My Solo Entrepreneur Journey

Literally solo. This story explains how and why I became a solo-trepreneur.

I initially planned to publish this post exclusively for my Patrons on Patreon. However, I realized that there might be individuals out there who aspire to own a business and make money online, but feel discouraged due to the challenges it presents. I’ve been in that position myself, so if you’re one of those people, hi and welcome to this blog.

For those who expected advice on starting a business, I must clarify that my own business has unique circumstances and yours may differ. But for those who decided to stay and read on, thank you. It means a lot to me.

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston S. Churchill

As a teenage girl, I disliked the idea of having social media. I never used any platform, except for YouTube, and I never had the courage to open accounts elsewhere. It felt great to be a social media hermit because it meant I didn’t have to deal with the latest trends and fashion that my classmates were into. However, this also meant that I couldn’t relate to conversations that revolved around social media.

I eventually started using social media when the pandemic hit and I found myself unsure of what to do. I downloaded TikTok, but quickly deleted it. If you know the reason why, then thank you. Next, I tried Twitter, but found the platform to be toxic with its thirst tweets, so I deleted it as well. Finally, I downloaded Instagram. I kept the platform for several months as I discovered the studygram aesthetic, and thought to myself, “I can do that.” So, I created multiple accounts. If a particular account wasn’t successful, I would delete it and start anew. This cycle continued until I reached a point where I decided it was enough, and I returned to being a social media hermit.

Time passed, and now I’m in Year 11. I can’t recall the exact date, but it suddenly occurred to me that I should start a business. This idea was prompted by my parents’ financial instability (not that we were becoming poor, but my father was starting a business) and my desire to help myself. I know it may sound selfish, but my mother once owned a business that had to be closed due to issues with the workers. She had considered reviving her spa business, but decided against it out of fear that the same problems would arise. This is why I was afraid to tell my mother about my online business and had to figure things out on my own, without any outside help.

I created an account on Gumroad, intending to establish an online stationary store where people could purchase notebooks, stickers, Notion Templates, and more. I named it the Green Paper Line. Sound familiar? It was inspired by the White Star Line, the company behind the Titanic, which was famously believed to be unsinkable but tragically sank. Similarly, my business met the same fate, and I ultimately deleted it.

Next, I created an online student resource website and shop called Donwell Belle-Lettres, which translates to “Donwell’s Beautiful Letters”. You can actually find remnants of it here on my blog, such as the Full Book Summary of Pride and Prejudice and the Kafala System. I decided to keep these posts because they contain valuable information. While setting up my Donwell Belle-Lettres account, I also created a second account, which served as my personal account, with the username: @kinahmarch. Eventually, I transformed it into a studygram account. Seeing that this account was more successful than Donwell Belle-Lettres, I deleted my personal account and changed the name of both the shop and the account to Shekinah March, along with the studygram.

Now, I have two brands. While I changed the username of my studygram to @studyjomarch, my business name remains Shekinah March.

Initially, when I started creating digital notebooks, study guides, and Notion Templates, I didn’t receive any sales until just last August. It was disheartening to think that my shop had been up since February, and I even contemplated deleting it and starting anew. But I persisted. I submitted my beloved Pemberley Dashboard on Notion, and after two months, I received an email notifying me that it had been accepted into the Notion Template Gallery. I was overjoyed because I had previously attempted to submit Notion Templates to the gallery, but they were never accepted. This particular submission was different. It had been two years since my last attempt, and this time, my template was published.

Of course, there were still no sales at that point, so I created a few more templates. To keep a long story short, I published a total of 14 templates on Notion, and the most popular one turned out to be the Research Paper 2.0. I was thrilled to see more and more people visiting my store and benefiting from this template in their research paper writing.

As time went on, I started receiving sales and payouts, which allowed me to purchase a domain. Now, I have a website with a matching email address. My business is still generating modest earnings, but when I consider that just a few months ago I had no sales and was on the verge of giving up, I’m extremely grateful that I persevered. Having my Gumroad Shop has not only helped me grow my newsletter, but it has also enabled me to acquire a domain for my website and an email address with my own domain. I’m genuinely thankful that I didn’t quit, because I can’t imagine where I would be today if I had.

Truly, I wouldn’t be writing this blog post to you.