Episoder
-
You make yourself available to your clients constantly. They can email or text or call you 24/7, and you make it a priority to respond to them as soon as possible. And you might even be making great money in the process!
From the client's perspective, this sounds great. But while the constant availability works for them, it means your business isn’t really working for you.
Today, I talk with CEO Collective member Dr. Libby Wilson whose functional medicine practice looked great on the surface with successful clients and cash flow. But she had to make shifts so that she could truly have freedom in her business to enjoy life. In this episode, she talks about how she turned things around over the last year to ensure that her practice not only works for her clients but also for herself and her family.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:25 - Who is Dr. Libby Wilson, how does she help her clients, and where was she struggling in her business before joining the CEO Collective?
7:55 - Hustle culture created this health issue for Dr. Libby. She had to fix the root cause and talks about how the 90-Day Planner helped.
13:07 - Content creation is a major sticking point for a lot of entrepreneurs. Dr. Libby has a 12-month rinse-and-repeat content calendar, so how does she do it?
16:29 - Dr. Libby reveals something she does for her practice and that every entrepreneur needs to apply in their business. We discuss what it is and why it’s so important.
22:34 - Watching how my business runs behind-the-scenes helped Dr. Libby get away from making herself constantly available to clients. What changes did she make in her practice as a result?
30:04 - Dr. Libby discusses how making the adjustments to her business has improved her life and her mindset.
36:30 - To wrap the show, Dr. Libby reveals what she’d say to anyone thinking of joining The CEO Collective. She also briefly discusses her new book and how she works with clients.
Mentioned in Is Your Business Really Working for You?
Best Life Functional MedicineThe Path of Intention: Five Habits to Optimize Your Health and Create a Life You Love by Dr. Libby Wilson90-Day CEO PlannerApply for The CEO CollectiveRacheal on Instagram and TikTok -
In this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO, I invited Gabi Day, CEO and founder of Brightbody, to discuss her entrepreneurial journey. Gabi shares insights on running a non-toxic, refillable personal care line and her new venture, Hype Ma'am, which supports women in product-based businesses. Gabi reflects on her transition from healthcare administration, dealing with chronic health issues, and becoming a mother of twins. She emphasizes the importance of creating flexible systems and structures, including her 90-day operating plan and annual marketing calendar that enable her to balance business growth and personal well-being. Gabi also discusses how implementing these strategies has transformed her role as CEO and improved her team's efficiency and happiness.
10:58 Flexible Work and Parenting
23:40 Adapting to Challenges: Flexibility in Planning
27:37 Building a Reliable Team
33:28 Streamlining Operations with SOPs
42:26 Scaling Your Business with Systems -
Manglende episoder?
-
Hear the entire recording of the latest live webinar on scaling your life-first business.
The Essentials of a Life-First Business Model. Not every business is set up to prioritize your life. We'll walk through the 3 essential elements that allow you to work less and grow more.3 Key Systems for Sustainable Growth. The secret to consistent, sustainable growth is all about doing the hard work once to build the systems, then running those systems again and again!Protecting Your Time, Energy, & Personal Life. Dreaming of a 25 hour work week is the easy part. The harder part? Navigating the discomfort of stronger boundaries, saying NO, and leveling up your CEO habits.
During this live training, we dove deep into: -
One of the hardest lessons to learn as an entrepreneur?
You can be your own worst enemy.
You know that more visibility is essential to growth, but you overcomplicate it to the point where you do nothing.
You have an incredible idea for a new product, program, or service, but your perfectionism keeps you from ever launching it.
You know that you have completely maxxed out your calendar - you simply don't have time to do more or work harder - but you struggle to bring on more support behind the scenes to free up your time.
And the thing is - we are all aware when we are self-sabotaging!These mistakes often stem from deeply ingrained beliefs and habits that can be so incredibly difficult to break.
That's why in this episode, I'm sharing the top 5 mistakes, how they hold our businesses back, and how to start overcoming them so you can get closer to the life-first business you really want!
-
Supporting your family as a business owner is an incredible experience.
