Why so many are leaving adland to embark on 'solopreneurship'

Becoming a soloprenuer was never really on the agenda for Jan Harling, but being made redundant two years ago was the final push that motivated him to go at it alone and start his own business.

"It was never really my dream to be an entrepreneur, as I deemed it too risky," says Harling. "Without this external push, I probably would not have started my own company."

Seeing that layoffs were happening everywhere in the industry, and after the experience of being made redundant himself, Harling saw an opportunity to do things differently and set up Virtus Asia, his own marketing and communications consulting firm. 

"Having spent years in agencies, I understand their strengths and limitations. Likewise, my experience in senior client-side roles gave me firsthand insight into their pain points. I knew I could bridge that gap. Ultimately, I set out to become the kind of partner I always wished I had—someone who truly understands both sides of the equation,” he says.

Harling hasn't looked back and relishes the freedom that comes with being a solopreneur. He now gets to manage his own schedule and values the time he can spend at home with his young kids, but this newfound freedom has not come without its challenges.

"It’s a tremendous amount of work, but unlike in traditional employment, every effort I put in directly benefits me," says Harling. "The biggest pitfall? Uncertainty. You have to be comfortable with it. I’m still working on breaking my own limiting beliefs—after all, the more value you create, the more you can earn. For now, I’m extremely grateful for how things have unfolded over the past two years."

Going solo: The future of work?

Branching out on your own is increasingly becoming one of the most viable options for adland professionals looking at an industry where mass layoffs, cost-cutting efficiencies, synergies, mergers and the threat of displacement by technology are there for all to see. The notion of a job for life or job security working for a corporate has largely become confined to the past. In 2024 alone, 548 technology firms terminated 152,472 employees, according to figures from Layoffs.fyi, which tracks layoffs in the technology industry.

For Laura Kantor, who founded her own business, Climate Club, in 2023, after working in senior marketing roles for both agencies and corporates, says there is a growing disappointment in how businesses are being run these days, especially as you can see that profitability no longer guarantees job security. 

"Many companies, regardless of financial health, turn to retrenchment as a routine cost cutting exercise, often with little regard for performance or loyalty," says Kantor. "As cynical as it sounds, we’re all just numbers on a spreadsheet."

Kantor adds that at least when you run your own business, you have control over the profit and loss, your career, and your future: "Rather than being at the mercy of decisions made by others, you get to shape your own path."

 

While being a solopreneur certainly has its appeal and there are numerous upsides, it can also feel isolating at times. "While I meet plenty of people and work with amazing clients, it’s not quite the same as the camaraderie of being in a team, all working towards a shared mission," says Kantor.

 

And being your own boss is not a walk in the park by any means. Doing all your own tasks, bookeeping and accounting, and constantly having to pitch for new business and sell yourself and your services is not for everyone. 

 

"It’s also surprising how many people just ghost you after having multiple conversations," says Kantor. "When I first started out, I must have gone through six rounds of proposals with a potential client, when he completely disappeared. I genuinely thought he must have died (he didn't!). It’s a frustrating but all-too-common part of the process unfortunately."

Freedom is a double-edged sword

Gordan Domlija knows only too well how stressful the uncertainty can be when running your own company. Since leaving his last corporate role in January 2023, he has set up two companies, ElucidateX, a marketing consultancy in Asia, and Re:Motive Media, the world’s first post-digital agency, and says it's not easy going at it alone and having to consider everything from the practical wellbeing of his family and immediate financial commitments, to the existential questions about purpose and what he wants to achieve in life. 

"There is nothing that can prepare you for dealing with an irregular salary and the ups and downs of running your own business," says Domlija. "Even when you are doing well, you still have to keep one eye on the next project or next client. Plus, the admin, the dead ends, the chasing people for payments; it makes you question yourself and your choices every day."

And while Domlija loves the independence running his own businesses brings, he says that even freedom is a double-edged sword. 

"Yes, you might be freeing yourself from corporate shackles by starting out on your own, but you are also freeing yourself from a regular salary and the stability that brings,” he says.

He warns that if you don’t have the personality to get out every day to hustle and sell yourself and your ideas, to deal with daily rejection, failure and uncertainty, the solopreneur life is not going to work for you. Plus, running your own business does not shield you from having to work with difficult personalities. 

"Big corporations do not have a monopoly on assholes," says Domlija. "You will never be able to avoid them, there will always be someone there making your life more difficult than it needs to be." 

Juliana Chan is an MIT-trained scientist turned media entrepreneur, and in 2023 founded 'Find Your Superpower' that helps industry professionals build personal brands for themselves. Chan, who is also a prominent influencer on LinkedIn, says the biggest benefit of going solo is that your abilities are proportional to your rewards in a business. 

"For corporate executives, you may not necessarily be rewarded for your ideas or hard work," says Chan. "There is always someone who engages in peacocking or unfair behaviour to get ahead of you. As an entrepreneur, while the business world can be brutal and competitive, if you take calculated risks and if you are smart enough to see the opportunities as they appear, the market will validate your ideas and you will be rewarded appropriately."

Today, Chan's Find Your Superpower community has 180 paying members who she helps guide through a 1:1 coaching model and a 12-month virtual Brand Builder Mastermind community subscription model. But she is always candid and frank about the challenges and risks involved. 

"Running a business is one of the loneliest, most tormenting experiences I have ever experienced," says Chan. "I’m not going to go into the darker bits about being a female entrepreneur, but entrepreneurship is still very much a bro club and you have to be smart about how you navigate a male-dominated industry."

Chan says she has seen an uptick in professionals wanting to take the plunge and try their luck at starting a small business. This has in large part been driven by two newer work trends happening, namely return to office mandates and the speed at which generative AI and automation is taking over white-collar jobs. 

