The Beauty in Building Solo & When to Start

Editor Note: This article, was created by the Women in Marketing – Bulgaria team in collaboration with the speaker Mila Chervenkova, and is based on her presentation at our Networking Dinner #002 in Plovdiv. It’s been edited for conciseness and brevity.

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I’ve only been “an employee” once—officially. I hunted for a job exactly one time, straight after graduating in Plovdiv and moving to Sofia. From 22 to 26, I worked for a tech company. 

Since then, I’ve worked entirely for myself: first as a freelancer, then as a consultant, and eventually as a solo founder building my own digital properties. 

The only case in which I’d ever go back to employment? A technology startup that sets my brain on fire. I can’t do “go to work, clock in, clock out.” My heart has to be in it.

This post is the story behind that conviction—and the playbook I wish I had when I started. It’s intense because the journey is. You’ll get the personal episodes and the step-by-step so you can execute.

The Moment I Decided to Stop Selling My Time

My first job was at a then-small outsourcing company (now part of a larger group). We were 20 people; within six months, we’d exploded past 100 and taken a whole building in Business Park Sofia. 

I started by coordinating the CEO’s business travels and on-site visits with devs and PMs. Very quickly, I became the CEO’s Personal Assistant—inbox triage, events, logistics, you name it.

One day, a letter came in from an association. I opened it like any other. It wasn’t an invite—it was a check for a sum that would have covered my 2-year salary.

At that fork, people tend to split:

• “This is unfair,” or
• “How do I become the kind of person who gets paid like that?”
  

I chose the second. The pattern was obvious: people earning at that level don’t sell hours; they own assets—usually a business.

I decided to learn how to build one.

Back then, there weren’t the resources you have now. I Googled the corniest query: “how to make money online.” I devoured Gary Vaynerchuk’s early work. I learned about products and affiliate marketing.

I loved training and geeked out on supplementation, so I built a niche site around it. After a few months, I earned my first $5 commission. Laugh if you want—it changed everything. Someone clicked, and I got paid while I slept.

I created a runway plan: save enough to cover ~12 months of lean living expenses. I turned 26 in November, and by April, I had quit my full-time employment.

Six months later, my monthly income matched that eye-watering check I’d seen. I can’t describe the feeling. From that point on, “a job” felt like a kind of death—for me. Not because employment is bad, but because my wiring is built for ownership and freedom.

Freedom > Money (but money funds freedom)

At 27½, I went “back” once to employment—to help grow and co-found a startup with a team led by Dimitar Karaivanov, the CEO of Businessmap (back then, Businessmap was Kanbanize). I’d shown him how fast I could grow a website from scratch, and he asked me if I wanted to join their young tech start-up. I said yes because it was mission + tech + speed.

The point is, I don’t worship “self-employment.” I worship fit. Money matters—we all have families, dogs, rent—but heart beats cash. If my heart isn’t in it, I won’t live that way. Period.

The Philosophy that Made Solo Sustainable: Minimalism and Slow Hustle

When you swap a paycheck for your own thing, burn rate becomes your boss. I rebuilt my life around minimalism and living at a slower pace—what I call Slow Hustle.

• I donated almost everything and left only five t-shirts, five pants, some blouses, a few jackets, and the essentials.
• I cut expenses to match my runway.
• I kept the intensity, but I reclaimed breathing space. No more 6:30 alarm by default. If I wanted to start at noon after a long run, then that’s what I did.

By nature, I am an introvert. My goal is to remain solo. I don’t want employees or to run an agency. Give me my laptop, my slow lifestyle, a trail to run, and something meaningful to build.

Two things changed how I handle pressure:

• Stoicism & Psychology. At 23, I was a stick of dynamite. I learned to sit with discomfort, question my thoughts, and act on values.
• Allowing real rest. The first time I read an entire book in a day, guilt screamed, “You’re not working!” That guilt is conditioning—school bells, family scripts, a culture (yes, our post-socialist one) that equates worth with visible effort. You can unlearn it.

Slow Hustle isn’t laziness. It’s deliberate intensity with room to live.