Deciding to be your own boss, delivering value to paying clients, and bringing profit home to support your family's needs and wants is just part of the reward.
For me, supporting my family goes so much deeper than paying the bills. It's why I've been so intentional about building a business that allows me to be the best mom I can be, be a present wife, be a daughter who can help her aging parents. And it's meant I've always been able to prioritize the things that matter most to me and the people who matter most to me.
And I know from experience working with thousands of women entrepreneurs that the biggest reason women start businesses is because they want that flexibility and freedom to take care of their families, to take care of their parents, to take care of their children, to live an actual life.
In this second installment of the series on a life-first approach to business, I run through ten common myths that hinder women entrepreneurs from achieving success both at home and in business, such as the myth that more hours equal more success and the necessity of hustle culture. I stress the importance of prioritizing personal well-being, family, and effective delegation, while debunking the notion that being constantly available or sacrificing personal life is needed for business success.
-
In the first episode of this brand new series on Building a Life First Business!
I wanted to kick things off with my own personal story that has deeply impacted the lens that I see the world through - and is a huge part of why I do the work I do.
My mother was 31yo business owner when a car accident left her in a coma for 3 months and in the hospital for another 2 years before returning home to her family. She experienced a Traumatic Brain Injury that would leaver her permanently disabled for the rest of her life.
She survived but lost her business... and even more, she missed the early days of my and my sisters childhoods.
This episode is deeply personal but if you really want to know why I care so much about building businesses that actually allow you to enjoy your life - my story is a reminder that all we have is today.
00:00 Introduction and Series Kickoff
01:20 A Personal Story: The Accident That Changed Everything
04:10 The Aftermath: Family and Business Struggles
08:41 Building a Life-First Business
13:33 Adapting to Motherhood and Business
24:28 The Importance of Community and Support
28:32 Caring for Aging Parents
35:30 The Life-First Business Philosophy
42:44 Conclusion and Next Steps
Attend the upcoming free training with Racheal - Scaling Your Life-First Business -
Want clients for life? Give your client an experience that goes beyond their expectations.
Think about booking lodgings for a vacation. It’s one thing to book a room for your stay with all the expected accommodations. But you remember the place that goes beyond: the chocolate on the pillow to greet you as a new guest, warm and freshly laundered towels in the bathroom daily, a minifridge already full of goodies you didn’t even have to buy, etc. And the next time you’re ready for a vacation in the area, you want to stay there again.
Now, it’s really easy to think that translating that type of experience into your service-based business is as simple as surprising and delighting with little gifts, like that chocolate on the pillow. But there’s so much more to it, and today I’m excited to have Amber Kinney back on the podcast to talk about it.
In this final episode of our customer experience series on Promote Yourself to CEO, you’ll learn about how you can translate surprising and delighting clients into your business as part of your customer experience plan. We’ll teach you how to put a little more intention and thoughtfulness into the ways you choose to surprise and delight clients so that they’ll trust and connect with you and your company.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
6:44 - What’s one of Amber's favorite ways to surprise and delight clients in her agency?
8:45 - I talk about a recent surprise I received when I started working with someone new. This kind of delight can motivate your clients even more!
13:01 - You can vote with your dollars when delighting your clients, too. Here’s how we do it every year.
16:22 - How do you and your team build connection with your clients in ways that will surprise and delight them?
24:25 - I discuss another way I try to delight all the time. This one goes above and beyond, and it can stick for your clients for years!
Mentioned In How to Include Surprise and Delight for Clients In Your Customer ExperienceThe CEO Collective
The CEO Retreat
Amber Kinney’s agency, The AK Collective
Maven Made Facial Serum
Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts
-
Sustainably scaling your business isn’t a solo act. It takes a team to pull it off.
Now you’ve probably had some help in the marketing and sales aspect of your business. Or maybe you’ve hired help for the technological or administrative side of things. But are you still holding out on hiring a team to help you work directly with clients to deliver your offer? That’s the last place we as entrepreneurs tend to hire to help us, but it’s necessary if you want a sustainable business.
Building a team for a sustainable business ultimately boils down to one thing. And in today’s installment of our customer experience series, I’ve invited my Director of Operations (and right-hand woman) Amber Kinney onto the show to help me cover it.
