You say yes to work you know isn't right. You hold on to projects longer than you should. You price low to avoid hearing no. You end the day so tired you can’t even decide what to eat for dinner.
When you're filling every role in your business (strategist, marketer, salesperson, accountant…), the decision load is relentless. Your brain starts taking shortcuts: grab what's in front of you, avoid risk, keep going because you've already started.
That's survival mode. And most solo professionals operate in that mode without realising it.
When every decision is yours to make, the mental load adds up. Your brain uses energy even for minor choices, and to conserve energy, it defaults to safe, familiar, and easy decisions. These defaults are mental traps. They create the illusion of safety while holding you back.
I've fallen into many of those. Taking on wrong-fit work because I didn't trust that more opportunities would come. Staying too long on the wrong path because I'd already invested so much. Obsessing over failures while quickly forgetting wins. Spending my mental energy on the small stuff and having nothing left for strategic decisions.
I broke down four mental traps I've fallen into while running my solo business — what they look like, how they feed each other, and how to escape them.
Read about my experience to escape survival mode.
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Mental traps that keep solo professionals in survival mode
Merve Goulding • Substack
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The Solo Boss perspective
Here's how the Solo Boss team members recognise mental traps and red flags:
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Spotting red flags is a skill built through trial and error. As a designer, the biggest trap often comes disguised as an opportunity: a client promising "future work" or that internal voice telling you it’ll be a "great portfolio piece." Usually, that’s just survival mode talking you into a bad decision.
— Jonathan
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Running your own business is hard work, but it’s a choice. So when the bits that usually light me up stop being fun, I pay attention. Because I know it's time to identify what’s missing and create more room for the good stuff.
— Denise
How do you avoid mental traps?
Working solo makes you more vulnerable to mental traps. You're the one doing the thinking, the work, and the reviews. There's no one to tap on the shoulder and say, "What do you think about this?"
One way to break the pattern is to have people to consult when needed. Not necessarily paid consultants or coaches. Peers, fellow solo pros, and even a friend who asks good questions can provide an outside perspective and help you spot what you can't see on your own.
Running a solo business doesn't mean you have to work in isolation.
What traps do you catch yourself falling into? And how do you make sure your decisions stay aligned with your long-term goals? Reply to this email or leave a comment here — we'd love to hear your perspective.
You've got this, Reader.
Keep solo bossing,
Merve
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