The Aspiring Solopreneur
You didn't become a solopreneur to build a business that runs your life. You did it so your business could serve it. The Aspiring Solopreneur is the twice-weekly podcast at the heart of the Life-First Movement. It's for solopreneurs who believe the business should be designed around life, not the other way around. Hosts Joe Rando and Carly Ries, co-authors of Solopreneur Business for Dummies, sit down each week with solopreneurs who are building Life-First Businesses and experts who are helping others do the same. Every episode explores what it really takes to design, run, and evolve a one-person business with your life at the center. Basically, what we're trying to say is: Life First. Then Business.
Episodes
You left your 9-to-5 for freedom, so why does your calendar still run your life?
In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly and Joe tackle a habit most solopreneurs don't even realize they have: building their business around the clock instead of around themselves. If you've ever filled an open time slot with whatever felt urgent (hello, inbox), this one's for you.
Carly introduces a simple 3-step energy audit framew...
He was fired from 39% of his entertainment industry jobs. Then he turned serial failure into a superpower.
John Tarnoff spent decades as a Hollywood studio executive and film producer, getting hired, getting fired, and reinventing himself over and over again. After surviving the dot-com crash, a string of layoffs, and an identity crisis in his 40s, John made a radical move: he went back to school at 50, landed his dream job...
Most solopreneurs think their biggest problem is getting more clients. But what if the real issue is that you built the wrong business in the first place?
In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, hosts Carly Ries and Joe Rando break down the #1 pattern they see after working with thousands of solopreneurs: people chase clients without first designing a business around the life they actually want to live. The result? Bur...
Most solopreneurs got into business to chase a passion, not to crunch numbers. But avoiding your financial data is one of the fastest ways to stay stuck, underpaid, and overwhelmed.
In this episode, we sit down with Andy Weins, junk removal business owner, professional speaker, and fractional CFO, who spent 17 years learning (sometimes the hard way) that the answers to your biggest business problems are hiding in data you'r...
If your solopreneur business feels like it's running you instead of the other way around, you've fallen into the Ownership Trap. In this episode, Carly and Joe break down the three root causes behind why so many solopreneurs end up building a business that controls their life rather than supports it.
In this episode:
- What the "Ownership Trap" is and why almost every solopreneur falls into it
- Why this is a design problem, ...
Most solopreneurs spend zero time thinking about taxes until April 14th. Bobby Casey has spent decades thinking about almost nothing else, for his own businesses and for the hundreds of location-independent entrepreneurs he's helped restructure, relocate, and legally stop overpaying.
Bobby has lived in 10 countries, started and sold companies across multiple continents, and currently runs two businesses: a high-end consulti...
In this episode, Joe Rando and Carly Ries officially draw a line in the sand. After nearly 300 episodes and hundreds of conversations with solopreneurs, they name the single insight that keeps showing up in every episode that lands differently: the Life-First Business. Joe and Carly explain why most solopreneurs unintentionally build a business that ends up owning them, why that happens by default and not by choice, and wh...
Most solopreneurs think AI is the answer to their chaos. It isn't. It's an amplifier. And if what it's amplifying is a broken system, a vague product, or a business built without a life plan, AI just makes the mess louder, faster.
In this episode, Carly and Joe sit down with data scientist and AI educator Ben Tasker to cut through the noise around artificial intelligence and get to what actually matters for solopreneurs. Be...
If you’re a solopreneur wondering “Am I charging enough?” or feeling awkward about raising your prices, this episode is for you.
In this episode, Carly Ries and Joe Rando tackle one of the most common questions solopreneurs ask: How should I price my services or products? They unpack why pricing isn’t about greed, it’s about fairness, value, and respecting the years of expertise you bring to the table.
You’ll hear why ch...
Are you stuck in the hourly billing trap, racing against the clock while your clients pressure you to go faster, cheaper, and more?
In this episode, Jonathan Stark, the "Ditching Hourly" guy, joins Carly and Joe to break down exactly how solopreneurs can escape time-for-money pricing and switch to a value-based model that benefits both you and your clients.
Jonathan shares the surprising moment he realized hourly billing wa...
You've been told you need to become a full-time content creator to grow your business. Post every day. Fight the algorithm. Do the newest TikTok dance. But what if you hate social media, and still need leads?
In this episode, Carly and Joe break down practical lead generation strategies for solopreneurs who don't want to build an audience on social media. From leveraging your existing network to borrowing other people's aud...
Are you grinding 18-hour days and still feeling like you're falling behind? The problem might not be your work ethic, it might be the device in your pocket.
In this episode, Carly sits down with Justin Hai, author of Stress Nation and co-founder of Rebalance Health, to talk about the hidden way technology is hijacking your cortisol, wrecking your sleep, and making you a less effective business owner.
Here's what you'll learn...
If you've left corporate, or you're thinking about it, there's one mistake almost every new solopreneur makes: pricing like an employee instead of a business owner. In this episode, Joe and Carly break down exactly why that happens and how to fix it.
You'll hear the now-legendary "hammer story" that reframes everything you thought you knew about charging for your expertise, plus a practical framework borrowed from Alex Horm...
If you've ever felt like you're doing all the things in your business but still not landing consistent clients, this episode is for you.
Carly sits down with business strategist and marketing expert Jaime Ellithorpe of 540 Strategies to break down her proven Steps to Stability system, a no-fluff framework that helps solopreneurs stop spinning their wheels and start building a business that actually grows.
In this episode, yo...
What if scaling your solopreneur business didn’t mean hiring a team or working 80-hour weeks?
In this episode, we’re diving into creative, cost-effective ways to grow, without giving up the freedom that made you go solo in the first place.
From automating tasks and outsourcing smartly to using AI to customize your messaging and repurposing content like a pro, we’re sharing real strategies that actually work. Whether you're a...
What if mindset isn’t “woo”… but the strategy your business is missing?
In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, we sit down with mindset expert Lee Baucom to break down how the way you think is quietly shaping your success (or holding you back).
From working with high-profile clients to helping everyday entrepreneurs thrive, Lee shares practical, real-world strategies that solopreneurs can apply immediately, without add...
What if building a business that supports your life actually isn’t about hustle…but about resilience, systems, and intention?
In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly and Joe sit down with Mike Lynch, creator, RV-lifer, automation strategist, and founder of Flywheel Factory, for a refreshingly honest conversation about what solopreneurship really looks like behind the scenes.
Mike shares the truth most people won’t...
Can artists really make money without underpricing themselves, chasing likes, or falling for the starving artist myth?
In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, we sit down with Miriam Schulman, author of the Artpreneur, to talk about what it really takes for artists and creatives to build sustainable one-person businesses. From her leap out of Wall Street after 9/11 to building a successful career as an artist and busin...
Many professionals leave corporate to start a solopreneur business because they want more freedom, more control over their time, and the chance to focus on work they actually enjoy. But a few months in, many realize something surprising: they’re busier than ever.
In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly Ries and Joe Rando unpack the hidden force quietly draining solopreneurs’ time and energy...admin creep.
From co...
Most solopreneurs start their business for freedom, but many end up overwhelmed by the financial side of running a company. Taxes, retirement planning, business structure, and investment decisions can feel intimidating, which often leads to what today’s guest calls the “Paralysis Penalty.”
In this episode of The Aspiring Solopreneur, Carly Ries and Joe Rando sit down with financial strategist Mike Milligan to unpack practic...
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