Solo Entrepreneurship | Complete Guide for Solopreneurs

What steps and processes should you follow to embark on a solo journey?

Are you considering entrepreneurship alone? In recent years, there has been significant growth in solopreneurship due to its geographical and temporal flexibility. However, this freedom doesn't always equate to ease when deciding to go solo. That's why this article provides you with all the keys to becoming a seasoned solopreneur: from the main challenges to choosing the best status for solo entrepreneurs, including all the steps to start your business alone.

The main challenges of the solopreneur

The solopreneur operates their business alone, without partners or employees. Consequently, they carry out all tasks related to their business, whether it's marketing, accounting, billing, in addition to their main activity. Thus, embarking alone requires managing everything by yourself. In return, you maintain the freedom to set your own rates, define your own business strategy, and choose clients that align with your personal values. You also have the liberty to work wherever you want and have complete control over your time.

💡Good to know: It's important to distinguish a solopreneur from a freelancer. The latter exchanges their time for money while the solopreneur focuses on selling products related to their activity, thus mobilizing diverse income sources.

The steps to embark on a solo journey

The solopreneur must go through 7 main steps before launching their business:

1. Test your ability to work alone: testing yourself before launching your business validates your capability to progress on your own and motivates you.
2. Define your project: take the time to identify your target clientele and the positioning of your competitors through market research to study your project's profitability potential.
3. Write a business plan: the business plan presents your vision, defines your objectives, and the means implemented for the success of your projects.
4. Research funding: evaluate your personal contribution and your need to seek public aids or bank loans to finance your initial investment.
5. Choose your legal status: you must select the legal form suitable for your project to initiate the creation of your business.
6. Submit your registration file: once your legal status is defined, submit your registration file via the single formalities window for businesses.
7. Receive your SIRET number: once your registration file is validated, receive your SIRET number to start billing and legally carry out your activity.

The legal statuses to create your business alone

The choice of legal status depends on the sector of activity, your initial investment, and your forecasted revenue. Certain legal forms are better suited for ambitious projects while others limit the growth of your business.

Wage portage

To start as a solopreneur, you can consider the alternative of wage portage. This option allows you to launch alone without losing your standard of living. You maintain the security of salaried employment while enjoying the autonomy of an independent worker.

Wage portage is based on the principle of a tripartite relationship between the solopreneur (salaried ported), an umbrella company, and the client. As an entrepreneur salaried ported, you are responsible for finding your clients and executing your mission while your umbrella company takes care of billing. You delegate all your administrative management and focus on the core of your profession.

However, wage portage may not be suitable for all activities or for true business creation projects. Furthermore, you will have to bear the management fees charged by your umbrella company.

💡Good to know: by choosing the umbrella company Weepo, you benefit from its zero hidden fees label for a completely transparent pricing policy.

The micro-enterprise

The micro-enterprise is ideal for starting alone without initial investment. The creation and management processes are simplified, as is its tax and social regime. In a micro-enterprise, you do not pay contributions in the absence of revenue and are not subject to VAT.

However, you also cannot recover VAT on your purchases, and you cannot deduct your expenses from your revenue. The revenue of the micro-enterprise is also capped, limiting your business’s development.

🔔REMINDER: the revenue caps for micro-enterprises in 2025 are €188,700 for commercial activities and €77,000 for service provisions.

The sole proprietorship (EI)

Just like the micro-enterprise, the creation and management formalities of sole proprietorship are simplified. The advantage over a micro-enterprise is that the EI allows for the separation of your personal and professional assets since the reform of 2022. It requires little to no initial investment and offers eligibility for the independent worker's allowance (ATI) in case of loss of activity.

However, with the EI, social contributions are due even in the absence of revenue.

The EURL

As a solopreneur, you also have the option to create an EURL (limited liability single-member company). It is a form of commercial company with a single partner. In an EURL, your personal assets are protected, and the structure is easily adaptable for transitioning to an SARL. The social contributions are lower than for sole proprietorship.

