Crafting a fail-proof solopreneur business
Freelancers Union X Spark NYC | February 13, 2025
When I started out, no one told me that solopreneurship could be built to last, they just assumed freelancing meant being broke, burned out, and constantly scrambling. Over the years, I’ve proven the opposite: by creating intentional processes, automating the repetitive 30% of work that eats up our week, and setting clear boundaries, you can run a sustainable, scalable solo business.
One of the frameworks I use is what I call “If This, Then What”, a simple way to evaluate every step of your client journey. Instead of letting leads slip through the cracks or relying on endless manual work, I map each scenario (from first inquiry to project closeout) and decide what happens next, whether through automation, a template, or a streamlined decision. As I told the audience, “If someone fills out your form, then what happens? If they’re not qualified, what happens? Don’t leave those gaps unplanned.”
My philosophy is that I don’t do add-ons or custom proposals. “What I sell is what I sell,” because my value lies in strategy, frameworks, and implementation, not in bending to every request. This clarity gives my clients confidence in the process and frees me to deliver at a consistently high level. To support that, I’ve built a lean tech stack (Notion, Zapier, Cal.com, Slack, Paperform, and a few others) that keeps everything moving without the need for a big team.
And then there’s Lizzie Benson, my AI-powered assistant. Lizzie drafts client emails, sets up onboarding, manages my calendar, and even handles invoices, all through automations I built in Zapier and Slack. She’s not real, but she’s allowed me to reclaim 10+ hours a week, serve 13–15 clients at a time, and even launch a second business. Lizzie exists because I asked myself: what would it look like to design a business that protects my creative energy while scaling my capacity?
The core of a fail-proof solopreneur business isn’t about hustling harder; it’s about building systems that give you back time, keep clients happy, and create space for growth. When you automate wisely, review every project for lessons learned, and draw firm boundaries around your offers, you not only protect yourself from burnout, you actually make your business more resilient and valuable.
About the Speaker
Sara Loretta is the founder of UNMUTE™, an experience-first consultancy that helps fast-scaling teams systemize, automate, and scale the way they work, together. As a Notion & Zapier Solutions Partner, and experienced operations strategist, Sara builds connected processes that replace scattered tools and fractured workflows that drive collaboration, ownership, and excitement throughout an entire business.