Amber and I have worked together for over a decade. And she’s the owner and CEO of her own marketing agency where she works with lots of entrepreneurs behind the scenes. So she knows the dos and don’ts of working with (and within) a business team.
In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about all the layers that go into hiring people to join your business and how to do it in a way that works for you, your team members, and your clients. We’ll teach you about transfer of trust and why it works so well to set your business up for success.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
6:49 - Why can scaling your team be one of the biggest challenges you face? Here’s the most likely place where you might stumble when hiring help.
12:24 - There’s a necessary shift you need to make to get to the point where clients comfortably deal with your team members.
16:40 - How can you start transferring your clients’ trust from working with you exclusively to working with your team directly?
20:08 - Amber reveals how to approach bringing on someone new onto your team who you don’t have a previous track record with.
23:26 - What if you have no plans or desires to hire anyone (at least right now)? You’ll still want to do this to set yourself up for success.
28:14 - I reveal a red flag that’s a sign of more than just bad hiring practices to your clients.
Mentioned in How Strategically Scaling Your Business Team Sets You Up for SuccessThe CEO Collective
Amber Kinney’s agency, The AK Collective
Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts
-
According to American Express, people will pay 86% more if you give them an impeccable customer experience. That’s why providing a great experience after the purchase is one of the best ways to differentiate yourself, your brand, and your business from your competitors.
So how can you improve the customer experience of your company? It’s all in the delivery of whatever you offer, whether you’re selling a product (physical or digital) or a service. Today on the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about seven ways to upgrade the delivery process of your offer that’ll have your clients or customers loving you and your business.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:41 - Clear containers for your offers helps you as well as your clients or customers. How?
8:28 - With so much small business competition, how can you develop relationships with your clients so that they remain loyal to yours?
11:45 - Have a clear vision for your customer experience and create a success path to help buyers get there.
13:20 - Do you follow up after the purchase? I discuss how to create checkpoints and proactively reach out.
17:44 - You’ll need to proactively coach your clients or customers on this as well.
21:05 - What can you use to improve your customer experience on an ongoing basis?
24:57 - The last way to upgrade your customer experience is easier said than done, but it must be done for a sustainable business.
29:22 - To wrap the show, I quickly recap the seven ways to upgrade your customer or client experience.
Mentioned in 7 Ways to Upgrade Your Client or Customer ExperienceThe CEO Collective
90-Day CEO Operating System
Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts
-
Most people aren’t talking about customer experience when they think they are. They’re talking about putting out fires, troubleshooting things, solving problems as they arise--all customer service-oriented stuff.
While having good customer service is important, it’s not a thing that’s necessarily going to help your business grow or generate excitement about it from your clients. That’s where having an impeccable customer experience comes in!
But how do you design one for your business? There are three elements (or stages) to this: the first sets the tone for your relationship with each client, the next creates your path to success, and the last one wraps everything up and sets you (and your client) up for continued success.
In this next episode of Promote Yourself to CEO, you’ll learn all about those three elements. I take you through every stage one-by-one and include all of the systems, pieces, considerations, and questions you should implement or think about for each to create an excellent experience for your clients.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:11 - I talk about the five systems you need for the first element: client onboarding.
10:50 - How can your clients get the best results? This is all about setting expectations.
12:54 - What’s the third area to shore up in your client onboarding process? (And what is the key to making it work)?
16:32 - The final piece of onboarding is incredibly powerful to make sure that everything starts off on the right foot.
19:37 - Your path to success lies in this next element of your customer experience plan. Here are a couple of areas to think about as you map it out.
28:19 - Too often, entrepreneurs wait to do this. So you’ll need to be proactive in this next step on your success path.
30:39 - How can you keep your clients committed to the process of going through your entire program? I reveal the final piece to your success path.
33:56 - I discuss four steps to think about as you complete the implementation of your customer experience plan for each client.
