The Complete Guide to Google Workspace Individual

Hey there! If you‘re a solopreneur, consultant, coach or other small business owner running your business from a personal Google Account, you‘re going to love what I have to share with you today.

I‘m going to walk you through everything you need to know about Google Workspace Individual – Google‘s new premium subscription for individuals that unlocks powerful productivity, collaboration and business features built right into Gmail, Calendar, Drive and more.

As a fellow entrepreneur myself, I know how tough it can be to juggle all the hats we wear – from operations to marketing to client work. And doing it all from a regular @gmail.com email isn‘t always so professional for interacting with clients.

After testing it myself the past few months, I can say Workspace Individual has been a total game changer for my business. So I wanted to pass along a comprehensive guide covering how it works, who it‘s for, what features you get, tips for using it, and more.

Let‘s dive in!

Introducing Google Workspace Individual

In June 2021, Google launched a new paid version of Workspace called Google Workspace Individual targeted specifically at solopreneneurs and small business owners on personal Google Accounts.

Previously, to access Google‘s premium business capabilities, you had to upgrade to a full Google Workspace Business plan starting at $6/user/month for a minimum of 5 users.

Many individuals and early stage businesses weren‘t ready for that leap. So Workspace Individual fills the gap by delivering a robust set of features for just $9.99/month.

With Workspace Individual, you get:

• Professional appointment scheduling
• Email marketing and newsletters
• Enhanced video meetings via Google Meet
• More storage, longer docs, premium support
• And much more!

And the best part…

You can access it all directly from your existing personal Google Account. No need to get a new business email address!

It‘s the perfect stepping stone as you grow your business before needing a full business-class Workspace plan.

Next, let‘s look at who Workspace Individual is designed for…

Who is Workspace Individual Good For?

Google Workspace Individual is made for:

• Solopreneurs – If you‘re a one person freelancer, consultant, coach, therapist, tutor, contractor, influencer, content creator or other solo operation.
• Side hustlers – For those running an online business or side gig nights and weekends while working a regular 9-5 job.
• New entrepreneurs – Folks just starting out on a business idea and not ready to form a legal entity.
• Students – Those building a personal brand while still in school.

Essentially, Workspace Individual targets entrepreneurs without a formal business structure who want to upgrade from regular consumer Gmail.

According to Google Trends, searches for "solopreneur" have grown 5X since 2018:

With the shift to remote work and side hustles booming, Google clearly identified solopreneurs and independent creators as an underserved market.

Workspace Individual allows this group to manage both their personal and client communications from the same Gmail account – keeping everything separate while still looking professional.

As of September 2022, Workspace Individual has over 250,000 paid subscribers according to Google.

So while still early days, it‘s catching on quick with solopreneurs who want business-level tools without extra complexity.

Now you may be wondering…

How Does Individual Compare to Business & Enterprise Plans?

Before Individual, Google Workspace was available in two editions:

• Business – For small/medium businesses
• Enterprise – For large companies

Here‘s an overview of how Workspace Individual compares:

Ideal User

• Individual – Single users on a personal account
• Business – Small teams with a business domain
• Enterprise – Large orgs with advanced needs

Pricing

• Individual – $9.99/month per user
• Business – $6+ per user/month for minimum 5 users
• Enterprise – Custom pricing

Top Features

• Individual – Appointment booking, email newsletters, enhanced Meet
• Business – Shared drives, audit logs, security center
• Enterprise – Data regions, vault, endpoint management

The key differences come down to the type of user it‘s tailored for and the specific features included.

Individual was purpose-built for solopreneurs who aren‘t ready for a full business subscription.

It delivers premium capabilities like scheduling, newsletters, and video meetings while keeping costs low.

For established small businesses planning growth, Business or Enterprise plans are likely a better choice. They provide collaboration tools for teams along with security and compliance features.

But for going from regular Gmail to a more professional email experience as a solo entrepreneur, Workspace Individual hits the sweet spot.

Next up, let‘s dive into the specific features you get with Workspace Individual.

Top Features Included in Workspace Individual

Workspace Individual provides all the core Workspace apps like Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and more.

