7 Tips for Introverted Entrepreneurs to Succeed in an Extroverted World

When you’re a freelancer or entrepreneur, you get to make your own hours and work from home. If you’re not up to interruptions, ask to be put on the agenda. Achieve your business funding goals with a proven plan format.

I founded The Introvert Entrepreneur in 2010 to create a nurturing space where introverts can gain insight, support, and empowerment for entrepreneurship, leadership, and life. Rather than attending a networking event and pacing aimlessly around the room trying to make small talk, try hosting an event. Hosting makes you a go-to person and forces others to come to you. Taking the podium lets you reach many people at once instead of being bogged down in many smaller conversations. Maybe you’re an introvert just now coming to grips with your personality, after spending years trying to be extroverted. Perhaps you’d like to take the plans you have contemplated in private, and finally make them public.

And you don’t even need a personal invitation (a mention as it’s called on Twitter) to take part in the chatter. Introverts might pass over this gem of a platform at first, but I encourage you to reconsider. And we certainly deserve a space in the podcast market! Statista recently shared data that signaled that out of all United States consumers, almost 60% of them listen to podcasts. I’ve mentioned in the past that the only metric that actually matters is your return on investment (or “ROI” for short).

Use social media channels to do the majority of your networking. Participate in LinkedIn forums, webinars and virtual events. In general, introverts are great at listening to and empathizing with people. This trait is especially valuable when dealing with clients and employees when listening and asking the right questions is essential.

By posting frequent, high-quality content to your blog, you’ll have the best opportunity to curate a content ecosystem that supports your ideal customer’s buyer intent. Although the team behind Pinterest has slowly been shifting toward a shopping platform over the last few years, it’s still a social search engine! That means that all content you post onto your account is evergreen. If you have an idea that you think is truly novel, make your mission statement the center of all marketing efforts. Focus on marketing methods that aim to educate potential customers or clients and identify the problem that your business could solve for them. Consumers appreciate upfront marketing that reflects goals and intentions.

I now recognize that being an introvert is a huge advantage for entrepreneurs. Instead, introverts observe and listen, so we see and hear what our customers want. We are also really good at developing meaningful relationships that can help our businesses. Even if you’re with your best friends, introverts find being around people to be draining. If you’re starting to feel panicky or overwhelmed, it’s probably time for a break. Introverts are not just fine with being alone, but they often prefer and seek it.

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The author-turned-public speaker admits that it took years to come to grips with her introverted nature in a culture that is strongly biased toward extroverts. In fact, although they tend to find social interactions tiring and are energized by time alone, introverts aren’t easily pigeonholed as having one personality type or another. Introversion is simply one end of a personality spectrum that has its opposite in extroversion. Accounting, design, writing, engineering, social media marketing, and mental health are some of the top business fields for introverts.

You can tutor students in anything from math to languages to test prep. And you can set your own rates and hours, which makes this a good flexible business idea for introverts. Today, many businesses are turning to social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to market products and services. And when they do, they often hire specialists to manage this task. As a social media consultant, you get to work independently and remotely while still being creative and interacting with others.

Find partners that complement your introversion

And you’ll get support, accountability, and friendship from fellow introverted entrepreneurs around the world. Your dream is to be your own boss, but you’re questioning if you’re really cut out for it. Whether someone like you, who is more reserved, quiet, or shy – someone who feels drained and exhausted by social interaction – can successfully build a thriving brand and business.

• More than likely your first endeavor will fail no matter how smart you are or how much funding you have.
• I also knew that my dream day was time alone with a book.
• Participate in LinkedIn forums, webinars and virtual events.
• I know this may sound a bit woo-woo-ish, but hear me out.
• Of course it hurts, but this made way for people who did appreciate my reserved nature.

So, learn to objectively listen to their views and try to come up with a compromise that suits both personalities. If you’re an introvert looking to run a business, you might want to look for extra help in areas where you’re lacking. However, face time cannot be avoided completely, so what you can do is go into social events with a greater sense of purpose. Understand that there exist some biological differences between how extroverts and introverts react to stimuli.

