Hi, I’m Darren.
I am a small business owner, podcaster, and author of The Fail-Safe Solopreneur: 6 Practices to Manage Your Well-Being Working for Yourself.
I quit my last job 10 years ago and have since been self-employed. Here I share what I’ve learned about making a living and life as a solopreneur.
Having grown up in the US but worked my entire career in Asia, I explore Western and Eastern approaches to business and building a fulfilling work-life.
The Fail-Safe Solopreneur
There are many books about making money. But few talk about the emotional toll of entrepreneurship.
I wrote The Fail-Safe Solopreneur to help the growing number of freelancers, creators and entrepreneurs weather the emotional roller coaster of running a business and charting their own path. Each chapter centers around one practice I’ve found essential for well-being, so you can do your best work and fully enjoy your freedom. The book is available in Kindle, Paperback, and Audible / iTunes.
ASE Podcast
ASE is a West African concept that means the power to make things happen. It also stands for Art, Social impact and Entrepreneurship – the work I aspire to do.
On ASE, I interview intuition experts, professors, social entrepreneurs, singers, dancers, photographers, writers and filmmakers about how they are charting their own path to do their most meaningful work. We discuss ideas that can help you survive and thrive as a solopreneur. I also record solo episodes about the ups and downs of trying to build a career that’s fulfilling creatively, socially and financially. Listen here
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, YouTube
Popular ASE Episodes
- #15 Xiu Yang: The Ancient Art of Self-Cultivation with Mimi Kuo-Deemer
- #2 Wu-Wei and What Ancient Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us about Peak Performance with Edward Slingerland
- #3 What I Learned from Asking 30 People About their Perfect Day
Blog
I also blog about the challenges I face as a solopreneur, and share ideas and tools I believe could help other solo creators and founders. I try to be unflinchingly honest about what makes this path wonderful and difficult.
I am especially concerned with helping independent workers manage their mental and emotional health, as this has been a challenge for me, and I believe this problem will only grow as more people freelance, start businesses and work on their own.
Popular Short Blog Posts
- Solopreneurship Goes Against 200,000 Years of Evolution
- The Counterintuitive Life Lessons of Obituaries
- The Pull-Up Principle
Popular Long Blog Posts
- The In-Between
- Which Gives More Security: Money or Friends?
- The Art of Travel Blogging with Tom Divers, Vietnam Coracle
Other Series of Articles to Help You :
- Upstartist MBA: 14 posts on managing yourself and creating value
- Book Trainer: exercises to internalize awesome books
- The Perfect Day: designing your ideal day through intuition, outsight and reflection
Get in Touch
When I’m not working you can find me dancing, worm composting, and doing pull-ups.
You can also find me on LinkedIn, Youtube, and Quora.
I love hearing from people, so please contact me here, introduce yourself, and let me know your challenges – maybe I can help.