What Can Two Lines Reveal?

SOLO is your weekly design and visibility lab — part of the Solo Business School, and dedicated to helping solopreneurs stand out with smart systems, sharp visuals, and AI that unlocks your edge.

Each week, you get fresh ideas to help you stay small and play big.

How Two Straight Lines Can Transform Your Business

Hey, Reader —

Some tools are so simple, we overlook their genius. Just two lines crossing in the middle of a page to make four areas — no fancy drawing required.

But that humble 2x2 matrix? It’s a visual power tool.

You can use it to make decisions, clarify offers, prioritize content, or spot misalignments. It’s a fast way to turn fuzziness into focus — especially when your business depends on both clarity and creativity.

This week, I’ve pulled together three 2x2s that every solopreneur should know. Each one gives you a different lens on your business — and each one ends with the same goal: get more of your work into the Golden Quadrant (top right), where clarity, value, and opportunity meet.

What You Know vs. What They Ask

This grid is a lens on your entire body of work. Use it to evaluate what you’re known for, what your audience is asking for, and how to align the two.

You might find:

Low interest, low expertise — not worth your time right now
High interest, low expertise — time to learn or collaborate
High expertise, low interest — strengths that need repackaging to resonate
High expertise, high interest — your Where You Shine zone

It’s especially useful when shaping new offers, evolving existing ones, or clarifying what to lead with in your marketing.

Skill Level vs. Revenue

This grid brings clarity to the work you’re doing vs. what’s actually bringing in revenue. Are you spending your time where it matters most?

You might find:

Low skill, low revenue — time to let it go
Low skill, high revenue — worth improving or streamlining
High skill, low revenue — strong abilities that need better positioning
High skill, high revenue — your Zone of Mastery

It’s a fast way to spot what to double down on, what to rework, and what to walk away from.

Custom vs. Scalable

This grid helps you see which of your services are one-offs and which can grow without adding more hours to your plate.

Start plotting your offerings, and you’ll quickly see where they land:

High-touch but hard to repeat — fully custom, one-to-one work
Streamlined but still time-bound — repeatable services that still rely on you
Tailored but tricky to scale — custom experiences for larger groups
Designed to grow — scalable, one-to-many offers that run with less effort

Your goal? Move more of your work into that upper right corner — offers that are repeatable and scalable. These are the ones that grow with less effort, not more.

This Week’s Build: Sketch Your Strategy

This week, let’s put one of these grids to work.

1️⃣ First, choose one of the three 2x2s from this issue.

2️⃣ Next, draw a quick grid — it doesn’t need to be polished.

3️⃣ Then plot where your work lands right now.

4️⃣ Finally, ask yourself:

What’s in my Golden Quadrant?
What’s almost there — and how can I nudge it over the line?

Even a rough sketch can reveal what a spreadsheet won’t.

This week’s SOLO Insight:

Grids make value visible.

2x2s aren’t just thinking tools — they’re communication tools. Use them to explain a concept to a client, show a tradeoff to a partner, or walk someone through your offer strategy. It’s visual clarity in four boxes.

Fresh Finds for Creative Minds

Here are three gems this week from around the Web for visual thinkers and solopreneurs:

📝 Insider Secrets to Newsletter Growth
If you write a newsletter, this free 30-day popup email series from Chenell Basilio of Growth In Reverse is for you. You’ll get one proven newsletter growth tactic daily, straight from creators who’ve built real audiences. The series is nearly at an end, but you can also access the full 30-day archive. Priceless advice from successful newsletter creators.

🛠️ Where Strategy + Tactics = Impact

In a recent blog post (which inspired this week’s issue), Seth Godin explores why perfect tactics with poor strategy (or vice versa) lead nowhere. His Impact Matrix shows how to escape the muck and reach the golden quadrant where smart strategy meets strong execution. Solid guidance for anyone trying to align their business vision with daily actions.

🤖 AI Is Math, Not Magic

Khe Hy has written a thoughtful post on his Substack that demystifies how AI — and ChatGPT in particular — actually work. Using plain language and helpful analogies, he explains the fast pattern-matching behind the digital curtain. The mystique may fade a bit, but you’ll come away with a clearer sense of what AI is, what it isn’t, and how to make it work better for your needs.

⭐️ Have an item I should share in this section?
Don’t keep it a secret. Email me with your find!

News about programs and resources at the Solo Business School:

Tools That Work As Hard As You Do
Want to see the tools I actually use to run my own solo business? From software to gear, I’ve pulled together a free resource hub filled with trusted picks — all designed to help you work smarter.

Come Work Beside Us (Week 25!)

For 25 weeks and counting, a group of women solopreneurs has gathered for one quiet hour to get things done — together. No agenda. No pressure. No fee. Just friendly faces, focused time, and a shared commitment to making progress. If that sounds like your thing, you’re warmly invited to Women Solopreneurs Coworking (click on that link to send me an email for details).

Need a Strategic Sounding Board?

Now that the rush of the Content Velocity sprint has passed (it was great!), I’m opening up a few spaces for one-on-one coaching again. Whether you want feedback on naming a new offer, clarity on your next move, ideas for pricing or positioning, or just a trusted, experienced guide to help you sort things out — I’m here for it. Just zip me a email if you’d like to talk.