How to Make Your Business Appear Larger if You are a Solo Entrepreneur

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If you run a business by yourself, you know the reference of wearing a thousand hats is true. As a sole proprietor trying to get your business off the ground, you may find yourself struggling with image and presentation. Your doubts may be taking over: will people take you more seriously if you have a team? How can you stand on your own two feet and get the client work done? Don’t fret.

Many small business owners and even global enterprise giants started out with just one or two people and grew to include thousands more. Whether or not you want to grow the headcount in your business, it’s important that you are able to convey a sense that your business is bigger than it is so that you can gain the trust of those you seek to work with.

Sure, it might seem backwards to start a relationship of trust built on lies, but when it comes to business dealings, there’s just something about a team that makes customers feel safe. While you might love working all hours of the day to invest in and grow your business, your clients might not like the idea that you are doing it all alone. More people involved instills confidence. Here’s how you can make your business appear larger.

Use “we” in sentences.

Even though it’s just little ol’ you in the driver’s seat of your business, if you get in the habit of using “we” when you introduce your business to customers and potential clients, they’ll assume that there is more than just you at the helm. We’re not saying that you aren’t enough to run your business; we’re saying that people might not think you can get it all done.

So, reduce any friction from the start by always talking about your business with plural tense: we are so excited to work with you! “We” as in, you and your business. If you need to bring on more people, you always can, and who says you don’t outsource a lot of your work. You could have a team of freelancers at your beck and call. So, use “we”.

Talk about your business as if it is its own entity.

A lot of small business owners make the mistake of talking about themselves: I am the business and the business is me. But if you want your business to appear larger than it is, it’s important that you talk about it like it can stand on its own two feet. Your business is separate from you, whether you want to admit it or not.

Acts and tasks completed under the business brand do not directly reflect you – unless you are making big mistakes left and right! Generally, though, it’s okay to think about your business as its own thing, that has a life of its own, and can take on many forms to serve the needs of clients. Stop referring to it as your little business and start talking about it like it’s a real company.

Get a coworking space or rent an office.

Whether you have to get a capital loan to start your business or you are funding it all by yourself, it’s important that you have a dedicated workspace that you can showcase to the world. This approach, while costing you money, can help others to see your business as more substantial than it is. And when you are just starting out, this may be money well spent.

Renting a space automatically tells people in your community that you have revenue. Revenue makes people comfortable with working with you: if others are paying you to do this kind of work, so should these new clients, right? You don’t have to shell out buckets of cash to find a good space, you just need a dedicated place to call your own so you can meet with clients, have quiet Skype calls or even post Instagram pictures from. Everyone loves a “day in the office” pic or two.

So, when it comes to making your business look bigger than it is, remember this: if you are supposed to dress for the job you want, showcase the business you’ll have. It’s good advice. You are living from a place of future success when you talk about your business growing and the growth you’ve had so far; whether or not it’s entirely true, the story is yours to write and you can change it as you go.

Belief in yourself is not about lying to yourself or your clients: it’s about saying what you want and then working to make it a reality. If showcasing the size of your business is important to your clients, these tips will certainly help you appear larger than life to our audience.

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