Janelle Ward, a research strategy consultant and coach, joined us for a Rally AMA on July 25 on her journey into solopreneurship. If you missed our live event, or want to revisit the highlights, read our recap below. If you’d like to watch a recording of the full AMA, follow this link. 

Who is Janelle?

Janelle is an independent consultant, coach, writer, and speaker with over 20 years of experience in both academic and applied research settings. She partners with company leaders to tackle complex challenges, enhance decision-making processes, and cultivate vulnerability and empowerment within their teams. Drawing on a strategic mindset, Janelle has successfully built UX research teams from the ground up and continues to coach leaders in best practices.

The Confrontations of Flying Solo

The key message I want to start with today is that my journey as a solopreneur is truly a work in progress. I want to be transparent – I haven’t figured everything out yet. I’m still very much in the process of learning and evolving. However, I’m proud that I’ve reached a point where I had the courage to write this article and put myself out there. Building in public is something that’s authentic to me, and this article was the first step in that direction. While I’ll answer questions and share my journey, I want to emphasize that I’m not here to talk about how successful I am – I’m still figuring things out.

Before we dive in, I want to clarify the term “solopreneur.” There are a lot of similar terms out there; one that I’ve toyed with is “coach-sultant,” a blend of coach and consultant. Not everyone agrees on the definitions of these terms, but I want to explain why I chose “solopreneur” for what I do. A solopreneur is someone who runs a business entirely on their own, without colleagues. You might outsource some tasks, but generally, you’re doing your own thing.

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Another aspect of solopreneurship, which I’m aiming for in the future, is building services or systems that grow beyond my personal effort. A clear example would be writing a book – you spend time writing, then once it’s published, the work is done. You’re not constantly billing hourly or depending on your time to make money.

Related to that is the idea of pricing. The general approach isn’t hourly; instead, it’s pricing for value – selling things at a fixed price rather than taking a freelance contract for a set number of hours per week.

The article I wrote discusses my journey from academic research and UX Research into solopreneurship. It highlights the challenges and realizations I’ve had over the past couple of years, especially as I’ve reframed my understanding of research’s role in business.

I also talk about my complicated relationship with sales, which I’ve loathed my entire life. I share examples from my childhood and young adulthood to explain why. Initially, I thought that my UX Research background would be enough to understand my clients’ problems and deliver solutions. I assumed they would magically start paying for my services the way I priced them. I now realize it’s much more complicated than that, especially since I was actively avoiding the sales aspect, which made things challenging for me.

It’s taken me some time to articulate this in the way I do in the article. Towards the end, I cut myself some slack and discuss the economic downturn we’ve all been living through. I had no idea this downturn would coincide with the start of my solopreneur journey. There’s a graph in the article that shows my start date, followed by a downward trend – it’s almost comical.

But I will say, this article wouldn’t exist if everything had been perfect. I’ve had people tell me that starting a business during a booming economy doesn’t leave much room for self-reflection. You might just think you’re brilliant and did everything right. That has definitely not been my experience. I’ve learned so much over the past two years, and while the economy hasn’t been great, it has given me a chance to really reflect on my journey.

From academia to UX Research

I started my career in academic research. I’m based in the Netherlands – I moved here as a young adult, completed my master’s degree, and then pursued a PhD. I found myself on this path of academic research, and I stayed for about 15 years.

Over time, I started pausing more frequently, asking myself, “Is this what you’re going to do with your life? Is this really it?” At one point, after a significant birthday, I realized that I needed to make a leap. I didn’t want to regret staying in a career that didn’t fully satisfy me for the rest of my life. So, I began to explore other options.

There were two main factors that pulled me out of the academic world:

1. The speed of things – everything moved so slowly. In contrast, publishing in academia was an incredibly slow process. Whereas with this article, I could publish it whenever I wanted; any delays were entirely on me.
2. I missed the actionable insights that we always talk about in the User Research world. In academic research, we might discover important things, but then what? Besides going to a conference, having a great discussion, and then returning home, there wasn’t much actionable follow-up. 

