Solopreneurs, consultants, coaches, artists, independent contractors, freelancers – whatever you call them, the single person business is thriving. Over 8% of the workforce in 2013 were solopreneurs, and rapid growth is occurring. Half of all existing businesses with employees also started out as one-person businesses and 15% of all current one-person businesses expect to add employees within two years. Plus many one-person businesses regularly hire others to work with them. Across the US, solopreneurs had $1.1 trillion in revenue in 2013.

The Alexandria SBDC has always had a lot of one-person businesses active in its programs. Many attend the monthly roundtables and various workshops or take advantage of specific services and consulting offered. In 2014, we held some focus meetings on the needs of solopreneurs and plan even more focused programs for 2015 as a result.

Although the City of Alexandria does not gather specific information on single-person businesses, evidence exists that we have a higher rate than average. This includes our significant artist population, government contracting consultants, e-commerce, and a wide range of creatives. We also have a range of co-working spaces, shared offices, and other support services in the City, as well as a new incubator for veteran-owned businesses.

If you have not been fully using our services, we encourage you to look at the resources we offer. Attend any of our many free programs and seminars to learn and grow your business – and your network!  Networking is a vital aspect of every event we offer as it is so critical to business success.

Starting next month, the Solopreneurs column of our blog will focus on issues critical to your business success. We welcome your ideas and suggestions to help us focus on matters of interest to you. Please email our Executive Director, Bill Reagan, with any requests for future topics.

This post was written by Patricia Frame of Strategies for Human Resources.