But on top of that, you also get a set of capabilities tailored specifically to solopreneurs and individuals, including:

Appointment Scheduling

• Create a booking page that syncs with your Calendar
• Clients can schedule appointments 24/7 by clicking open slots
• Customize scheduler with your logo, colors, images
• Set booking window, buffers, notifications
• Embed scheduling page on your website

With Workspace Individual, you can easily accept appointments directly from your Calendar without using an outside scheduling app.

It‘s perfect for coaches, therapists, trainers, consultants, and freelancers who need to book sessions with clients.

Having a professional scheduling portal makes you look organized and establishes credibility.

Email Newsletters

• Design stylish newsletters with custom templates
• Track opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and spam complaints
• Create targeted campaigns based on audience
• Schedule and automate recurring newsletter sends
• Integrates directly with your Gmail contacts list

Workspace Individual transforms Gmail into a newsletter marketing platform.

You can create and send great-looking email campaigns without needing a separate tool.

Segment your list, tailor content, and analyze results to refine over time.

Enhanced Google Meet

• Host video meetings for up to 100 participants
• Live stream to audiences up to 10,000
• Record meetings and save directly to Drive
• Meeting duration up to 24 hours
• Polls, Q&A, breakout rooms, attendance tracking
• Noise cancellation and background blur

Workspace Individual supersizes Google Meet with webinar capabilities, attendance tracking, polls and more – perfect for workshops, courses, and events.

You can go far beyond basic video calls to run interactive trainings, interviews, virtual summits, and other productions.

There are also 100+ other enhancements like:

• More storage – Up to 1 TB of Drive space
• Longer documents – Create Docs up to 40,000 characters
• Client aliases – Send as different name from Gmail
• Email signatures – Apply custom signature to messages
• Premium support – Unlock live chat, email, and phone support

Plus all the shared content creation and collaboration capabilities across Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms and more.

See Google‘s full feature list for details on everything included.

With the key small business features combined with the broader Workspace ecosystem, Individual can take you pretty far before needing to upgrade to a Business plan.

Next, let‘s look at how much Google Workspace Individual costs.

Google Workspace Individual Pricing

Google Workspace Individual is available on a monthly or annual payment plan:

Billing Cycle	Regular Price	Discounted Price
Month-to-Month	$9.99/month	$7.99/month (for first 12 months)
Annual Subscription	$95.88/year ($7.99/month)	$95.88/year ($7.99/month)

With annual billing, you get the lowest price of $7.99/month locked in for the full year.

If paying month-to-month, it‘s discounted to $7.99/month for the first 12 months, then goes up to the regular $9.99/month price after that.

For comparison, here‘s what other common business tools cost for solopreneurs on a monthly basis:

• Zoom Pro: $14.99/month
• Mailchimp Essentials: $9.99/month
• Calendly Pro: $8/month
• Acuity Scheduling Pro: $15/month
• Constant Contact Email Marketing (Starter): $20/month

So Workspace Individual provides scheduling, email marketing, video calls, storage, and docs for less than just getting scheduling and email capabilities separately through other apps.

The value becomes even greater when you factor in seamless integration and no switching between different tools.

Next, let‘s walk through how to sign up…

How to Sign Up for Workspace Individual

Signing up for Google Workspace Individual is quick and straightforward:

Step 1) Go to workspace.google.com/individual while logged into your personal Google Account.

Step 2) Click the "Try it Free" button.

Step 3) Choose whether you want monthly or annual billing. Annual is cheaper overall.

Step 4) Enter your payment information. A credit or debit card is required.

Step 5) Google will verify your account meets the eligibility requirements. As long as you‘re logged into a personal Gmail account and not a custom domain, you‘re good to go.

Step 6) Agree to the Terms of Service and click "Start Trial."

Your 14-day free trial of Workspace Individual will begin instantly. You can cancel anytime from your Google Account management console.

Once the trial ends, you‘ll be charged your first monthly or annual fee based on the billing cycle you selected.

Easy! Again, be sure to use your personal Gmail address rather than an external domain.

Now let‘s get into how to make the most of Workspace Individual for your business…

Tips for Getting the Most from Workspace Individual

Here are some best practices I‘ve learned using Workspace Individual for my own business that you can use to maximize value:

Customize your booking page – Make it on-brand by adding your logo, colors, images, and tailored welcome text so it represents you.