Eventually, I transitioned into UX Research and worked in-house for a few years before making the leap into solopreneurship.

What motivated you to transition from working in-house to flying solo?

I loved my work in-house, and I really enjoyed being a manager. However, the first thing that comes to mind when I think about why I made the transition is the lack of freedom with my time. I’m an introvert, and being in meetings all day long doesn’t suit me well. Of course, when you’re leading research, connecting with the organization is a huge part of the job. It’s fantastic when people get excited about what you’re doing, but at the same time, I would internally screaming “NO!” when someone suggested adding yet another biweekly meeting to the calendar. I wanted to participate, but I often thought, “I have no more time.”

I had all these big, substantive ideas about what I wanted to accomplish in my work, but I found myself at the end of each day, just slamming my laptop shut. I felt overwhelmed and in desperate need to decompress. While I was doing my job, I wasn’t able to make time for those other things that mattered to me – the thinking, the pondering, the writing that I missed so much. Transitioning to working solo has allowed me to reclaim my time. 

What do you feel was the hardest part of that transition, and what advice would you give to those looking to move out of academic research and find success in a new field?

I’ve had a lot of conversations with academics over the years, and I think the hardest part, especially for academics but really for anyone going through a career transition, is stepping back and reevaluating your skills for a new environment. It’s about asking yourself:

• If your current role disappeared overnight, how would you remake yourself?
• What strengths do you bring to the table? 
• What skills do you have?

For me, the transition wasn’t as challenging because I had waited so long, and it was my choice. I think it would have been much harder if I had been pushed out.

One thing that really helped me, and something I continue to do even now, is reframe what I’m doing. I taught for years, and I think teaching is a huge part of a researcher’s job. Teaching doesn’t have to be limited to a classroom – it can also be about educating someone much higher up the corporate ladder. That teaching skill is valuable in any role, not just when transitioning from academia to UX Research.

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How long did it take you to get comfortable with solopreneurship?

I think I’m not fully comfortable yet. There are definitely things I’m comfortable with, though. For example, I work from home, set up my own day, and have the flexibility to do things like go to the bouldering hall to climb or walk my dog in the middle of the day. I really love having control over my time, deciding which hours I’m available for meetings, and allowing people to book during those times. Of course, things come up that require flexibility, but overall, I have much more control over my schedule, and I’m very comfortable with that.

However, the things we’ve been discussing today are still challenging for me. It was scary to write this article where I discuss these things and even scarier to post about it on LinkedIn. It was daunting to say, “Hey, I’m not super successful. If that’s the impression you’re getting, I’m still working on this; it’s still a process.” Writing that article was tough, but I think I’ve moved past that initial fear, at least enough to be standing here discussing it with all of you. 

That said, I really enjoy the challenge, and I like the perspective I get as a solopreneur. I’m not saying I would never go back in-house – you never know what the future holds – but I do enjoy this bird’s-eye view of the industry and the tech world. From that perspective, I’m comfortable with where I am.

How do you gauge your own success as a solopreneur?

Something that really brought me down toward the end of last year and the beginning of this year was thinking about success purely in terms of money. What’s funny is that when I was an academic, I never really thought about money. I didn’t even realize until years later that you could negotiate your salary in academia. I just accepted the job and thought, “Great!” I got a standard raise every year, and that was that. I never gave it much thought.

So, in retrospect, it’s funny that I initially measured my success as a solopreneur by how much money I was making. While that’s an important factor, (let’s be honest, it’s day one important) it’s not the whole picture. It’s also about the journey.

At the end of last year, I wrote a newsletter where I reflected on how much I’d achieved: how many LinkedIn followers I’d gained, how many newsletter subscribers I had, how much I’d written, and how many conferences I’d presented at. In a traditional job, you get paid for showing up, and you get your paycheck at the end of the month or every two weeks. But when you’re working on your own, so much of what you do isn’t directly paid.

