{"id":3000077048,"date":"2025-01-13T14:37:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T19:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=3000077048"},"modified":"2026-02-13T09:08:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:08:34","slug":"what-is-a-solopreneur-everything-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/workspace-solutions\/case-studies\/what-is-a-solopreneur-everything-you-need-to-know","title":{"rendered":"What is a solopreneur? Everything you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 2024, 10.4% of US workers were self-employed<\/a>. That\u2019s according to the Center for American Progress<\/a>, one of many trusted research hubs that are reaching the same conclusion: the business landscape is shifting from promoting the group, a company, to focusing on the (often independent) individual. With the rise of remote work, we\u2019ve seen more and more entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small business owners making good numbers. Now we\u2019re starting to hear about something called \u201csolopreneur\u201d\u2014which, yes, sounds both different and the same. What exactly is a solopreneur, though? And more importantly, could you become one yourself? We\u2019ll tell you everything you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"WeWork<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneur, freelancer, or a secret third thing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We cannot tackle the \u201cwhat is a solopreneur\u201d question without discussing its more famous cousins, the entrepreneur<\/a> and the freelancer<\/a>. At first glance, all three seem to be about one thing and one thing only: independence<\/a>. These are people that want to work for themselves, on their own terms, and allow themselves as much flexibility as possible when it comes to business decisions. However, that\u2019s about all they have in common when it comes to their business models. Allow us to explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In simple terms, an entrepreneur is an individual who starts their own business from scratch. They have an idea, as well as an understanding of the market they are entering, and they seek to scale up their venture, possibly turning it into a company that evolves past the stage of mere startup. They are open to, if not actively hiring employees from the very start, and many would even be willing to sell their company down the line<\/a>, should that lead to a considerable profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, a solopreneur is a business owner who is\u2026 well, solo, and who means to stay that way. Solopreneurship<\/em> is about doing everything yourself, from developing the product or service to taking care of the accounting<\/a>, marketing<\/a>, and even funding<\/a>, ideally in the long run. Hiring employees would basically ruin the fun while selling the business could only equate to giving up. In other words, the solopreneur business model is being a jack of all trades.<\/p>\n\n\n