Solopreneurs are scrappy, resourceful, and incredibly resilient. But somewhere between building a funnel and trying a new tool, it’s easy to end up in a trap of complexity that slows everything down.

You don’t have a team to manage 12 systems, show up on every platform, or implement every strategy an influencer is hyping up this week.

AI has been a great addition to the business mix for solopreneurs. But you’re still the one driving your business vision forward. You can have 12 bots doing a number of jobs in your business but if you keep trying the “new hot thing” because you think you’re missing out on something, things are going to get complex and messy fast.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking…
Maybe I’m missing out. Maybe this new tool (or AI bot) is the thing that will finally unlock growth.

But if you’ve ever followed that feeling and ended up more tired than successful, you’re not alone.

Here’s what I’ve learned:
⟫ Growth doesn’t come from chasing more.
⟫ It comes from doing less, on purpose.

Every part of your business already has a few things that do most of the heavy lifting.
Your job is to find them, support them, and edit everything else down. That’s the Essential Few Model we’re digging into today.

🔭 ICYMI:

10 secrets to get people to buy what you sell (LinkedIn)

Before you create your online course…read this (Suite to Scale Newsletter)

Ecosystems come and go (Seth’s Blog)

So Many Creators Are Moving to Substack: What’s Going On? (Growth in Reverse)

🔎 The Essential Few Model

This model is simple:
Every part of your business already has a few things that do most of the heavy lifting.
Your job is to find them, support them, and edit everything else down.

It applies across the board:

📣 Marketing

You need to know where your clients and customers are coming from.
Instead of focusing on 5 different platforms, and wondering if you also need to be on Reddit 👇

• Look at your last 10+ sales (depending on volume). Where did they come from?

• Which content drives replies, conversations, or purchases?

• What channel is easy for you to show up on consistently?

Chances are, 1–2 platforms drive 80% of your results. That’s where your energy should go.

Pro tip: Once you’ve identified the essential few in your marketing, make a list of ways AI and automations can help you go deeper and do more in the areas that are already working.

Find the essential few marketing elements that lead to the greatest ROI. Focus on those.

💰 Offers

It’s tempting to keep creating new offers when you’re not hitting your income targets. But you only need a few that solve real problems and you need to sell them consistently.

• Which offers bring in the most revenue or conversions?

• Which ones do you enjoy delivering or improving over time?

• Are you spreading yourself thin trying to market 6 products when 1 performs best?

Simplifying your offer suite can free up your time and boost your profit margin.

Again, ask yourself whether or not there are automations or AI tools you can include in your offers that help your customers achieve their goals even faster. This will make your offer even more valuable.

Find the essential few offers that lead to the greatest ROI. Focus on those.

⚙️ Systems

You don’t need the fanciest tools. Contrary to the bajillion tools everyone tells you, “are a game-changer”. You need systems that support your core focus.

• Are you using 3 different platforms to store your content ideas?

• Do you have systems/workflows that help you work faster, or are they just shiny objects that require a lot of updating?

• Could you simplify onboarding, scheduling, or content creation using fewer tools?

Start by asking what feels cluttered, then choose one system to clean up.

Once you’ve identified the essential few systems you need to help you sell the essential few offers and do the essential marketing elements, ask yourself if there are any AI bots or automations you can use to improve the systems in place.

Find the essential few systems that assist in producing the greatest ROI. Focus on those.

🤖 AI is a powerful tool. But it’s still just that, a tool.

Solopreneurs are doing more than ever thanks to AI agents and automations.
Scheduling, sorting, replying, drafting. There’s a bot for almost everything.

But this is what I want you to remember:

The best results still come from intentional design, not just automation overload.

Imagine this:
→ You create one AI agent designed to solve a specific problem in your business.
It’s trained on your process, supports your offers, and frees up your time.

Now imagine the alternative:
→ You create five generic agents because someone online said you should.
They’re disconnected, half-trained, and still require your constant input.

The difference between these two situations isn’t in how many bots you have, but rather in how well they support your vision.

So yes, use AI. But use it intentionally.

Because even in an AI-powered world, you're still the one steering the ship.
We’ve looked at how the Essential Few Model applies to marketing, systems, and your offers but it also applies to AI.

When it comes to designing AI agents and automations, use the same model to evaluate the work that will truly lead to growth.

🧠 Your Business Can’t Run on “What Ifs”

What if I’m missing out by not trying Stan Store?
What if TikTok is the growth channel I’ve been ignoring?
What if switching project management tools is the key?

Reality: If you don’t have a focused strategy, no platform or new tool will save you.

Jumping to something new every month is not being strategic. It’s just a distraction that you’ve dressed up as growth.

Focusing on your essential few lets you scale without slipping into burnout.

💬 A Personal Note from Kat

When I launched my first few courses, I tried to do it all.
Webinars, daily content, lives, emails, blog posts, every strategy under the sun.

It was exhausting and the results didn’t match the effort.

When I took a step back and looked at what actually worked, the pattern was clear:
My students at the time came from a mix of Facebook Lives, Instagram Stories, and email.

So I cut everything else.

That launch brought in $50K.
That year became my first six-figure year from courses.
It happened because I focused on the essential few.

✍️ Your Turn: Try the Essential Few Model

Run your business through these three questions this week:

1. What’s actually producing results?
Look at your past launches, client intake forms, sales reports, and analytics.
Where did the buyers come from? What was the action or platform that triggered the sale?

2. What’s adding clutter without clear ROI?
What are you doing just because someone told you it “works”?
What’s been on your task list for months but never gets done and hasn’t hurt your business one bit?

3. What would be easier or more profitable if you gave it more attention?
There’s usually one channel, offer, or strategy you’ve seen work... but haven’t given your full focus yet.
That’s where your growth is hiding.

Doing less isn’t about playing small and missing out on things.
It’s about making space for momentum to build faster.

Your essential few are already working for you.
Now’s the time to double down on what works, instead of spreading yourself too thin.

If you want to scale without getting stuck in busywork, this is where it starts.

Essential core offers - the ones that bring in the highest ROI and the best results for customers.
Essential core marketing efforts - that generate the highest ROI.
The essential few systems that keep the business moving and profitable.
The essential few automations and AI bots that help solve real problems for you.

This is your permission slip to stick to the essential few things that drive results instead of jumping onto the next big thing.

Want to go deeper with this? Send me a DM or comment and let me know if you’re struggling finding your essential few. Perhaps you’re trying to focus on the essential, but that voice in your head keeps saying, “what if”. Let’s talk through it together!

Stay wildly optimistic loungers,
- Kat M.