Because the money wasn’t coming in like I wanted, I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything. But the truth is, I’m working all the time. This is a full-time job for me. It’s just that not all of that work is paid. So, I had to reframe my thinking. I started to look at what I’d actually done: 

• The connections I’d made
• The friends I’d gained
• How much I’d learned

And learning has been huge. When I look at some of the things I write now, I think, “I wouldn’t have even understood this five years ago.” This is a completely new world for me compared to where I was in academia or even in-house.

Learning is something I love about life, and decoupling that from money is crucial for maintaining sanity. We’re in a world where many of us are at for-profit companies, and it’s all about the bottom line – how much you make determines whether we celebrate or not. But that’s not the only measure of success, especially when you’re working on your own.

What are your thoughts on the importance of learning about sales for those who are in-house, especially when it comes to advocating for research and its impact?

It’s funny because I’ve actually thought about getting a sales job just to learn these skills. And the funny thing is, I think I might be pretty good at it because the real challenge for me, when I’m working on my own, is that I’m selling myself. I’m not selling a product where I can talk about how excited I am and how it can help – there’s no distance; it’s me.

That’s been the hardest part for me: selling myself. But when you’re in-house, it’s also about selling research. And another aspect that’s closer to the personal is selling your mindset, your approach to making decisions, and collaborating. It’s not just about presenting an insight and trying to get others to incorporate it.

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So, I think it’s the same challenge for both in-house researchers and solopreneurs. It’s about understanding your stakeholders, where they’re coming from, and helping them see how an insight, a process, or a research mindset can help solve their problem. This is something in-house researchers should think about deliberately and practice regularly. 

What strategies have you found effective for balancing the need for sales with your passion for research?

The first step isn’t even about selling; it’s about bringing up the money conversation with people. I often found myself having great conversations, but the moment it came to the point where I could say, “Maybe I can help you with that,” a voices starts screaming in my head, “I don’t want to go there.” 

Lately, I’ve started to tackle that discomfort more effectively by being upfront. I say, “This is what I want to talk to you about,” and then I try to get a better understanding of their financial situation. Not by asking directly, but by hypothetically exploring what they might have available. It’s about better understanding the situation that people are in.

Another important reframe for me has been realizing that sales isn’t a dirty word – it’s essential. I’ve been talking to salespeople more often, and in the article, I even apologize for my past resistance to sales. I’ve come to see that sales is a form of research too. Salespeople, if they’re effective, aren’t just pushing products, they’re understanding the problem and figuring out how they can actually help. They have to ask the right questions to get there.

So, because I love research and have historically loathed sales, I’ve found that reframing sales as part of the research process really helps me. It’s all about understanding the problem and finding a way to provide a solution, which at its core, is what research is all about.

How has your understanding of assumptions evolved through your journey as a solopreneur, and what are some of the assumptions you’ve had that haven’t changed?

The example I gave in the article reflects how much the concept of assumptions played a role when I was in-house. Back then, it was all about slowing people down who just wanted to push things out quickly. I would challenge their assumptions and ask them to consider what kind of research we could conduct to back up their ideas with data from our users.

But, I assumed that this approach would be enough to carry me all the way through to selling a service, for example. That assumption didn’t hold up. The biggest realization has been that even though I have expertise in a certain area, there are many gaps when you go out on your own. You simply don’t have all the skills needed to do everything by yourself from the start.

Looking back, I don’t think I assumed everything would go perfectly, but I was definitely a bit too optimistic. I’ve never been someone who thought I would make tons of money and be super successful right off the bat. But at the time, things were going well – the market was good, I had a lot of interest, and I chose not to go in-house, even though I had the option. I thought things would stay the same, which, in hindsight, was overly optimistic.

This ties into what I discuss at the end of the article. No matter how well-prepared you think you are, things can change. You aren’t in control of everything, like the economy, for instance. I was recently listening to a podcast where they mentioned that just because something fails now doesn’t mean it will fail in another time, place, or moment. The failure might have been situational, not a definitive indicator that it won’t work elsewhere.

