IKEA vs Solopreneur

On a lazy Sunday morning a couple weeks ago I decided to visit IKEA. As I sat eating my very cheap but delicious breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and bacon for under $5.00 I began to chuckle to myself. If you didn’t know this about me, I am an IKEA aficionado, dare I say a savant at putting together IKEA furniture. It dawned on me as I walked through the IKEA warehouse checking out the new kitchen layouts that being a boot strapped startup (in other words, broke) and putting together IKEA furniture has a lot of similarities. I really do miss the brochures that came out every year, but I digress.

Starting a business with zero cash is kind of like tackling an IKEA furniture assembly without any prior experience. You're in for a wild ride, filled with hope, confusion, and maybe a few small mental breakdowns. You start off with a vision transforming an empty room into a Pinterest-worthy space or turning that app idea into the next big startup. It all seems so doable at first, right? You're the enthusiast of many, a jack or jill of all trades, until you open the box or your laptop and reality hits.

Instructions?

IKEA thinks an allen wrench and wordless pictures are enough to build a bookshelf. Similarly, starting your business feels like everyone else got a how-to manual while you’re just winging it. You find yourself staring at your business plan or let’s be real, your Pinterest boards or TikTok saves of ideas wondering if you’re about to make a breakthrough or just break something. Every decision feel like a wild guess. Should I invest in swanky business cards or just go all-in on Instagram ads?

Tools

Halfway through building your FJÄLKINGE shelf, you realize a simple screwdriver won't cut it. Just like two weeks into your startup journey, you discover that free Wi-Fi at my Dunkin Donuts doesn’t replace a solid business infrastructure. You end up MacGyvering solutions on the fly like using Canva for your logo when you can’t afford a designer, hoping no one used the same template that you did (spoiler alert millions of people used that same damn template).

F*** Ups

Ever put a piece of furniture together, stepped back, and realized it looks more like a Basquiat art installation than usable furniture? That's the startup life. You might overspend on unnecessary software or find out that the 'amazing' Fiverr freelancer lied about their abilities. Just like the time I put the KOLBJÖRN shelf upside down, you learn that some mistakes are just part of the journey.

​Laugh

Throughout this journey, whether you’re standing amid IKEA parts wondering if you needed a degree in engineering or staring at your business’s backend code wishing you’d paid more attention in that one computer science class, you learn to laugh. Humor becomes your emotional support animal. It’s what keeps you sane when everything goes wrong when shipments are delayed, when websites crash, when you accidentally send a promotional email with the subject line “Dear [First Name].” Laughing at yourself not only lightens the mood but also makes the journey fun.

Do-Over

Sometimes, you just have to take the whole thing apart and start from scratch. Maybe your brilliant idea doesn’t really click. Pivoting and adapting is part of the game. Like when I realized I was using the wrong instruction manual for my FLÄRDFULL bookcase, it’s back to the drawing board. Only this time, you’re a bit smarter, and you know where not to put the screws.

Finally

When you finally nail it whether it’s snapping the last piece of your BILLY bookcase into place or getting your first real customer/client it’s nothing short of, wait for it, LEGENDARY. You might even surprise yourself with how capable you feel. That’s the moment you realize all the blood, sweat, and IKEA-induced meltdowns were worth it.

Just like there’s always that one mysterious extra screw left over from your assembly project, there’s always something more you could be doing for your startup. Another feature, another market, another late-night brainstorming session fueled by cold water (I fast at night) and stubbornness. Starting a business with no money is an adventure that’s part comedy and part tragedy. It takes a mix of courage, creativity, and a healthy sense of humor to keep pushing through the chaos. Just like surviving IKEA on a Saturday, if you can make it through this, you can handle pretty much anything.

Here's to all the bootstrap entrepreneurs and IKEA warriors out there. We’re all in this wild ride together, building our dreams one allen wrench at a time.