Promote your scheduler – Link to it from your website and share on social media so clients can easily book you 24/7.

Embed your scheduler – Use the embed code to add your booking page to your website pages like "Book a Call" so people can schedule right there.

Set buffer times – Build in 15-30 minute breaks between appointments for things like wrapping up notes, bathroom breaks, and eased transition between clients.

Send booking reminders – Use Google Calendar notifications to automatically email or text clients reminding them about upcoming appointments. Very handy!

Share your newsletters on social – Post newsletter content across your social profiles to maximize reach.

Send new offerings – When launching a new program, service, or product, send an announcement in a newsletter campaign.

Ask for feedback – End some newsletters with a comment box or survey to solicit reader opinions and suggestions.

Record Meet calls – Schedule recordings for consultations, trainings, or interviews so you can repurpose content later.

Manage permissions – Limit what guests can do in Meets like screenshare, chat, join before host, etc. to control experience.

Store Meet recordings – Upload recorded videos unlisted to YouTube or as private videos in Google Drive for secured access.

Moderate Q&A – Actively moderate Meet‘s live Q&A feature to filter out irrelevant or inappropriate questions.

Review analytics – Check Meeting attendance reports, email campaign stats, and Google Analytics to optimize and improve over time.

Add a signature – Design an email signature in Gmail with your name, title, contact info, social links, and logo for a professional touch.

Tweak as needed to suit your business needs! Proper setup saves a ton of time.

Which Countries Can Get Workspace Individual?

Google Workspace Individual is currently available in:

• United States 🇺🇸
• Canada 🇨🇦
• Mexico 🇲🇽
• Brazil 🇧🇷
• Japan 🇯🇵
• Australia 🇦🇺

Unfortunately it‘s not yet rolled out globally. So if you live outside the above countries, Workspace Individual won‘t be available.

Google has said they plan to expand availability to other markets in 2022 and beyond, so hopefully it reaches more geographies soon!

Is Google Workspace Individual Worth It?

For solopreneurs, Workspace Individual provides a ton of value and is definitely worth the $9.99 monthly investment, in my opinion.

You get incredible bang for buck with professional scheduling, email newsletters, webinars, premium support, and more unlocked for a single user.

The key benefits Workspace Individual offers are:

• Enhanced credibility – Personalized email marketing and scheduling pages make you look more legitimate.

• Improved organization – Scheduling and email through Calendar and Gmail keeps everything integrated.

• Scalable meetings – Host webinars and virtual events for up to 100 attendees in Meet.

• cliente engagement – Newsletters and live Meet Q&A help you better resonate with your audience.

• Deeper insights – Reporting provides data to analyze your performance and tweak approaches.

• Expanded storage – Extra Drive space keeps you organized across client files and projects.

• Polished experience – Premium features elevate you beyond regular consumer Gmail.

• Cost savings – At $9.99/month, it‘s very affordable compared to multiple apps.

While still relatively new, Workspace Individual has already helped over 250,000 solopreneurs improve their productivity and client service.

If you‘re looking to upgrade from regular Gmail and add business capabilities before diving into a full domain and team solution, Workspace Individual is an excellent choice in my experience.

Conclusion

If you‘re a consultant, freelancer, coach, tutor, digital nomad, influencer or other solo entrepreneur using a personal Google Account for business, Workspace Individual provides a ton of value.

For just $9.99/month, you gain professional scheduling, email newsletters, enhanced video meetings, additional storage, and premium support.

It elevates your personal Gmail with polished business features to help you look more credible, stay organized across clients, engage your audience, and unlock insights to improve over time.

Given most standalone apps with similar capabilities cost far more, Workspace Individual is affordable for solopreneurs wanting to upgrade affordably.

While only available in 6 countries so far, Google plans continued international rollout.

So if you‘re a one-person operation aiming to take your services to the next level, definitely give Workspace Individual a free 14-day trial.

I think you‘ll be amazed by how much it can enhance your client experience!

Have any other questions about getting started with Google Workspace Individual? Let me know in the comments!