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So, this journey has been humbling. I’ve realized that it’s tough to do all of this on your own. There’s a reason so many people work at tech companies. There’s a lot of work to do, and it’s hard for one person to handle it all.

How have you reframed your relationship with research since becoming a solopreneur, and what have you realized about the broadness of research?

I feel like I’ve been in a giant reframe for the last six years, so it’s become somewhat familiar to me. When I transitioned from academic research to User Research, it was so great. I got to focus on a specific group of users, make them my research topic, advocate for them, and wave the user flag within the company.

But even when I was still in-house, I quickly realized that no matter how perfect the research was or how well it was conducted, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t landing, if no one cared, or if everyone was pushing back. 

That realization led to my growing fascination with organizational dynamics. I started questioning my role as a researcher: What is my job, really? In my first role, I remember joking with a colleague that we should be getting two salaries: one for research and one for change management, because we were essentially doing both jobs simultaneously.

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Researching your organization, even before looking at the users or customers, is a crucial part of the process. Now that I’m on my own, I’ve realized that I’m responsible for everything that happens in my business, at least for now. In theory, a company has all these different parts, and even if you’re a startup with just one or two founders, you have to either make peace with not being able to do something or learn how to do it yourself.

In the article, I talk about how we often preach the need to understand the problem space and our users deeply. I’ve been doing that myself over the last two years. But that alone isn’t enough. 

I did all this research on my client base, went in-depth on their challenges, and had meaningful conversations with them. But at the end of the day, when the conversation ends, I still need to sell something. Do they want to buy it? They might be interested in our conversation, but are they willing and able to buy what I’m offering?

That became a huge challenge for me, especially when the economy started crashing. Many of the people who were initially interested suddenly had no budget. The budget for even one researcher was gone, and I hadn’t anticipated that. I also did a lot of pilot coaching, and while people were excited and provided glowing testimonials, it didn’t automatically translate into a full coaching roster with clients banging down the door to pay the prices I’d set. I was essentially skipping the part that was hard for me, but that’s also part of research.

I recently reposted something on LinkedIn that provocatively asked, “Is sales the only research we need?” Because at the end of the day, if people aren’t going to buy what you’re selling, you’re not going to make any money. Eventually, you’ll have to do something else because that’s the bottom line.

It was easy to ignore the bottom line when I was in-house. I was there to represent the users, to help others understand them better and build what they needed. Selling the product wasn’t my responsibility back then.

How do you identify potential clients, and how do you approach them in a way that increases the chances of collaboration?

The direct approach has been a challenge for me, and I’m still working on improving it. But what has really worked for me is putting myself out there a lot. I’m very active on LinkedIn, posting frequently, and I’ve grown my network significantly there. I often post questions that I’m curious about because I genuinely want to know what people think.

LinkedIn has been absolutely huge in helping me find people who want to collaborate with me because they’re starting to understand how I think. When I write an article, I post it there. I’ve also given conference talks and workshops to get my name out there. So, in many cases, it’s more about people approaching me because I’m putting myself out there. I also have a newsletter, which sometimes leads to people reaching out to say, “This really resonated with me – can we talk?”

Not all of these conversations turn into client relationships, but they help me grow my network and build connections. There are plenty of stories about how networking can lead to unexpected opportunities down the line. Because I tend to avoid sales, I can’t give you a step-by-step guide on how to turn these interactions into collaborations. However, what I’ve been good at is connecting with people genuinely, engaging in discussions, and building relationships. As my offerings become clearer, those moments for collaboration will naturally arise.

What is your strategy for navigating the current challenging market as a solopreneur?

Hold on, unless you have another plan and can make it financially. I mean this especially for the researchers I coach who are miserable in their jobs and often just trying to do damage control. The market is tough right now. It seems like there are some hopeful murmurs of things starting to move again, at least on LinkedIn, where people might be trying to be more optimistic. But no, the market is not good, and it hasn’t been good the entire time I’ve been doing this.