Mentioned in Designing an Excellent Customer Experience In 3 StagesThe 3 Essential Systems to Sustainably Scale Your Business (LINK TBA)
The CEO Collective
90-Day CEO Operating System
The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts
-
Are you confusing customer service with customer experience?
Right now, you might be wondering, “Huh? What’s the difference?” Customer service is reactive; it’s all about handling problems as they arise. But an incredible customer experience is a thoughtfully designed journey through your business that can elevate it and gain you clients for life.
So how do you go about designing this experience so that your clients will not only want to stick around but recommend your business to others? Today kicks off a new series of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast where we discuss something that hasn’t really been delved into on the show before.
In this episode, you’ll learn about why creating an excellent customer experience helps you stand out from the crowd. You’ll hear about the coaching experience I heard about that triggered this topic, discover exactly how powerfully a great customer experience design can affect your business, and reveal what your revenue goals aren’t telling you.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:08 - Why am I digging into customer experience? I talk about the recent sales call that inspired this series.
8:03 - Customer experience matters and can be such a competitive advantage. Here’s why!
11:58 - Everybody loves coming up with revenue goals. But you’re missing out on a lot of important information in the process.
17:11 - How does plugging the holes in your customer experience affect your profit?
20:09 - What’s coming up next in this series? I give a short preview.
Mentioned in The Key to Boosting Your Business and Creating Clients for LifeThe CEO Collective
Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts
-
Have things been slowing down in your business? What if you could start each year knowing that you have the majority of the revenue you need locked in?
Many entrepreneurs have noticed a recent slowdown in their businesses due to consumer anxiety surrounding the economy. The natural reaction to that is to market to attract new people and bring them into your business to boost revenue. But are you neglecting an easier way?
As a podcast producer for service-based businesses, Stacey Harris has noticed the downturn trend and gotten ahead of the curve. She and I have had a conversation about this recently during a retreat. But instead of putting all the attention on the front end, she’s helping others get set up for continued success (regardless of what happens with the economy), focusing on gaining clients for life.
And now, we’re bringing our conversation to you. In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about how you can focus on bringing in more revenue by paying attention to the people who’ve already paid you. We’ll tell you about the small things you can do and shifts you can make to take advantage of this small business gamechanger.
7:52 - Some businesses like cable and cell phone companies keep making this mistake.
10:16 - What’s the difference between a repeating customer and a lifetime client?
16:04 - I give examples of how consumer-facing businesses can provide extra value to existing clients in times of economic uncertainty.
22:01 - We run a people-over-profit business here at The CEO Collective, which helps us stand out. Here’s an example of how.
26:12 - How can you make things even a tiny bit easier for your clients? Stacey talks about how she’s doing it for podcasters.
28:56 - One of the biggest shifts in my business recently came from an unexpected source.
31:38 - What’s the real linchpin to gaining clients for life? And how have I used it to evolve my business since the beginning?
40:01 - You can bring all of your expertise to the table to make money in multiple ways. Stacey discusses a recent example of how she did it.
43:04 - Stacey reveals the hardest part about communicating in client relationships.
49:07 - What else happens for your business when you retain clients? It makes business growth so much easier.
Mentioned in How to Gain Clients for Life with Stacey Harris
The CEO CollectiveThe CEO RetreatCustomer Experience podcast series: episode 1, 2, 3, and 4Stacey Harris on Instagram and TikTokUncommonly MoreRacheal on Instagram and TikTok -
Imagine spending a half hour (or longer) on a sales call with someone. And as you wrap it up, you’re hoping they’ll say yes to your product, program, or service.
But instead, they tell you they’re not ready. Or they can’t afford it. Or the timing is off, and can they get back to you?
This is one of the most frustrating things about sales and the reason why so many entrepreneurs dread getting on a call with a new potential client. If this is something that you’re experiencing right now, then you need a strategy that allows you to turn more potential clients into actual clients.
Creating a well-crafted pre-client education process will do the trick. Not only does it improve your overall conversion rate, but it also makes sales so much easier!
In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn how to implement this pre-sale education process for potential clients in your business. I’ll talk about why old-school sales strategies don’t work anymore, what modern sales strategies do differently, and take you step-by-step through the pre-client education process.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
2:24 - How have sales changed since the 1990s? I explain why there’s a disconnect with old-school strategies from 25-30 years ago.
