thinking of becoming a solopreneur:

How do you get clients?

I think we all hope that we’ll get clients by osmosis. Like a single LinkedIn post will just yield us all the clients we need forever. We’ll never need to post about our business, ask for referrals, or put ourselves out there ever again, amen.

In the history of solopreneurship, I am sure this is how it went for at least one person. I haven’t met them yet, though.

No one wants to promote themselves because they’re worried about what people will think. And I’m gonna tell you quick story, because I think I know exactly what you’re worried about, and that thing you’re worried about has happened to me.

It was a few years ago and I was trying to drum up some business for my creative agency. I was giving Instagram a real try, and working very hard at it.

Someone who worked for me at the time told me that her friend had been looking at the content I was creating. That friend had feedback, and it was:

“Why is Sonia trying so hard?”

This felt embarrassing. It felt embarrassing that I was trying hard, that someone saw me trying hard, and then thought that was embarrassing.

It felt bad. I’m not gonna sugarcoat that part. If you’re worried that you’re gonna try hard, someone’s gonna see you try hard, they’re gonna think that’s lame, and it’s gonna hurt your feelings - you’re right. It’s gonna hurt your feelings.

I think everyone assumes after your feelings are hurt, you just get swallowed by the Earth/drop dead. At least, that’s how I saw it going.

That’s not what happens next, though.

What happens next is that you realize a few things:

1. Of course you’re trying hard? What else would you be doing?

2. You don’t actually care what that person thinks. I don’t mean it like, “f*ck them, who cares.” I mean it like, they have no idea what it’s like to create and promote a business. Anyone who does have an idea of what that’s like would never make a comment like that.

3. You’re gonna keep putting yourself out there with lighter shoulders because of your peace with 1 & 2.

There is no way around putting yourself out there. There is no way that you can escape climbing Cringe Mountain.

But on the other side are things like money, good clients, and flexibility. So I mean, up to you.

If you’re still with me for the money, good clients, and flexibility, let’s get into it:

How to Post About Your Business Without Feeling Like A Cringey, Used Car Saleswoman

Disclaimer this assumes that you’ve done your positioning homework - if you haven’t, I’d strongly suggest you start there. We’re going to talk about promoting your business using the three ingredients of positioning: your people, the tension you solve, and your edge.

Paid Subscribers: I’m linking our LinkedIn/Substack Thought Starter document here for you to help you start ideating against what we talk about below!

1. Give advice and help

“Why would I give free advice that people should be paying me for?”

Because no one knows you, no one trusts you, and giving little snippet of helpful advice is how you fix that problem.

Just because they get little helpful things from you here and there doesn’t mean they can do the whole thing themselves.

Giving helpful tips and tricks related to the problem you solve is an easy way to talk about what you do without making it feel forced -and gives your audience a reason to follow you for more.

You’ll notice I’m doing #1 right now. I’m giving you advice, I’m showing you how I think about posting, but I’m not giving everything away for free. Things like my LinkedIn and Substack Thought Starters Doc are just for subscribers.

2. Share your process

You don’t need to give away everything, but give some behind-the-scenes about how you approach solving your specific tension for your audience.

What are the three things you believe someone needs to know to solve their problem?

What do you do that no one else does that leads to success?

Why do you focus on X while your competitors are focused on Y? What happens as a result?

What does it look like inside your process? Give them a narrative of what you’re going through right now with one of your clients.

3. Share the transformation

People are coming to you because they want out of a certain tension. They want to get more time back, they want more clients, they want to feel at ease about their future, they want a clean house, whatever it is.

Write about how that happened for one of your clients. How did they feel? How did you feel?

4. Write about what makes you want to scream

Rage is good inspiration for any post. Think about the problem you solve :

What do your competitors do to address the problem you solve that’s infuriating/wrong/annoying?

What have you seen out in the wild related to your work that’s made you angry?

What do you believe that others in your field - or maybe your audience- may disagree with?

5. Remind people about your business in other places besides the post itself.

This one is more Linked-In specific, but remember that it’s common to post a little blurb about you and your business at the bottom of a post in LinkedIn culture.

Even if you’re just posting a silly meme about what it feels like to be living in the problem you solve, throw your business at the bottom.

What makes a good LinkedIn blurb?

1. Remind people of what you do

2. Include a little detail that makes you human and memorable

Paid Subscribers- steal my LinkedIn blurb outline below!

And there you have it. Five ways to talk about your business this month without giving yourself the ick.

If you’re climbing Cringe Mountain and just starting to post about your business, tag me. I’ll know what it’s for and I’ll know what to do (like and comment and cheer you on, obviously).

Business [Comma] Woman is for anyone building (or thinking about building) a business around their skills. Whatever you’re good at: accounting, tarot card reading, window washing, marketing, therapy -if it’s legal, I want you to make money at it. I focus on the stuff that gives most solopreneurs hives: getting clients, marketing themselves, pricing, etc. If this article resonated or was helpful, please share it!