As a self-employed professional, you have two basic strategies for your marketing efforts: Writing or Speaking.

No matter whether or not you do both of these activities or only one of them, you need to know what messages you want to convey to your audience.

That's why you need to create a list of your 10 Most Important Business Principles (MIBP). Without them, your marketing efforts will be too diffuse to really grab the attention of your intended ideal clients.

Your 10 Most Important Business Principles inform, expand, and provide clarity for your business vision. For example, the vision statement for my company, SoloBizVille is:

Through collaboration, community, and continuous learning, any professional can create a joyous, sustainable, and profitable one-person services business.

For me, as a Business Coach for Solopreneurs, my 10 MIBP are:

• Nobody needs a stronger weakness.
• If you chase 2 rabbits, both will escape. Focus is power.
• Ideas are "a dime a dozen," but right action is rare and worth millions.
• Mistakes are the stepping stones to success. Embrace them.
• Success and integrity are not mutually exclusive.
• Embrace the goal, not the plan.
• This is your life, not a dress rehearsal.
• At least 5% of your clients and projects are from Hell. Always. No exceptions.
• Success comes by doing what you do magnificently. Delegate everything else!
• Your strengths are so easy you think everyone can do them. They can't!

As you can see, some of my MIBP are reasons why solopreneurs are frustrated; while others are principles for business success. But all of them are principles that I believe in and use when I coach solopreneurs.

For a contrast, these were my 10 MIBPs when I was working solo as an Independent Technical Writer and Publications Project Manager:

• The client is always right, even when he isn't. Always respect and honor the client's objectives.
• Project risk is always reducible.
• Success requires mistakes