Are You Wired for Solo? A Blunt Self-Test

I included a 7-question chart in my workshop. If you answer “no” to two or more questions, the transition will be hard.

The biggest single predictor I’ve seen:

Extreme extraversion. If you need daily, face-to-face team energy for status, validation, and motivation, solo work will feel like starvation.

A close friend and I quit together to build different businesses. He is super social. He spent a year in meetings, talking through mockups with everyone, and burned through all his savings. Zero shipped.

Other factors matter too—self-direction, tolerance for delayed rewards, basic financial hygiene—but start with your social fuel.

Motivation vs. Discipline vs. Habit (and why “discipline” is overrated)

Early on, motivation is sky-high. Then months pass, and money hasn’t arrived yet. That’s where most people quit and say they “lacked discipline.”

I love how Charles Poliquin framed it: discipline doesn’t exist if your effort isn’t aimed at something you love. Schwarzenegger got up at 3 AM to lift because he adored it. If it had been yoga, he wouldn’t have done it at 3 AM.

My rules on low days:

• The 15-Minute Minimum. Even when I don’t feel like it, I give the craft 15 minutes. Most days, momentum takes over. If it doesn’t—fine. I kept the habit alive.
• No Plan B. When I quit, there wasn’t a “maybe.” I had one plan. That’s not for everyone, but it was crucial for me.

The Three Stages of Going Independent (and how to execute each)

They say “passive income is a privilege for active people.” But you don’t jump straight to “passive income.” You gradually reach that point:

1) Freelancer → sell a specific skill

• Be narrow. Don’t sell PPC + SEO + Social + CRO. Be the one they call for a specific skill.
• Deliver outcomes; collect proof (before/after, dashboards, screenshots).

2) Consultant → charge for thinking &and strategy

• Price via retainers (e.g., 2,000 BGN/month for weekly 60–90-minute calls + async support) or hourly for deep dives.
• Win 3–6 month projects to stabilize cash while you build your own asset.
  Ethics filter: I don’t touch any projects related to gambling, alcohol, tobacco, or anything related to addiction. Know your lines.
• Expectation setting: With SEO, especially, I only work with clients who understand that there is no “Page 1 in 3 months” promise.

Interesting fact: B2B companies often pay more for consulting—and some keep you on retainer simply for the security of having you “on call.”

3) Solo founder → build an asset that earns when you’re not present

• Website, newsletter, template shop, micro-SaaS, ebook, cohort course—your thing.
• This is how you buy back your time: output decouples from input hours.

Do I think every freelancer should aim for Stage 3? Yes. Eventually.

If I Had to Start Today: The Fastest Practical Path to Stage 3

Use your salary to fund experiments. Don’t romanticize risk; sequence it. Do this while you’re still employed (salary = safety for experiments):

1. Pick a niche you can talk about for a year without hating yourself.
2. Launch one site (or newsletter) with a simple CMS.
3. For 90–120 days, your only goal is traffic. Publish helpful, specific content.
4. Layer affiliate links only where they genuinely help.
5. Ship a $7–$29 product quickly (template, checklist, mini ebook).
6. Capture emails; write a 3–4 email welcome sequence with a gentle upsell.
7. Keep consulting 1–2 days/week to fund the build.
8. Test constantly. Titles, intros, CTAs, content formats. Micro-A/Bs daily.
9. Start ethical link-building (partnerships, guest posts, niche directories).
10. Diversify early (ads + affiliate + your product). Google updates can whiplash you for reasons you can’t fully control.

Courses, speaking, and sponsorships are great—but require reputation and case studies. They come later.

Monetization Models and Back-of-the-napkin Math

A single site can combine several lines. Think in simple equations:

• Ads (CPM): Pageviews × (CPM ÷ 1,000)
  
  • 100,000 PV × $10 CPM ≈ $1,000/mo
    
• Affiliate: Traffic × CTR × Conv% × AOV × Commission%
  
  • 50,000 visits × 5% CTR × 2% Conv × $80 AOV × 5% ≈ $2,000/mo
    
• Own product: Traffic × Opt-in% × Offer take-rate × Price
  
  • 50,000 visits × 3% opt-in × 5% buy × $19 ≈ $1,425/mo
    
• Software/Micro-SaaS: Users × ARPU (slower to start, stickier if solved pain)
  

Stack them. Diversification matters—especially because Google updates can whiplash SEO traffic for reasons you can’t fully control.