Hi, I’m Tara! I’m a multi-passionate business and marketing coach.

You can operate your business from your residence, meeting with clients either in person or over the phone. And you can help them with everything from decluttering their homes to deep cleaning their kitchens. If you enjoy spending time with dogs more than humans, then being the owner of a dog walking company may come naturally to you. However, the success of this business will rely a lot on your marketing efforts, so you’ll need to budget some time and money to market it. Other things you’ll need, include liability insurance and a pet software system for online scheduling, invoicing, etc.

Extroverts are more receptive to appraisals and appreciation, whereas introverts are similarly receptive to both appreciation and critics. It is a great ,it’s of how to keep on track and use the best marketing tools out there. If you also have a blog, check out my post all about the 9 best Facebook groups for bloggers to join. It’s accessible to most people and doesn’t require any fancy cameras or tech know-how. There’s little-to-no “social” pressure felt from other platforms.

It allows them to evaluate and analyze challenges carefully, planning their following step. The capacity to embrace moments of isolation is also helpful during the early years of entrepreneurship when extended durations of working alone are required. Many individuals become distracted by the pursuit of affirmation, such as media exposure or medals for a project. This might become a preoccupation and distract individuals from their primary aims. Although introverts like recognition, they will not let it characterize or divert them.

Since they prefer their own company, their opinions of themselves and their work often matter the most. Since introverts work hard to understand others, they know how to best motivate them. Since every person is motivated by different things, they need a leader that’s willing to listen and implement new ideas. Introverts manage to be that kind of leader when they build their own businesses.

Building relationships with other professionals, regardless of your personality, is essential in operating a successful enterprise. For example, suppose you’re an introvert who is excellent at developing strategies with data analytics and creating creative marketing campaigns. In that case, you might oversee marketing while someone else takes charge of the strategy development process. Introverts may not be the most confident public speakers, but they are generally good listeners. Active listening can help introverts build more meaningful relationships. Introverts listen to their customers, employees, investors and vendors patiently.

Extroverts, on the other hand, thrive on meeting new people, and they find group events to be energizing. You will likely find them in groups, talking and laughing together as if they’ve been friends forever — even if they just met. Instead of leaving an event early , extrovert entrepreneurs may carry on the party after hours in the hotel bar. Introverts are people who recharge their energy by being alone. It’s not the same as being shy, as there are many introverts who are actually quite social.

If you feel like you don’t know what to say or how to express yourself during presentations, it’s likely because you’re not relaxed enough beforehand. Reason #2 – We want to confront this ridiculous ‘Gift-of-Gab’ stigma head on! It is our profound hope that by providing you access to the IntrovertU platform, community and this amazing lifetime bonus, you’ll share what you learn with other introverts. That you will become an outspoken introverted success story and inspire your introverted friends to see their introversion as an edge, not a disadvantage. Meet Mandi, Freelance and Featured writer’s niches are mental health, lifestyle, business .

In addition, you can count small businesses and large corporations as your clients. If you’re a good listener and enjoy helping others, becoming a life coach is a great business idea. You can train to become a certified life coach online or through community college courses. And you can operate your business from home, meeting with clients in person, over the phone, or on Skype. If you have a good eye for detail, a passion for photography, and know how to use photo editing tools, the photo editing business could be a full-time career for you. With startup costs under $5,000, a photo editing company falls right in line with the introvert’s desire to work independently.

I’d recommend watching at least a few YouTube tutorials on the grant accounting you’re interested in at a minimum. Alternatively, you might consider finding a nice online course. Just in case starting a podcast seems overwhelming to you, guesting on other niche-relevant podcasts is the perfect alternative! Find opportunities for businesses owned by women and people of color. Academy Get free resources and everything you need to know to start, run, and grow your small business.