How to Make Six Figures, the Conclusion

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This week we're wrapping up the series on 'How to Make Six Figures'. My thanks go out to our cast of six-figure solopreneurs for their contribution to this series. What a great group!

We found a number of significant things that our six figure soloists all have in common.  How would you rate yourself on some of the qualities and beliefs that they share? Did you observe any other commonalities? Please contribute your thoughts and observations here!

Planner – Not all of our soloists had a master plan in place when they started out, but all of them had at least a partial plan, and certainly a vision or result in mind. Some of them looked ahead to the big picture; some were 'winging it' a little bit more than others. But they all eventually gained an understanding that plans are critical to success and now strive to create and meet regular goals.

Creative – All of our 6-figure soloists are creative, out the box thinkers. Our soloists use true creativity in areas like marketing and PR, product development, designing and attracting long term benefits and opportunities, locating resources and resolving problems as they arise.

Resourceful – I would say that all of our 6-figure soloists are very resourceful. Again, we may be looking at inner-resources versus external resources, but resourcefulness is key. Also, many of our contributors outsource projects that would otherwise tie them up and keep them from growing their company.

Self-funded – I thought this was interesting. Five out of six of our 6-figure soloists were completely self-funded as start ups. Matt found funding for about 1/3 of his start up costs in a very creative way - by winning a contest!

Hard worker – Certainly, all of our soloists are hard workers. Tenacity and a 'never give up' attitude are star qualities here. It seems all of them were willing to go back to the drawing board as necessary and the words 'give up' are not in their vocabulary.

Focused – I really enjoyed learning how our 6-figure soloists manage their 'idea machine' creativity and remain focused on the most important pieces of their business. From keeping their ideas in notebooks to mindmapping or placing distracting ideas on the backburner altogether, our soloists have all found a means to funnel their creativity productively and remain focused on the primary goal.

Flexible – While plans and visions are in place, all of our soloists seem to accept that 'stuff happens' and that plans often need to be amended as problems and opportunities arise.

Values freedom – We certainly found some hard workers, but the payoff for everyone here is freedom. There may be many definitions of freedom amongst them but it all boils down to calling the shots and doing it on their terms. 

Risk taker – I believe all true entrepreneurs are risk takers to some degree and our 6-figure soloists are no exception. Some risks are more calculated than others, but achieving their dream, and therefore freedom, is clearly worth some level of risk to them.

Supported by others – Our soloists have enjoyed input from mentors, peers, customers, coaches, friends and family. They have surrounded themselves by supportive individuals who believe in them and contribute to their success in some way.

One of my favorite observations while producing this series was that all of the contributors are really, really nice people! They all understand the value of treating others with respect and have a true desire to help others in some way. They have a strong value system in place and are building businesses that complement and support those values.  

I would like to thank, not only our 6-figure soloists, but everyone who contacted me wishing to be a part of this series, and all of you for your wonderful feedback, questions, and observations. What a fun project this was!

Marla Tabaka is a life and business coach who helps entrepreneurs and small-business owners grow their companies faster. She coaches for Make Mine a Million and has 25 years of experience in corporate and start-up ventures. @MarlaTabaka