The “More Mindset” for Solopreneurs Who Create Content

A lot of solopreneurs don’t have a marketing problem—they have a consistency problem. And consistency usually isn’t about time management. It’s about what you believe will happen when you show up.

If you’ve ever postponed posting because it “won’t matter,” avoided pitching because you “don’t want to be salesy,” or rewritten the same email 12 times because it “isn’t good enough,” that’s not a tactics issue. That’s mindset running the business.

Diana Pagano’s idea of a More Mindset (shared on the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch) hits a nerve for solo business owners: “More” isn’t doing more. It’s becoming more aligned with purpose, confidence, and the results you want. For the SMB Content Marketing United States series, that’s a practical lens: when your mindset shifts, your content engine becomes simpler, steadier, and more profitable.

“More” isn’t hustle. It’s alignment.

Answer first: The fastest way for a solopreneur to create better marketing results is to stop equating “more” with “more tasks” and start equating “more” with more clarity and identity alignment.

Most solopreneurs already know what to do:

• Publish consistently
• Say the same thing more often (positioning)
• Ask for the sale without apologizing
• Follow up like a professional

Yet many don’t do it because they’re carrying a quiet belief: “If I’m not perfect, I’ll be judged.” Or: “People like me don’t get to charge that.” Or: “I’m too late to this market.”

Pagano’s take is blunt and useful: the goal is becoming more of who you’re meant to be—not cramming more into your calendar. When you’re aligned, the work still takes effort, but it stops feeling like you’re dragging a boulder uphill.

Here’s what alignment looks like in content marketing:

• You’re clear on who you help and what you’re known for
• You publish even when it’s not “perfect”
• You repeat your point of view without getting bored
• You don’t treat visibility like a personal risk

That’s not motivational fluff. That’s a business advantage.

Your brain is filtering your marketing options (RAS matters)

Answer first: Your reticular activating system (RAS) filters what you notice, which changes what opportunities you act on—especially in marketing.

Pagano talks about the brain’s built-in filtering system: you notice what you’re primed to notice. If you believe “nothing works for me,” your brain will collect proof. If you believe “I attract opportunities,” your brain starts spotting options you would’ve ignored.

This shows up constantly in solopreneur marketing:

• You “don’t see” partnership opportunities
• You ignore warm leads because you assume they’ll say no
• You dismiss content ideas because you assume no one cares

A practical example: the same week, two realities

Two consultants both publish a helpful LinkedIn post.

• Consultant A thinks: “Nobody’s going to read this.” They post once, then disappear.
• Consultant B thinks: “This is useful. The right people will find it.” They repurpose it into an email, a short video, and a client story.

Same skill level. Same time. Different filter.

A More Mindset doesn’t magically create leads. It creates more attempts, which creates more data, which creates better offers and better content. It’s not mystical—it’s momentum.

The “change the channel” reset you can use mid-workday

Answer first: When you catch a negative loop, interrupt it immediately—then choose a new narrative you’re willing to act from.

One of Pagano’s most usable ideas is the “remote control” metaphor: when your brain is stuck on an anxiety channel (doom scrolling, catastrophizing, “what if it fails”), you don’t debate it. You switch channels.

Here’s a simple 90-second version solopreneurs can use before creating content, hitting publish, or sending a pitch:

1. Name the channel.
   • “I’m on the ‘they’ll judge me’ channel.”
2. Interrupt the pattern.
   • Stand up. Get water. 10 deep breaths. Anything physical.
3. Replace the story with an action story.
   • Not “I’m amazing.” More like: “I can ship a B+ draft today.”
4. Do the smallest next step in under 5 minutes.
   • Open the doc. Write the hook. Send the follow-up.

This matters because content marketing rewards people who stay in the game. Your competitors don’t win because they’re smarter. They win because they publish and follow up when you’re overthinking.

Script: a better story for content consistency

Use one of these when you feel yourself stalling:

• “My job is to be helpful, not impressive.”
• “Done builds trust. Perfect builds drafts.”
• “I’m one post away from a conversation.”
• “This is practice—and practice compounds.”

Pick one you can actually believe on a tired Tuesday.

Fear is a signal. Use it like a compass.

Answer first: Fear doesn’t mean stop; it usually means the work matters and you’re near a growth edge.