With the EURL, you do not receive unemployment benefits in the case of loss of activity, and fixed social contributions are due even in the absence of profits.

The SASU

Just like the EURL, the SASU (simplified unipersonal joint-stock company) constitutes another form of commercial company with a single partner. It is appreciated for its operational flexibility and its easy transformation into SAS in cases of growth. It offers a great statutory freedom and its image is more credible in the eyes of your external partners. The remunerated manager is affiliated to the general regime of the social security, which ensures them comprehensive social coverage.

However, the SASU has its share of drawbacks:

• Complex creation processes;
• Higher management fees;
• Heavier accounting obligations.

Comparative table of legal statuses for a solopreneur (2025):

Financial aids to launch your business alone

When you launch an entrepreneurial project solo, you can use different public aids to limit your initial investment. Among them, you primarily find:

• The ACRE: you benefit from a partial exemption from social contributions for one year.
• The ARCE: you receive part of your unemployment benefits as capital (60% of the remaining ARE).
• The CAPE (contract for support of business project): the CAPE consists of a subsidy between €5,000 and €20,000 for innovative projects or job creators.
• The Honor Loan: this is a personal loan granted to the business creator as a natural person. It ranges from €3,000 to €50,000 if granted by Initiative France or between €15,000 and €50,000 if granted by Réseau Entreprendre.
• Crowdfunding: this allows a project holder to raise funds through a dedicated online platform from contributors to finance their project.

Bonus: our tips for success as a solopreneur

Choosing the right tools to work solo

As stated at the beginning of the article, as a solopreneur, you are alone at the helm of your business. Therefore, consider improving your productivity through the use of smart tools:

• Billing tools (Tiime, Henrri…);
• Project management tools (Notion, Trello, Asana…);
• Marketing automation tools (Sendinblue…);
• Management tools for your social networks (Hootsuite…)

Develop your network

Being a solopreneur does not mean you have to isolate yourself from the rest of the world. Thus, consider sharing your experience with other entrepreneurs and take the opportunity to ask for advice. Frequent coworking spaces, join entrepreneur networks, or participate in events around entrepreneurship. You will develop new skills to better master the intricacies of entrepreneurship.

Example of the entrepreneur network “Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants (CJD)”:
Founded in 1938, the CJD brings together, each year, more and more leaders seeking development through exchange, training, and collective action. The network integrates a training organism, “ETAPE”, which teaches the necessary know-how for leaders to build a responsible and sustainable business.

Getting support to start alone

When you start alone without experience, mastering all the subtleties of your activity can be challenging. Investing in coaching can be helpful to improve your skills on a specific point or learn to manage your entire business. It will provide you more clarity to learn to manage your priorities and organize yourself as a business owner. The CCI, for example, offers tailored support to help you mobilize the necessary skills for business creation through its network of 450 advisors.

💡Good to know: if you launch in wage portage with Weepo, you benefit from a responsive and attentive team ready to assist you at every step of your project.

Work on your entrepreneurial mindset

In addition to your main activity, being a solopreneur involves managing your marketing and client relations. This involves persuasive sales pitches as well as the ability to reassure your clients and be proactive. To excel, you must therefore overcome your limiting beliefs through in-depth self-work.

The essence of the article summarized in 5 points

You now have all the keys to entrepreneur alone. Here they are as a reminder:

1. The main challenge of the solopreneur is to manage all facets of their business themselves: marketing, accounting, client relations... in addition to their main profession.
2. To create your business alone, you need to test your ability to work solo, conduct a market study, write your business plan, choose your legal status, and declare your activity.
3. Among the legal statuses, you can choose wage portage, micro-enterprise, or sole proprietorship for a simplified start or opt for EURL or SASU based on your growth and investment goals.
4. You can seek various public aids to launch your activity alone, such as the ACRE, ARCE, or the Honor Loan, or crowdfunding.
5. To succeed as a solopreneur, think about automation tools, developing your network, and getting support to master all entrepreneurial aspects.

Additionally, consult our complete guide: how to become a freelancer.