7:53 - I reveal how modern sales strategies differ from old-school sales strategies and the importance of pre-sales education.
12:23 - What’s the first step of the pre-sales education process? You need this regardless of what you sell.
18:55 - Here are two options you can add in step two if a potential buyer needs to have a conversation with you.
24:10 - How do you use pre-sales emails to sell your product, program, or service? I discuss a great example I share with clients inside The CEO Collective.
30:26 - You can add this to your pre-client education content in case potential clients aren’t already familiar with you.
32:29 - I talk about a couple of other things you might consider including in your pre-sales content.
37:13 - How are sales calls different for me since I began implementing this process in my business?
39:09 - Give people a window of time to make a decision. What does your enrollment period look like?
43:01 - Some people will want to wait for the next round to buy from you, or you might have all spots filled. I share what you can do for those situations.
45:50 - What formats do you want to use to send pre-sales education content to your potential clients?
The CEO CollectiveThe CEO RetreatThe CEO Planner90 Day CEO Operating SystemMarketing Strategy IntensivePodcast Ally -
We’ve just seen a golden age for people wanting to start their own small business. The 10 to 15 year period from the 2008 recession to COVID-19 was a bull market that saw improved and more affordable technology available for small business owners. As a result, small businesses exploded into existence, particularly for women entrepreneurs.
But the economy is cyclical, and there comes a time when the bull market slows down. In the last few years, we’ve seen that lots of businesses had to adapt or get shut down during the pandemic lockdowns. We’re watching inflation cause expenses to skyrocket. And your customers and clients are feeling the impact.
The economy is uncertain right now, and perhaps your sales are slowing down as a result. People might be telling you that they need a little more time to budget for your signature offer, or they’re less willing to commit to a long-term program and higher dollar amounts. So your sales process will have to change.
Today kicks off a new series all about how the sales process is changing. In this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO, you’ll learn about what to do if your sales strategy is no longer producing the results you want right now. I’ll teach you how to prevent your business from slowing down so much that it threatens to shut down.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
9:11 - There’s been a big change in B2B vs. consumer-facing sales strategies over the last few years. What is it?
13:29 - Adding in a personal touch somewhere to your sales process will improve your overall results. I reveal how I do it.
17:14 - Here’s another high-touch tactic I do that you can add to your marketing.
19:45 - People want to know who they’re giving money to, so are you making your company’s values explicitly clear?
27:40 - How can you make your business relevant to clients and customers right now? It’s all about meeting them where they are.
34:48 - One last thing to think about that will help you so much as a small business owner.
Mentioned in Why Your Old Sales Strategy Might Not Be Working
The CEO CollectiveThe CEO RetreatLoom“The Vulnerable Side of Visibility with Erica Courdae” podcast episodeMarketing Strategy IntensiveUncommonly MoreRacheal on Instagram and TikTokRate and review on Apple Podcasts -
Do you struggle internally with selling because you feel like you’re pushing people to buy things they don’t need? You want to improve your sales skills and feel like you’re advocating your offers out of service, not desperation.
You need sales confidence. And my guest today, Leslie Lyons, is a sales and leadership coach with a no BS approach who’s all about helping women embrace sales confidence. She just has a way of talking about sales and encouraging people to make more sales that’s so refreshing to hear.
In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about how to get more confident at selling. You’ll also discover how to re-examine your relationship with sales and money so that you can truly step into your purpose and be of service to people you’re here to help through your business.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
8:22 - Leslie describes the kind of household she grew up in and reveals why having money is key for women in relationships.
12:34 - How are women in the Western world conditioned when it comes to money? And how does white feminism tie into it?
17:52 - How did Leslie find out she was good at sales? She reveals her very first sales job and the foundational piece to having sales confidence.
26:54 - Leslie discusses how to build up sales confidence so you don’t feel so hesitant, uncomfortable, or awkward when advocating for your offer.
30:33 - Other than stereotypes about selling, here are a couple of other reasons why women hesitate to do it (and what we make them mean about ourselves as individuals).
