What is a Solopreneur? The Honest Guide from 3 Years of Experience (2026)

Note: This article describes my personal experiences, including burnout and depression. It is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. If you're feeling persistently overwhelmed or down, please talk to a doctor or therapist.

All prices mentioned reflect my costs at the time of writing and may change.

The Short Answer

A solopreneur is an entrepreneur who runs their business alone – without co-founders, without permanent employees, but with the goal of selling scalable products instead of trading time for money.

That's the theory.

The practice? It's significantly more complicated. And that's exactly what I want to talk about in this guide.

I've been a solopreneur in Germany for over three years. I build SaaS products and mobile apps, work part-time on the side for financial stability, and document my journey publicly – including the mistakes, the setbacks, and the things hardly anyone talks about.

This guide is what I wish I had when I started.

Solopreneur Definition: What Does It Actually Mean?

The word "Solopreneur" consists of two parts:

• Solo = alone
• Entrepreneur = business owner

A solopreneur is therefore a sole proprietor who builds their business without co-founders and without permanent employees.

But here's the crucial point that many overlook:

A solopreneur isn't simply someone who works alone. It's about the business model.

Solopreneurs build products or systems that can scale – independent of their own working hours. This fundamentally distinguishes them from traditional self-employed people who sell their hours.

The Three Core Characteristics of a Solopreneur

1. No co-founders or business partners – You make all decisions alone
2. No permanent employees – You work with freelancers or tools, but nobody is permanently employed by you
3. Scalable products – You sell something that can be multiplied, not your time

Solopreneur vs. Freelancer vs. Entrepreneur: The Difference

These three terms are often confused. Here's the difference:

Freelancer vs. Solopreneur

A freelancer sells their working time. A web designer who implements client projects. A copywriter who writes articles. A developer who programs for agencies.

The problem: You can only earn as much as you work. More money means more hours. At some point, you hit the limit.

As a solopreneur, on the other hand, you build something that can sell without you. An online course. An app. A SaaS product. An e-book.

Once created, it can theoretically be sold unlimited times.

Entrepreneur vs. Solopreneur

A traditional entrepreneur wants to grow. Build a team. Find investors. Eventually sell or go public.

A solopreneur usually doesn't want that. The goal isn't the next unicorn, but a business that fits their own life. Enough income for freedom, without the complexity of a team.

This isn't a "worse" path. It's a different path.

Why I Became a Solopreneur

I could have taken the traditional path. Permanent employment. Corporate ladder. Security.

But I wanted something different.

I wanted to build things that belong to me. I wanted to decide for myself what I work on. And I wanted the freedom to not plan my life around a company calendar.

In 2020, I released my first mobile game. City Blast Match 3. Six months of work. I was 19 and thought I was building the next Candy Crush.

The result: €5 in revenue. Probably from my mother.

I was devastated. Impulsively deleted the project. Slipped into depression.

But I also learned something important: Knowing how to code isn't enough. You have to understand how business works.

Since then, I've tried a lot, learned a lot, and slowly started putting the puzzle pieces together.

The Advantages as a Solopreneur

After three years, I can say: There are real advantages.

1. Maximum Freedom in Decision-Making

No alignment meetings. No compromises with co-founders. No investors interfering.

When I have an idea, I can implement it immediately. When something doesn't work, I can pivot immediately.

This speed is a real competitive advantage.

2. Low Costs and Low Risk

I run my entire business for about €13 per month. A VPS server, a few open-source tools, done.

No office space. No salaries. No expensive software licenses.

This means: I don't need much revenue to be profitable. And if a project fails, I lose time – but not a fortune.

3. Scalability Without a Team

A digital product can theoretically be used by a million people without me having to work more.

Of course, reality is more complicated. Support, updates, marketing – these don't scale by themselves. But the basic principle holds: I'm not limited by my working hours.

4. Full Control Over My Life

I decide when I work. Where I work. What I work on.

It sounds like a cliché, but it makes a real difference. No vacation requests. No rigid working hours. No meetings that destroy my most productive time.

The Dark Sides Nobody Talks About

Now comes the part you don't see on LinkedIn.

1. The Loneliness is Real

Nobody prepares you for how lonely solopreneurship can be.

No team for lunch breaks. No colleagues to celebrate with when something works. Nobody who understands why you lie awake at night thinking about your product.

Family and friends mean well, but "Just get a job" isn't helpful advice when you're doubting your dream.

I had weeks where I didn't speak to anyone except the cashier at the supermarket. That does something to you.

2. The Uncertainty Never Stops

As an employee, you know that salary comes at the end of the month.

As a solopreneur? You never know if money will come in next month.

This uncertainty is a constant companion. It gets quieter over time, but it never completely disappears.

3. You're Never "Done"

There's always more to do. Write code. Marketing. Content. Support. Accounting. Fix bugs.

