Side Bars for Solopreneurs: Tips for People Who Work for Themselves

Side Bars for Solopreneurs: strategies that save bandwidth and keep your business at full bars.

If you’re with RedPocket, chances are you don’t just do things the usual way with your phone plan. You probably don’t do things the usual way with your work either. You’re not relying on a big carrier, and you’re not clocking in at a big company. You’re figuring it out yourself.

And that should be celebrated. And supported.

When you work for yourself, it’s easy to run out of bandwidth. You’re making all the calls, big and small. One minute you’re figuring out how to send an invoice or chase down a late payment without sounding desperate. The next, you’re wondering how to scale without burning out.

Meanwhile, your inbox is overflowing, your podcast queue is longer than your to-do list, and every day there’s some new “must-try” tip you don’t have time to try. Before you know it, you’re spending more energy sorting through noise than actually doing the work.

Side Bars for Solopreneurs is here to change that. Each post gives you clear, useful ideas you can actually use right away so you can spend less time sifting and more time solving.

Why This Column Exists

When you work for yourself, your challenges are completely different than when you work for someone else.You might run your own business, freelance, or juggle multiple client contracts, each with its own tools, timelines, and expectations.

More people are working this way than ever, but it still feels like the world is built for the W2 people versus the 1099 people. That’s why RedPocket is bringing you Side Bars for Solopreneurs.

The name works in a few ways. “Bars” nods to the cell phone bars that show how strong your connection is. A “side bar” is the kind of quick, useful conversation you have off to the side that ends up being exactly what you needed. And if you’ve got a side hustle or two, you’re definitely in the right place.

Who's Behind It

I’m Annie Figenshu, and I’ve only had a 9-to-5 job for three months in my life. The rest of the time, I’ve been running my own show. Since 2017, I’ve freelanced, built my company from the ground up, and even toured the world as a professional improv comic.

It hasn’t been a straight climb. There were dips, recoveries, and one breakout year that quadrupled revenue, but I’ve learned how to turn uncertainty into steady growth. The systems I use are simple, repeatable, and designed for business owners who have to do it all themselves.
I'm no business guru, but I've figured out how to filter out what works and what's waste.

That’s what you'll get here: the ideas, tools, and strategies that actually work when you’re in charge of the whole operation.

The Questions We're Asking

When you work for yourself, you’re constantly moving between the small stuff and the big calls.

The everyday stuff:

• What's the right invoicing software 

• What do I do when a client doesn’t pay on time

• How do I follow up on a proposal without feeling too salesy

The bigger calls:

• How can I get clients to stick around longer

• How do I grow without burning out or losing control

Why Most Business Advice Doesn’t Land

If you’re not careful, the sheer volume of “helpful” content buries you.

• Newsletters you never open

• Podcasts you never get to

• Links you save but never revisit

It’s a lot of noise. And it eats up your mental energy before you can even figure out what’s actually worth taking in.

How Side Bars Helps You Cut Through the Static

Every post gives you clear, tested ideas.

• It’s relevant to the way you work

• You can put it into practice right away

• It helps you make better decisions without adding stress

Here’s What You Can Expect

• Two posts every month

• At least one actionable idea per post

• Written by someone who works the way you do

It might be a piece of media, a proven method, a mindset shift, or just a moment that sparked something worth sharing.

Picture This

You open your laptop and know exactly what to work on next. Not because you stayed up all night researching, but because you got a clear, tested idea from a human being who’s been where you are.

You spend less time sorting through noise and more time doing the work that actually moves your business forward. 

Scroll Less. Solve More.

You don’t need more information. You need a stronger signal.

Keep reading Side Bars for Solopreneurs for ideas you can actually use. And while you’re here, see why RedPocket is the only carrier that gives you all three: coverage on any 5G network, Lock-In Low™ pricing, and real humans in 2 minutes or less.