To be honest, I’ve applied for jobs that I haven’t gotten. I had a couple of offers before I went out on my own and thought, “Oh, I’ll just take a job in-house if this doesn’t work out.” But that hasn’t happened either. I’ve read a lot of very sad and scary stories on LinkedIn about people who are in serious financial trouble.

My advice is to find a good coach and try to mentally and emotionally distance yourself from your work if it’s hard. Burning out isn’t going to help, because then you’re not in shape to even make a move. I know that when you’re already in a tough spot in-house, it can be hard to even muster the energy to apply for jobs, let alone imagine making a move. 

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Going out on your own is a whole other level of having to do everything. I spent months just setting things up, and now I have to redo it all because I’m constantly iterating on what I want to do. 

As for the market, I’m waiting it out. Everyone in 2023 was saying, “2024 will be better,” and now everyone’s saying, “2025.” So, I just kind of joke and say, “Have faith in capitalism – it will all come back.”

Ultimately, it’s about figuring out how you define success. If it’s just about making money, then this is not a good time to go out on your own. But if it’s about learning and growing as a professional and a person, that’s definitely something I’ve experienced. 

What tips do you have for folks who aren’t ready to take the leap into solopreneurship but want to prepare?

Save your money so you have a runway. That’s essential. One piece of advice I received after I started, which I didn’t do, was to “start warm, not cold.” This means you should already have a sense of what you want to do and be out there selling, even if it’s just on the side. Ideally, you should have people who are ready to buy from you if you go out on your own, or who already are buying from you because you’re doing it as a side gig. Many people start with a side gig and then ramp it up when they feel ready to take the leap.

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There’s so much you can do while you’re still in-house. Unless you want to do something entirely different, you can learn a lot in your current environment. In-house roles can feel like drinking from a fire hose because there’s so much going on. 

If you have an idea in mind, think about where your ideal clients are. For me, except for the coaching aspect, my ideal consulting clients aren’t researchers. Your ideal clients are probably around you in your workplace right now. Obviously, you don’t want to go to them and say, “Hey, I’m leaving to start my own company,” but you can talk to them, get ideas, and use that time to really test out and figure out what you want to do.

If solopreneurship is a long-term goal, there’s a lot to figure out, so start planning. Think about what you want to do.

• Will you have a website? 
• How will you let people know what you’re doing? 
• Do you already have a large network, or do you need to grow it? 

You can start building that network now. Even though it’s not a great time to make the leap, that doesn’t mean you can’t start taking steps if it’s something you want to pursue in the future.

Looking back at your in-house experience, is there anything you’ve learned as a solopreneur that you wish you could have shared with in-house Janelle? Any lessons that might be especially valuable for in-house researchers?

I could write an entire article on that. The first thing that comes to mind is the saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I now understand what I didn’t know about business when I was in-house.

I remember my first in-house job during the onboarding process they explained the whole sales process, from presales to customer success. It was all completely foreign to me. I understood it on a surface level, but I didn’t really grasp it until much later. I know a lot of people don’t come from a business background, but it’s easy to stay within your specialization and view other roles as separate, almost as if they’re doing their own thing. But the truth is, we’re all in it together.

As a solopreneur, you have to wear all those hats yourself – you’re the sales team, the marketing team, the customer success team, all rolled into one. This experience has taught me to respect and appreciate every role in a company because each one exists for a reason, and there’s so much to learn from them.

If I ever went back in-house, I think I’d be constantly knocking on everyone’s door, asking questions and soaking up as much knowledge as I could because I’m now so much more interested in how everything works together.

Connect with Janelle

If you enjoyed Janelle’s AMA:

• Give her a follow on LinkedIn and say hello!
• Check out Janelle's Substack and Medium.
• Learn more about her solopreneur offerings on her website.

Thank you, Janelle!

We’re grateful to Janelle for joining us and sharing her insights and experience. If you’d like to watch the full AMA, follow this link.