"Creatives such as designers and copywriters I know who used to have large corporate client retainers, are now seeing their work erode as design and writing GenAI programs become more and more sophisticated," says Chan. "If you extrapolate that further down the road, the job security we once associated with a university degree will no longer be found, as many rote, repetitive, analytical functions will be taken over by automation, on a massive scale we can’t even fathom right now."

Hence, Chan believes the folks who take matters into their own hands and find side hustles or freelancing streams of income may be the ones who prevail in the future. That, as well as workers who are willing to reskill and retrain for an AI future. 

 

But Chan is pragmatic and doesn't want to oversell the dream of solopreneurship. She generally advises many corporate executives in her community to keep their day jobs and instead start a side hustle (think 9-to-5 day at your day job, and 5-to-9 side at your side hustle) based on something they are an expert in, or based on a passion of theirs.

"I often suggest for them to try this out for 6-9 months, and see if they can get to at least 50% of their current income from their side hustle," says Chan. "If and when that is proven possible, then they can make serious logistical and operational plans to leave their day job, such as incorporating a company for their solopreneur business and planning their exit."

Chan loves the freedom that entrepreneurship has given her and the ability to work remotely, as well as the freedom of never again having an earning ceiling. But she caveats that with saying that she has witnessed many professionals realise that solopreneurship isn’t what it is made out to be. 

"The constant stress and grind are honestly not for everyone, and I would caution anyone who is thinking of solopreneurship as an escape from corporate life or work burnout to reconsider," says Chan. "There are many Instagram accounts that only show the glossy side of entrepreneurship (fast cars, private jets, popular keynote speakers) but that’s simply not the reality for most entrepreneurs, who are instead missing birthdays and anniversaries, working past midnight on weekends, managing difficult clients and employees, and foregoing their own salaries to make payroll. The list goes on."

Far from glamorous

 

For Grace Gumala, it was a retrenchment in 2023 that changed her perspective towards job stability in the advertising industry. As a creative director, she found that similar roles were few and far between and resorted to starting something on her own instead. That something was Content Hearts, a boutique agency focusing on social media and content creation. But embarking on a journey as a solopreneur was never something she expected to be glamorous. 

"I was just starting something small that I can call my own and one that is able to sustain my career for longer than in the corporate world," says Gumala. "Being a solopreneur has taught me to trust my instincts more, to see things in a bigger perspective and to take into account profitability and results as much as creativity."

Guamala adds that the soloprenuer life is definitely not easy: "Some founders might even be earning less than what they used to earn working in corporate roles. However, we should also take into account the longevity of their career and the areas of self-learning and development we might expect to happen in solo ventures."

Andy Wilson, who previously had a lengthy career in senior agency roles, including heading Ogilvy's sustainability practice across APAC, branched out on his own in early 2024 to start a sustainability-focused agency, Early Majority. He says that going it alone is not for the faint hearted, but that is the whole point. 

"It is the mother of all decisions, that goes much deeper than your choice of 'job'," says Wilson. His advice for anyone considering starting their own venture is to give it a long hard think. 

"Ask your trusted mentors and coaches, they will know if you have got what it takes," says Wilson. "All factors being equal, back yourself and give it a go. Once you are liberated from the addiction of a monthly salary, you can always choose it again intentionally with your eyes wide open."

 

One of the primary benefits of being a soloprenuer has to be managing your own hours and working from wherever you prefer, but even that comes with its drawbacks. 

"Unpopular opinion but working from home sucks and what I mean by that is how lonely and isolating it can be," says Simone Eyles, who founded Disinfluencer, a social enterprise that works to better represent disabled people across media and marketing. "Making time to go away and learn, connect and network is so important when you work alone, it is so good to also meet people in real life that you have only ever connected with online."

For those considering venturing out on their own, Eyles recommends just starting with what you have. "You don't need to quit your job or sink big dollars, especially at the start," says Eyles. "I started by offering brand shoots and now we have curated a brand agnostic stock library, so what you think is a great idea will be determined by the market so get into the market as fast as possible and let your business evolve based on the markets need."

And the most rewarding part of being a soloprenuer? "Well, you get to run your own business," says Andy Greenway, founder of TAO. "You don’t have to get caught up in the politics of a big network, or be dismissed because you’re too old, too expensive or your face doesn’t fit. There’s a liberating sense of freedom in that respect."

Greenway adds that being your own boss can equally be very stressful, frustrating and demoralising. "When it goes well, it’s brilliant. When it goes wrong, well… you have a drink or two."

The risks are real and tough

 

Merlee Jayme who launched Jayme Headquarters (Jayme HQ), an agency that aims to create opportunities for neurodivergent creative talent in the advertising industry says going at it alone is not an easy journey. "Losing an account, for example, can keep you up at night, not just for the lost revenue but for the well-being of your team. You'll face difficult meetings and situations where you might wish for the support of a boss—realising that you are one," she says. 

 

 

Currently, there's a growing trend of individuals setting up their own agencies, often after leaving traditional firms. However, this raises two important questions: can the market accommodate an influx of solopreneurs, and what implications does this shift have for the future of traditional agencies?

 

"The communications industry is clearly over-consolidating at the moment which is leading to a huge market opportunity for clients and talent alike in the independent sector," says Wilson. "More network consolidation will lead to more independent talent and more clients seeking independent service models."

 

And Jayme believes that the industry absolutely can accommodate all the newbies who are branching out on their own.

 

"New voices, fresh thinking, and innovative approaches are always in demand," says Jayme. "The world craves something new and fresh—new skills, ideas, innovations, costs, and possibilities. Embrace your unique perspective and be ready to contribute, even in small but credible ways."