The Sweet Poison of Good Income: A Satirical Memoir by A Solopreneur Who Should’ve Scaled Already.

Hi. I’m Arshad.

Some people call me a Growth Coach. Others call me a Consultant, a Mentor, or “Sirjee.”

But deep inside, I’m just a guy who accidentally built a good-income business… and then cleverly stayed trapped inside it for years.

This is not a motivational post.

It’s a confession.

Because I’ve realized — good income is the most respectable form of procrastination.

Let me explain.

1. The Solopreneur Who Made It… and Then Decided to Park There

So there I was.

Corporate life behind me.

Clients ahead.

Calendar full.

Life — sorted.

I was earning “good money.”

I mean, not IPL-team-owner money. But definitely “business-class-if-it’s-on-offer” money.

Clients loved me.

Sessions were packed.

Incentive policies? Dashboards? Cultural transformation?

I was the human version of ChatGPT (before it was cool).

But something strange happened: I stopped building.

Not because I was lazy. Oh no.

Because I was busy.

Busy earning good income.

2. I Am the Product, the Process, and the Pain

Let’s talk about my org structure:

Me.

From client acquisition to keynote sessions, invoicing to inspiration — I was doing it all.

I even wrote performance policies for 10 companies in a week, and still had time to post deep LinkedIn thoughts in four lines.

People asked, “Sirjee, why don’t you build a team?”

And I’d say, “I’m just waiting for the right person.”

What I really meant was:

“I’m afraid they won’t do it like me. And explaining things is exhausting.”

So I kept running the show solo.

And to be honest, I was crushing it — and getting crushed by it — at the same time.

 3. My Freedom is Sponsored by Zoom Fatigue

Ah, the solopreneur dream — freedom, flexibility, and financial stability.

Except, most of my freedom came in 30-minute slots between sessions.

And flexibility meant I could work from Goa… while completely ignoring the beach.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my work.

But even love needs a system.

And I was too in love with control.

Scaling? Sure, I talked about it.

I even drafted a brilliant 6-month roadmap.

It was beautiful. Strategic.

I called it “Project Claystorm.”

It now lives in a folder called “Later.”

4. Delegation? I Tried. I Panicked. I Retreated.

I once hired a young, sharp consultant to help with delivery.

He asked too many questions. Took initiative.

I felt… threatened.

So, naturally, I told myself:

“Maybe he needs more training.”

Which meant: I’ll just do it myself.

I realized I didn’t want a team.

I wanted clones.

And since cloning isn’t legal yet — I stayed solo.

5. Good Income Gave Me a Cushion… and Then Sat on Me

Let’s get real:

Good income is addictive.

Like a massage chair — nice, warm, reliable… and it kills your spine over time.

It gives you just enough comfort to forget how uncomfortable you should be about not growing.

I’d look at other startups scaling, productizing, systemizing — and I’d roll my eyes.

“Poor guys, don’t even know what profit feels like.”

But the truth?

I envied their courage.

Because good income whispers, “Why risk it when it’s working?”

And I listened. For years.

6. I Could’ve Built an Empire. Instead, I Built a Spreadsheet.

I had all the ingredients:

Vision. Strategy. Case studies. Clients who actually paid on time.

I even had a name — Claycan — with a tagline and legacy pitch.

But the moment came to build a team, raise a structure, and delegate real work…

I did what any highly-aware, self-reflective coach would do.

I scheduled a follow-up. With myself.

7. And Then It Hit Me:

What if my brand dies with my bandwidth?

What if Claycan becomes a case study in “Great Solo Acts That Never Became Institutions”?

What if, despite all this knowledge and goodwill, I just stay a one-man cruise?

Good income made me sharp.

But it didn’t make me scalable.

And that’s where the problem lives.

8. So What’s the Way Out?

Here’s what I’ve realized, brutally and beautifully:

• Great income begins where good income ends — outside your comfort zone.
• Scaling isn’t a business decision. It’s a personal evolution.
• Delegation isn’t about losing control. It’s about creating capacity.
• And “freedom” isn’t real until someone else can run your day.

I’m not writing this because I’ve figured it all out.

I’m writing this because I’m finally willing to get uncomfortable again.

Yes, I may be the growth coach.

But guess who needs the biggest dose of growth right now?

Me.

Final Word (from one trapped solopreneur to another):

If you’re like me — comfortably profitable, dangerously solo, and secretly exhausted — here’s a reminder:

Don’t let your good income kill your great potential.

Don’t hide behind excellence.

Build something that outlives your calendar.

Or, as I like to tell clients (but now finally told myself):

“Be the organisation, not just the operator.”