Pagano reframes fear as “false evidence appearing real” and points out a research-backed truth many coaches cite: most anxious thoughts are predictions, not facts.

For solopreneurs, fear shows up in predictable places:

• Raising prices
• Publishing opinions (positioning)
• Pitching a podcast, event, or partnership
• Recording video
• Niche decisions (“What if I exclude someone?”)

Instead of waiting for fear to disappear, use it as a diagnostic.

The Fear → Signal → Move framework

When you feel fear, run this quick loop:

• Fear: “If I post this, people will think I’m clueless.”
• Signal: “I’m about to be visible. Visibility is how leads happen.”
• Move: Post it, then DM 3 ideal clients with a non-weird note: “I shared something you might like—want the template?”

The goal isn’t confidence as a mood. The goal is confidence as a pattern: you do the thing even with the feeling present.

Habits don’t work without identity (especially in content marketing)

Answer first: Habits stick when they match your identity; otherwise, you’ll “fall off” every time the work gets uncomfortable.

Pagano makes a strong point: habits matter, but mindset is the foundation. In content marketing, it’s common to copy a schedule (“post 5x/week!”) and still fail because the identity underneath is shaky.

If your identity is:

• “I’m not a real expert yet,” you’ll keep delaying.
• “I’m bad at sales,” you’ll avoid CTAs.
• “I’m not consistent,” you’ll create stop-start cycles.

Identity upgrades that make your marketing easier

Try on a few of these and see what changes:

• “I’m a publisher.” (I ship on schedule.)
• “I’m a guide.” (I simplify decisions for buyers.)
• “I’m a problem-solver.” (I follow up until it’s resolved.)
• “I’m a marketer.” (I get paid attention with value.)

Then build habits that prove the identity.

A simple weekly system for solopreneurs:

1. One pillar idea (60 minutes)
2. One long-form asset (blog/email/video script) (90 minutes)
3. Three short posts pulled from it (45 minutes)
4. Two follow-up blocks (20 minutes each)

That’s not a massive calendar takeover. It’s a repeatable engine.

Success can become a trap—define it before you scale

Answer first: If you tie your worth to achievements, you’ll chase metrics that burn you out and sabotage your content.

Pagano talks about high achievers who hit goals and still feel empty. Solopreneurs are especially vulnerable because business and identity blend together fast.

In the U.S. small business world (and especially online), it’s easy to adopt borrowed definitions of success:

• “I need 6 figures from courses.”
• “I need 10k followers to be credible.”
• “I need to post daily or I’m falling behind.”

I’m opinionated here: If your definition of success forces you to hate your marketing, you’ll quit right before it starts working.

A better success definition for content marketing

Try measuring what actually predicts revenue:

• Weekly: conversations started, follow-ups sent
• Monthly: emails added to list, consult calls booked
• Quarterly: offer conversion rate, revenue per lead source

Followers and likes can be nice. They’re not payroll.

A 7-day “More Mindset” sprint for solopreneur leads

Answer first: Build confidence by shipping small, visible actions daily—then capture demand with a simple CTA.

If you want this to turn into leads (not just inspiration), run this 7-day sprint:

1. Day 1: Write your “I help…” statement + your strongest opinion.
2. Day 2: Publish a post answering one buyer question (pricing, timeline, mistakes).
3. Day 3: Send an email with a short story + lesson + invitation to reply.
4. Day 4: Record a 60–90 second video summarizing your best tip.
5. Day 5: Share a client win (no hype—specific before/after).
6. Day 6: DM 5 warm contacts with a clear offer to help.
7. Day 7: Create one simple lead magnet or “starter kit” and mention it in your content.

Keep the CTA simple:

“If you want help applying this to your business, reply ‘MORE’ and I’ll send the outline I use.”

Clarity beats clever.

Where this fits in the SMB Content Marketing United States series

This series is about doing content marketing on a budget without losing your mind. The uncomfortable truth is that most “budget constraints” are really confidence constraints: you don’t need a bigger tech stack—you need a more reliable internal operating system.

The More Mindset approach is that operating system. When your beliefs support your goals, content becomes a repeating business asset instead of a weekly emotional battle.

If you’re rebuilding momentum in January, don’t plan a bigger calendar. Plan a smaller set of actions you can repeat—and decide who you’re becoming while you repeat them.

What would you publish this week if you assumed the right people were already paying attention?