The Hidden Costs of Going Solo: Solopreneur Sacrifices, Challenges, and How to Cope

Kristin Vegh
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 21:53:15 +0000
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Anyone who’s ever started their own business knows that it takes a lot of know-how and effort. And doing it solo means that all the responsibility falls on one person’s shoulders. We recently surveyed over a thousand solopreneurs to better understand what those responsibilities are and how they’ve impacted them personally and professionally.?

Our full write-up, The Power of One: 2025 Solopreneur Report, goes into the nitty gritty details of what these self-employed entrepreneurs had to say. But here are a few takeaways about the things they didn’t expect, the sacrifices they’ve made, how to avoid solopreneur burnout, and what makes it all worth it.

What Are the Top 3 Sacrifices Solopreneurs Make?

For solo entrepreneurs, sacrifices — both big and small — are just part of the gig. And these sacrifices are more than just losing out on simple creature comforts — most of what they give up will impact their overall quality of life. As part of our solopreneur survey, we learned that many of the most common sacrifices being made were due, at least in part, to lack of time and income. Here were three of the most common solopreneur sacrifices reported.

Sacrifice #1: Time with Family and Friends

Work-life balance is famously difficult to achieve for working adults, and solo business owners are no exception. According to the survey, 42% reported they’ve had to forgo time with family and friends. An additional 35% said they’ve had to give up their own vacation and free time.

Sacrifice #2: The Steady Paycheck and Financial Security

No one understands the value of stable income more than those who’ve had to go without it. And, in reviewing our survey results, it’s clear that many solo business owners do go without. We reported that 40% of solopreneurs surveyed said they’ve had to sacrifice a steady paycheck.

Sacrifice #3: Sleep

A good night’s sleep is incredibly important — but it’s also something many people take for granted. More than a third of solo business owners identified inadequate rest as an issue they’ve faced. An impressive 34% of solopreneurs reported sacrificing sleep for business.

Underestimating the Workload

“One of the biggest challenges was getting people to take a chance on a small, unknown company. I didn’t have a big budget for marketing, and I had to wear every hat: cleaner, scheduler, sales, customer service. Building trust, staying consistent, and being reliable helped me overcome that.”
Gabriel, owner of Acoff Cleaning Services

It’s logical to expect it to take a lot of work to become a successful solopreneur. But our survey found that there were a number of aspects of the career path that respondents underestimated.

The top response? Wearing so many hats. We found that 61% underestimated their ability to handle all business functions themselves. Solo business owners are often expected to handle, well, everything. That means bookkeeping, marketing, customer service, and a whole laundry list of other administrative tasks necessary to keep things running. The solopreneurs we surveyed found they hadn’t anticipated just how much they’d have to manage.

Similarly, 53% underestimated the amount of time and effort required. Not only do they need to know how to handle all necessary tasks, they also need to have the time and energy to do them while also trying to build a client list and do the job itself.

The third most common response had to do with money matters, with 41% stating that the financial commitment and continued investment were more than they expected. For a solopreneur, financial security isn’t always a given. Upfront costs can be high for new business owners, and for a solo-run business, that means that there’s only one person there to foot the bill.

Overcoming the “Wearing Too Many Hats” Challenge

Running a business means being in charge of all business functions — and when you’re doing it without a co-owner or any employees, the challenge of getting them all done falls to you. Managing all business functions alone can be time-consuming, as well as mentally and physically taxing. This can quickly lead to burnout. So, what can a solopreneur do if they feel like they’re wearing a million hats? A strategy to consider would be outsourcing.

Take a quick audit of your work tasks and how much time you spend on them. Which tasks fall outside your realm of expertise? Do any of these tasks take up a large chunk of your work time? If so, it might be time to outsource those functions to someone else.

Obviously, as a solopreneur, you’re the sole owner and employee. However, that doesn’t mean you can work with contractors, freelancers, and other professionals to help with admin that requires specific skills. Working with people with specialized talents can ensure the work is done correctly — helping you avoid costly mistakes — and deliver work that’s higher quality and more effective. Some professionals a solopreneur might consider working with are:

A bookkeeper or accountant

A designer to help you put together professional marketing materials

A copywriter to help with a social media campaign

A web developer to help you make a polished-looking website

Also, if your busy season is approaching and you’re able to budget for it, bringing in a temporary employee can help take over some of the less-specialized work off your to-do list.

How Can Solopreneurs Avoid Burnout and Prioritize Mental Health?

Between the lack of sleep, leisure time, and stability, it’s not a stretch to say that operating a business-of-one could wear out anyone. Solopreneur burnout is extremely common. Fortunately, it’s often preventable — as long as you make your mental health a priority.

Free time (or lack thereof) is also clearly a common issue for solopreneurs. But it’s important to try to prioritize leisure time as much as you can. It’s a key factor in reducing stress and allows you to decompress and come back to work refreshed. A few things you can do to reclaim some of your “me” time and combat solopreneur loneliness and burnout are:

Stick to a schedule. It’s easy to let business bleed into personal time. That’s what makes solopreneur time management essential. A schedule is like a guardrail to help you protect your down time.

Learn how to say “no.” As a solopreneur, every work opportunity is exciting. But if you agree to every one that comes your way, you run the risk of overextending yourself. Say yes only to the most important, or potentially successful opportunities.?

Delegate (if you can). Like we discussed earlier, handing a few hats over to trained professionals can reduce stress, increase your productivity, and leave more time for R&R.?

What Kind of Insurance is Essential for a New Solopreneur?

Whether you’re just starting out or your business is growing, it’s important to protect what you’re working so hard to build. You may not have employees to worry about, but insurance can be a safeguard for your business, your clients, and your wallet.

The types of business insurance you need or should consider will depend on what exactly your business does, but here’s a primer on common policy types and who might benefit from them:

General liability. This is a workhorse policy that we recommend for just about all businesses. It typically covers claims of third-party injury or property damage, as well as personal and advertising injury.

Professional liability. This coverage is especially important for solopreneurs who provide professional services to clients. It will generally cover claims of alleged negligence, omissions, libel, and legal defense costs related to the claims.?

Inland marine. Sometimes called “tools and equipment coverage,” this policy typically covers costs if your business property (think hardware, technology, and tools as opposed to a property location) is damaged or stolen. This can be a great option for solopreneurs who travel to multiple locations for their work and bring equipment with them.

Interested in learning more about policies recommended for your solo business? We can help. Our online quote comparison tool makes it easy to see what policy types suggested for your industry, browse no-pressure quotes from trusted insurers, and get covered — all in one place, all in just minutes.

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Why it’s Worth the Work

“In the beginning, the biggest challenge was doing it all ourselves with limited resources, old equipment, tight finances, and not a lot of support. But we pushed through, kept improving, and started earning trust from our community. Every job, every review, and every repeat customer helped us build momentum. Now we’re focused on growing smart, staying efficient, and creating a business our kids can be proud of.”

Richard, owner of StoneHedge Landscaping Services

Only 34% of those we surveyed said they’d considered giving up on their businesses, many citing the issues discussed above (tight finances, burnout, and difficulty finding clients). Compare that to the 79% who are confident in their business’s future. We’d say that overall the solopreneur landscape is cautiously optimistic, despite the challenges.

Being your own boss, of course, comes with sacrifices. But it’s important to understand why these hardworking individuals decided to make the leap in the first place. The top reasons, according to our survey, were out of passion or desire for autonomy. And it’s clear that this drive is a major incentive to make all the work involved in going solo worth it.