Reality check: when I started, SEO was friendlier. Today there’s more competition, and Google updates can hit without clear reasons. That’s not an argument to quit—it’s a reminder to diversify revenue and ship value beyond Google and AI.

The Unsexy Operational Setup (that keeps you shipping)

1. Workspace without friction. Sit, and you can work. No elaborate setup rituals that become excuses.
2. Working hours, with flexibility. Be spontaneous without betraying deadlines. If a walk calls you—go. Just don’t confuse spontaneity with avoidance.
3. Not a sabbatical. If you want time off, take a real month off. Don’t half-work forever; it will bleed you dry.
4. Kanban, not chaos. Trello is enough:

• Backlog → This Week To-Do (limit to 7) → Today To-Do (limit to 2) → In Progress → Done.
• Track dependencies and blockers, even if you’re solo—you still rely on other humans.

5. Outside, daily. Fresh air recalibrates your nervous system. Eat lunch. Don’t wear burnout like a badge.
6. Boundaries with clients.

• Response windows (e.g., within 24 business hours).
• Channels (no seven apps; pick one primary, one backup).
• Scope creep control (changes batched weekly; anything beyond scope = new estimate).
• Don’t become best friends. Friendship makes no’s harder. Be warm, be human, keep the frame.

7. Get help. Design, ads, link-building, graphics—others can do parts faster and better. Solo doesn’t mean alone.

Money and Life Architecture: FIRE, Minimalism, Relationships

For years, my north star was FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early): earn → save → invest → eventually live on returns. Solopreneurship’s life will collapse if your finances are in chaos.

What I’d absolutely do again:

• Define financial targets early (runway, monthly nut, investment goals).
• Start saving from month 1, even if it is 10 bucks
• Live below your means (minimalism) so your runway stretches.
• Study personal finance basics like your life depends on it—because it does.
• Practice stoicism to handle volatility.

My most expensive mistake:

I didn’t communicate my goals and lifestyle to my partner (back then). I worked 12–16 hours daily; nothing existed outside work. We hadn’t aligned on money, time, travel, purchases, or what would change. 

It broke the relationship.

Today I lead with: “Here’s the life I’m building, why, and how it affects time and finances. Are you on board?”

When Should You Actually Quit?

Quit when these are true:

• You’ve proven consistent traffic and some revenue, or you’ve secured 3–6 months of consulting at rates you’re happy with.
• You’ve saved at least 12 months of living expenses.
• You have a system (content cadence, email, monetization) you can follow on low-motivation days.
• You’ve had the relationship talk (if relevant): what changes, for how long, why it matters.

And then—decide. When I quit, there wasn’t a “maybe.” I had one plan. That helped me act like it.

A Simple 6-month Solopreneurship Plan for Beginners

Days 1–7

• Pick a niche and domain.
• Set up CMS, analytics, and email capture.
• Draft 20 headline ideas and 10 product ideas (templates, checklists).

Days 8–30

• Publish 8–12 helpful posts.
• Add 2–3 honest affiliate links where relevant.
• Build a lead magnet (1–2 pages) and a 3-email welcome series.
  

Days 31–60

• Launch your first $7–$19 product.
• Start a weekly newsletter.
• Experiment with titles and CTAs (tiny A/Bs).

Days 61–90

• Ship 8–12 more posts.
• Add 2nd product or bundles; install a simple upsell.
• Pitch 3 podcasts or blogs for earned distribution.
  

Days 91–120

• Audit what’s working (top posts, best opt-ins, best referrers).
• Double down on topics → product bridges.
• If SEO is core, line up ethical link-building.
  

Days 121–180

• Review monetization mix; set Q3 goals per model.
• Decide if you can reduce client hours to buy back build time.
• Take one long day off without guilt. You’re building a life, not a cage.