As an employee, you can close your laptop at 6 PM and the job is done. As a solopreneur, every free minute feels like wasted time.

I felt guilty exercising. Guilty switching off. Guilty sleeping.

That's not healthy.

4. Burnout is a Real Danger

July 2025. I had just launched a big project. Worked through weeks. 12-hour days. No breaks.

And then came the fibromyalgia. Pain throughout my body. So severe that I couldn't even sit at my laptop for an hour anymore.

My body pulled the emergency brake.

I had to change everything. Breaks became non-negotiable. Exercise every day. Completely changed my diet.

After a few months, the pain got better. But the lesson remains:

Success at the cost of your health isn't success. It's self-destruction.

Who is Solopreneurship Suitable For?

Solopreneurship isn't for everyone. And that's okay.

It might be right for you if:

• You like working alone and making decisions
• You can handle uncertainty
• You're intrinsically motivated (nobody tells you what to do)
• You have a scalable business model in mind
• You're willing to think long-term

It's probably not for you if:

• You need teamwork to stay motivated
• Financial uncertainty keeps you awake at night
• You expect quick results
• You don't have an idea for a scalable product

There's no shame in saying: "This isn't for me." A good job can offer more quality of life than a solopreneur business that consumes you.

How to Start as a Solopreneur: Practical Steps

If you're now thinking "I want to try this" – here's how I would start today:

Step 1: Start Part-Time

Don't quit your job. Build your business on the side until it generates enough.

I still work part-time for financial stability to this day. This takes the pressure off and gives me the freedom to work on my projects without having to count every euro.

Step 2: Validate Before Building

My biggest mistake at the beginning: I worked on products for months without testing whether anyone would pay for them.

Today I do it differently. Before I write a single line of code, I ask:

• Do real people have this problem?
• Would they pay for it?
• Is there competition? (If not: probably no market)

Step 3: Build an MVP, Not a Perfect Product

MVP = Minimum Viable Product. The smallest version of your product that works.

Not the version with all the features you imagine. The version that solves a problem and can be sold.

Everything else can come later.

Step 4: Marketing from Day One

Nobody finds your product by themselves. "If it's good, people will find it" is one of the most dangerous sentences in business.

I share my journey publicly. On LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter. Not because I want attention, but because it's the only way to build an audience without a marketing budget.

Step 5: Keep Costs Minimal

You don't need an expensive setup to start:

• A laptop
• A domain
• Cheap hosting (€6-10/month is enough)
• Free or open-source tools

The lower your costs, the longer you can hold out. And in solopreneurship, often whoever holds out the longest wins.

My Tech Stack as a Solopreneur

If you're technically interested here's my current setup:

Hosting: Hostinger VPS KVM2 (~€6/month)

PaaS: Coolify (Open Source, self-hosted)

Database: PostgreSQL + Prisma

Auth: BetterAuth

Analytics: Umami (self-hosted)

Error Tracking: GlitchTip (self-hosted)

Email: Google Workspace (~€6/month)

Total costs: about €13 per month.

The same stack with SaaS alternatives (Vercel, Supabase, Auth0, etc.) could easily cost over €150 – depending on usage and plan.

The Most Important Learnings from 3 Years

To conclude, the things I wish I had known earlier:

1. Your Worth is Not Your Business

When things go well, you're not worth more. When things go badly, you're not worth less.

Your business is a project. It can fail. That says nothing about you as a person.

Understanding this separation saved my mental health.

2. It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

You can't drive full speed into a wall and expect to continue the next day.

Breaks are not optional. Health is not optional. Relationships are not optional.

Whoever wants to win long-term has to think long-term.

3. You Need People

"Solo" doesn't mean "alone." You need people who understand what you're going through.

These can be other solopreneurs. A mastermind group. A therapist. The main thing is that you're not alone with your thoughts.

4. Failure is Part of the Process

My first product: €5 in revenue. My second product: Discontinued after 3 months. My third product: Still running, makes no profit.

This is normal. Every successful solopreneur has a graveyard of failed projects.

The difference is: They kept going.

Conclusion: Is Solopreneurship Right for You?

Solopreneurship is not the easy path. It's not the quick path to wealth. And it's definitely not for everyone.

But it's a real option for people who prioritize freedom over security, who like working alone, and who are willing to work on their ideas long-term.

If that's you – then I can only tell you:

The path is hard. But it's worth it.

And if you realize it's not for you? That's okay too. There's no prize for destroying yourself for an ideal that doesn't fit you.

The most important decision isn't whether to become a solopreneur or not.

The most important decision is to be honest with yourself.

Want to learn more about my journey as a solopreneur? I share regular updates on LinkedIn and YouTube – including the mistakes and setbacks that nobody else talks about.