What does it really mean to “stay solo” in a world that won’t stop telling you to scale? That’s the question we explore with Maggie Patterson, whose new book Staying Solo challenges the endless drumbeat of “bigger is better.”

In this episode, we dive into Maggie’s journey from agency owner to solo business advocate, the messy parts of writing (and marketing) a book without turning it into a performative launch, and the very real tension between wanting to build a sustainable business—while feeling pressure to do it in a way that exploits your time or other people’s labor. (Thanks, online business influencers).

We also talk about typos in print books, sticker packs as marketing tools, and why self-publishing may outperform traditional publishing as a soloist. Whether you’re a solopreneur, a micro-agency owner, or just someone wondering if you have to scale to be legit, Maggie’s perspective offers a breath of fresh air—and a permission slip to do it your way.

* Why Staying Solo matters—especially when the default advice is always to “scale”

* The tension between running an agency and telling others not to build one

* How Maggie’s book journey came out of years of blog posts and a poolside conversation

* The ethics of pricing, paying others well, and not replicating exploitative business practices

* The weird relief (and panic) of finding typos in a printed book you can’t easily fix

* How to stay human while promoting a book (sticker packs, handwritten notes, book tours)

* Book marketing vs. book selling—why Maggie chose self-publishing and what surprised her most

* The privilege of staying solo—and how to be clear about who you want to serve

* Most importantly, the 5 book names for Maggie’s book themed birdhouse.

About our Guest

Maggie Patterson

Staying Solo

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Listen on Spotify

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Connect with Meg and Jessica

Meg Casebolt

Jessica Lackey

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aggressivelyhuman.substack.com

Staying Solo

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