the 3 best things about being an ea solopreneur

"it all comes from you and your own standards"

The Effective Altruism community is full of solopreneurs, aka solo entrepreneurs - people who run their own business by themselves, with no employees or cofounders. But what can you really expect working on your own? What’s the lifestyle like? I spoke to real-life EA solopreneurs Amber Dawn Ace and Kirsten Angeles about the perks of being your own boss.

1. set your own direction

“I have a certain amount of leeway over which projects I take on and which I don’t,” says Amber. Amber helps busy EA leaders to edit drafts and write up their unwritten ideas, helping the community to get more ideas out into the wider world where they can be considered, debated and adopted by others. One of the benefits of this type of freelancing is that she can choose projects that seem impactful and exciting, and work with the clients she’s had a good experience with.

Kirsten agrees. By working on her own, Kirsten has been able to create a role bespoke to her skills and background. She studied health sciences at university. After getting into Effective Altruism, she pivoted to biosecurity, and she’s now working on a six-month grant to develop a research agenda for biosecurity in her home country of the Philippines. It’s important work that she’s perfectly suited for, but it’s not the type of job that an EA organisation would necessarily have hired for - it’s totally customized to her.

2. flexible hours, flexible location

Both Amber and Kirsten mentioned flexibility as a major perk. They enjoy being able to work from home, at any time of day - “being able to work from my own room is also a good thing for me!” Kirsten says. And if you work efficiently, you can choose to simply work less hours, or take on more work for more impact and more money. Being your own boss gives you that flexibility.

3. less (external) pressure

Kirsten said she felt less external pressure being her own boss. She felt there was more “room for errors with no pressure … from an external source. It all comes from you and your own standards.” But that can be a double-edged sword when she feels unsure about something, which is why she has mentors she regularly speaks to.

Amber was more on the fence about this. In some ways, she doesn’t have a boss she needs to impress, but in her freelancing role sometimes it can seem like she has multiple bosses with different priorities. She sometimes feels pressure to give 110% on projects with a new client, something she’s trying to stop doing in order to make her work more sustainable.

If you’re ready to be your own boss, there’s a few things that can help. Kirsten suggests testing out whether you like working on your own first, for as short a time as possible - she’s currently on a 6-month grant. Once you’ve decided, she suggests finding mentors who can advise you, especially if you’re doing technical research. And Amber suggests setting boundaries especially if you’re working with a regular stream of new clients.

Have you worked as a solopreneur? What lifestyle changes has it enabled? What advice do you have for people considering making the leap? Comment below or tweet me: @EAheadlines