I've been spending the last few days zipping around the California Bay Area driving my sister-in-law's Prius. Pat loves her cherry red car, and I now understand why. Driving around in her Prius also taught me a few lessons of value to soloists:

1. The power of tribes.
Until you're driving one, other Prius' remain invisible -- then they seem to be everywhere. Toyota has built upon this homophyly to create bonds among a tribe of Prius owners, many of whom spread positive word-of-mouth about the car. How many businesses are similar to yours -- and have you noticed (and even more, learned from) them? Does your product or service have the power to create a tribe of enthusiastic customers?

2. Fresh eyes.
Pulling up to a stop light in the Prius, I was shocked -- at the silence. As a hybrid vehicle, the Prius engine turns to battery power when the traditional engine is not needed. The sense of quiet in the car is unexpected, then a pleasure. What have you been overlooking in your solo business that can bring surprise and delight to your customers?

3. Don't overthink.
My brother guffawed when he heard that I spent several minutes in the rainy drizzle trying to unlock the car door. It's really quite easy -- walk up to the door with the key fob in your pocket and the proximity sensor will unlock the door as soon as you pull the handle. Instead, I stood there -- growing increasingly frustrated -- and tried to push every button, thereby locking the door repeatedly. I was overthinking the mechanism, and once I understood the elegant simplicity of the design, it seemed natural and apparent. What are you overthinking in your solo business? How can you leverage the obvious?

-- Terri Lonier
Founder, WorkingSolo.com