Common Traps I Won’t Step Into Again

• Unethical clients (anything engineered to addict).
• SEO miracles (“Page 1 tomorrow?” No.)
• Being everything to everyone. Specific wins. Vague blends you into the wallpaper.
• Trying to do literally everything myself. Help is leverage.
• Letting work eat my relationships without informed consent.
  

Advanced Notes from the Trenches

On Google volatility.
You can do everything “right” and still get hit by an update. Don’t build one-legged stools. Build email (it’s yours), ship products (margin you control), and cultivate distribution partners (humans, not just algorithms).

On experiments.
Treat everything like an A/B test. A word in a headline. The first sentence of a post. The placement of an opt-in. The color of a button. The phrasing of a guarantee. Test, don’t opinion.

On moving to the next level, when clients eat up your time.
You won’t find time for your own brand. You must make it. Put it on the calendar like a client. Honor it like a client. If you don’t, you’ll look up in 18 months and still be “too busy” to build the thing that frees you.

On low-motivation seasons.
Keep the habit alive with 15 minutes. Lower the bar. Show up anyway. Six months of compounding show up faster than you think.

What I’d Tell My 25-year-old Self, Staring at that Paycheck

You don’t need permission. You need a plan and the courage to execute it slowly and relentlessly.

• Save a year of expenses.
• Strip your costs.
• Keep your day job while you ship evenings and weekends.
• Diversify early.
• Build the email list from Day 1.
• Be ruthlessly ethical and specific.
• Communicate with the people you love.
• Protect your energy like it funds your life—because it does.

Everything beautiful demands full effort. Half-effort yields half-life. Give it everything—patiently. Test. Learn. Adjust. Keep your heart in it. And when you’re ready to leap, leap clean.

Six months after I leaped, I was making more in a month than I’d ever imagined. Not because I hacked anything. Because I built an asset, lived lean, and stayed at it long enough for the compounding to show up.

The beauty of building solo isn’t that you’re alone.
It’s that you’re free—to choose, to focus, to rest, to create.

Q&A 

Do you still work with clients? Are your relationships long-term (5–10 years)?
A: This year, I’m mostly working with vetted, existing clients. I prefer longer, ongoing relationships where expectations are clear and we’ve already built trust.

Are you accepting new clients right now? Under what conditions?
A: Yes, selectively, but only when the fit is right—especially for SEO. I require that clients understand SEO’s reality: no one can put you on page one in 3 months for highly competitive terms. If someone expects overnight results, we’re not a match.

Who tends to pay better for consulting—international or local?
A: Most of my current work is with Bulgarian companies. In general, B2B companies are more willing to pay strong consulting rates and even keep you on a retainer simply for the security of having you “on call,” even if the month only needs a few high-value questions.

I’m stuck at the “next level” because client work eats my time. How do I make space to build my own brand?
A: You won’t find time—you must make it. Treat your own brand as a real client: block time on the calendar, protect it like a paid engagement, and honor it even when it’s uncomfortable.

Do you have a client acceptance filter beyond SEO expectations?
A: Ethics filter. I won’t work with industries engineered for addiction (e.g., casinos). Fit and shared values matter as much as skill.

What pricing models do you prefer for consulting?
A: Retainers (e.g., a monthly fee for weekly calls + async support) or hourly deep dives. 

Any advice for those who thrive on social energy—can they go solo?
A: The strongest predictor of difficulty is extreme extraversion. If you need daily, face-to-face team energy for motivation and status, solo can feel like starvation. It’s not impossible, but expect a much harder transition (you’ll need to engineer substitute structures/community).

How do you handle SEO volatility (Google updates) and fragile traffic?
A: Diversify from the start: pair SEO with email (owned audience), own products, and partnership distribution. Expect updates; don’t build a one-legged stool.

What are the non-negotiables when taking on SEO clients?
A: Shared understanding of time horizons, willingness to invest in content quality and site health, and acceptance that credible SEO is a compound-interest game, not a switch. If someone wants miracle timelines, I decline.