What’s Happening With Me and Solostream

You may have noticed a little more activity around here lately, and I’m sure you’ve been laying awake at nights wondering what I’m up to. You have, right? Actually, I HAVE been laying awake at nights wondering what I’m up to, and I’m fairly certain I finally have it figured out.

A Word About My Flaky-ness

For those of you who’ve followed and supported me over the past year, first of all thank you. Secondly, you know there have been some starts and stops along the way, and I’m sure I’ve come across as flaky on more than one occasion. I know I’ve felt flaky from time to time even if you’ve never thought so. And it’s a well-deserved title. Afterall, let’s recap the timeline:

• I launched Solostream as a blog network in June 2005 with a half dozen blogs.
• Then I sold my so-called “flagship” blog, smallbusinessbranding, to Yaro in December 2005.
• Then I killed off all the other Solsotream blogs in January 2006.
• Then I launched the SavvySolo blog in January 2006.
• Now I’m back to Solostream again.

So yes, if that’s not flaky, I don’t know what is. And it’s a constant exercise in self-forgiveness to even show up here, and take the next step forward. I ask the same forgiveness of you knowing full well that some of you will make me earn your forgiveness. C’est la vie.

Lowering Expectations

I have a bad habit of biting off more than I can chew. Yes, I get the whole “dream big, set your goals high” thing, and frankly, for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem to work for me. Never has. So I’m lowering my expectations for Solostream.

Solostream is still (and always will be) about helping make the web work for small business, but to call it a “global media company” is pretty much a delusion at this point (maybe later). Of course, I’ll retain Solostream Global Media as the official name, because it would be a pain in the ass to change all the paperwork and bank accounts. But from now on, it’s just Solostream.

Introducing the Solostream Web Studio

I’ve been designing websites for a few years. Never seriously and only occasionally professionally. Then several months ago, Yaro suggested I go pro, but at the time, my vision was clouded by grandiose ideas of launching a global media company (see above). Plus, I didn’t really think I was good enough.

I don’t feel that way any longer. I love design, and the more I learn about the craft, the more I enjoy it. And although I still feel there are oodles of designers out there who are better than me, I can say in full confidence I ain’t half bad. I’m certainly good enough to go pro, and so the main focus of Solostream in the near term is to establish Solostream Web Studio as a successful small business web design and marketing solutions firm. To achieve that will be bigger than anything else I’ve ever done (aside from being a great father).

I set up a separate website for the Web Studio, but I’ve decided to move it back here to the main Solostream site. It just didn’t make sense to keep them separate.

Solostream will shortly undergo a re-design to more effectively promote the Web Studio services. It will continue to be a blog and online learning center for solopreneurs and microbusiness folk. It would be great to offer a full curriculum of live and recorded teleclasses, podcasts and small business forums, even though that feels like I’m again biting off a bit more than I can chew.

Time will tell.

Thanks again for your patience and support. As always, any feedback positive or negative is welcome. Talk to you soon.