It’s the end of the week, and just like every Friday at The Solopreneur Life, I have several bits of information to share with you. This week’s item include: managing fear; why at least one person loves vuvuzelas; “botpreneur” returns; “There’s No Plan B” t-shirts; love for Famzoo.com; and the perfect solopreneur staycation.

How Do You Manage Fear?

I found a terrific post this week written by Suzannah Scully, publisher of SuzannahScully.com. In it, Suzannah speaks frankly about an aspect of solopreneurship that doesn’t receive much discussion: the worry that arises out of not having a “guaranteed” income:

Some people crave flexibility so badly that their skin is crawling. Others crave stability so much that they can’t bear to take even the smallest risk. TODAY I’m somewhere in the middle. I love my flexibility but stability doesn’t sound too bad either. So I continue to revisit myself and think about how I can creatively honor both of those needs in my life.

I wrote in the comments to Suzannah’s post that, to deal with doubts, I recommend building mechanisms/systems/rituals into your day. For example, I like to view worry as pieces of wood that float past me in a fast-moving stream. I have learned to wave goodbye to the wood, wave goodbye to the worry. It’s a practice that reminds me I have the power to control my thoughts and I have the power to manage my fear and put it to good use. We all possess that power.

What practices do you build into your solopreneur life to keep fear at bay?

The Sound of Money

I encourage you to always be thinking of ways to make money while you sleep. In other words, try to create saleable products. An example of the power of a timely product are the vuvuzela apps that have been developed for Apple’s App Store.

The vuvuzela is a plastic horn that sounds like a swarm of bees. Vuvuzelas are part of South Africa’s culture, and World Cup soccer fans are using them at all of the tournament venues.

Several opportunistic people decided to create vuvuzela apps, and more than 1 million (at 99 cents apiece) have been sold since the start of soccer’s World Cup.

“botpreneur” Returns

Last week in “Friday Bits” I noted a talented illustrator named David Billings, who publishes SparkyFirePants.com. David works on a wide variety of projects and has launched a new comic series called “botpreneur” that strives to “tell the truth about what it’s really like to start and run a small business in the age of social media.” The second installment of “botpreneur” is below.

Get Your Solopreneur Life Merchandise!

You’ve always wanted authentic The Solopreneur Life products, right?

T-shirts, sweatshirts and other items are available now at The Solopreneur Life’s Cafe Press merchandise store. The store’s “There’s No Plan B” t-shirt is my favorite item.

Buy a t-shirt and wear it to proclaim your solopreneurial status!

I Love Famzoo.com

I want to give a tip of the cap to Bill Dwight at Famzoo.com, who was a “Featured Soloist” recently at The Solopreneur Life.

Famzoo.com is an online family bank, and my family began using it last weekend. We think it’s terrific. Well, I should say that my wife and I and our 9-year-old daughter really like Famzoo.com, but our 12-year-old daughter wants nothing to do with it.

The Solopreneur’s Staycation

Angelique Rewers at the RicherSmarterHappier.com blog has another terrific post. This one is titled “The Solopreneur’s Guide to a Fabulous Staycation.” Here’s a highlight:

Let all of your clients and other contacts that you do business with know you’ll be on vacation. We recommend NOT telling them it’s a staycation. If they ask where you’re going—which many people will—let them know that you’ve chosen not to disclose the location until you return so that the paparazzi won’t know where to find you.

I mentioned in the blog comments that I recently read an interesting fact about Joe Gibbs, the famous football coach and NASCAR-team owner. Once a month, Gibbs takes four consecutive days off from work, and he does no work whatsoever. Gibbs has a reputation as an extreme workaholic, but the four-day vacations are his secret to remaining energized and productive.

For other perspectives on how solopreneurs can manage time off, check out the comments in this The Solopreneur Life “open mic” post.

Solopreneur’s Digest

In case you missed my posts this week, here’s a digest:
• Tools That Work For The Solopreneur Life: WorkingPoint Accounting Software
• Featured Soloist Jill Salzman: “I Refuse to Make Fear-Based Choices”

Welcome back! If you would like to work with me, Larry Keltto of The Solopreneur Life, click here.

Related Posts:

• The Solopreneur Life “Friday Bits” Column #15
• The Solopreneur Life “Friday Bits” Column #9
• The Solopreneur Life’s “Friday Bits” Column #37
• The Solopreneur Life “Friday Bits” Column #11
• The Solopreneur Life “Friday Bits” Column #13