34:30 - What lesson can Kanye teach you as an entrepreneur in sales situations?
38:27 - I learned an important sales lesson as a kid. And it demonstrates why Leslie focuses on sales confidence instead of sales strategy.
41:40 - Here’s something else that can keep you attached to your business and make it personal.
Mentioned in How to Embrace Sales Confidence In Your Business with Leslie Lyons
Leslie D. LyonsLeslie’s podcast: Pleasurable Profits: Sales & Leadership for Non-Traditional CEOsLeslie on Instagram and LinkedInRacheal on Instagram and TikTokRate and review on Apple Podcasts -
Can you afford to take 30 days away from your business? What would happen if you can’t but took the time anyway?
Sometimes, things come up. Personal or family illness, the impending birth of a new baby, or just needing a break can spark the need for taking some extended time off.
But for a lot of small business owners, taking that time would essentially shut the business down. You’d stop marketing, working with clients, and making sales... unless you have systems in place that keep your business running when you slow down.
This past April, I had to step away from my business because of a flare-up of my chronic illness that caused me extreme pain and kept me up at night. But if you listened to the show in April, you’d never know that because I had systems in place that could help me weather that situation.
So in this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn the systems I use to make sure that my business runs smoothly even if I have to step back for a bit. By growing through some of the systems I use in my 5-part framework, I’ll teach you how you can keep on serving your clients and generating revenue while you’re away.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
5:09 - I talk about the biggest changes I’ve made for more flexibility in the “delight” stage of my framework.
9:18 - What do these changes look like functionally inside of The CEO Collective?
18:20 - How do I make sure sales keep coming in even if I have to step away from my business?
25:08 - If you think you need to be active in the nurture marketing stage all the time, systems are your friend here. I reveal how.
31:29 - Where do I spend the majority of my time, and why should you do the same?
39:33 - It took me a long time to follow this final piece of advice.
Mentioned in The Systems That Keep Your Business Running When You Slow Down
The CEO CollectiveThe CEO Retreat90-Day CEO Operating SystemThe CEO PlannerMarketing Strategy IntensiveFired Up & Focused ChallengePlan Your Best Year Ever ChallengeMore Business Growth ToolsHelp ScoutUncommonly MoreRacheal on Instagram and TikTokRate and review on Apple Podcasts -
Just because it's a slow down season in your personal life doesn’t mean your sales have to follow suit.
Summer especially is known (and sometimes feared) as a dead time for business revenue. Unless your product or service can specifically cater to what people purchase during the season, you’re probably expecting to see a dip in sales.
But you can still keep the sales gravy train going... and not just during the summer but anytime you choose to slow down or take a step back from your business. All you need to do is incorporate a couple of high leverage tactics to keep up the momentum.
These are simple strategies you can use right away. And the best thing about them is, once you have the pieces in place (assuming you don’t already), they run automatically and won’t take up more of your time.
In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about three tactics to keep generating the sales and revenue you desire (and deserve) when you take time off from your business. I’ll also teach you ways to implement each one and ensure that you don’t have to suffer through the famine part of the business cycle so many entrepreneurs go through.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
5:21 - What’s the first thing you need to do before you can keep the momentum going in your business?
7:21 - Make sure you make this part easy for potential clients and customers in order to keep up business momentum.
11:34 - I share one of the best ways you can continue sales momentum if you’re a service provider.
13:15 - Here’s a high leverage tactic you can do that often surprises people.
17:34 - What should you double down on to keep momentum going? (Most people do the opposite).
21:47 - I quickly recap my top three ways to keep business momentum going when you’re slowing down or taking a break.
Mentioned in 3 High Leverage Ways to Keep Up Business Momentum“Why Your Old Sales Strategy Might Not Be Working”
“How Your Client Education Process Leads to More Sales”
“How to Gain Clients for Life with Stacey Harris”
Fired Up & Focused Challenge
Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge
Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
-
Summer is just around the corner! It’s the time of year to relax with a cold drink by the pool and just slow things down. Sounds great, but how do you make sure things don’t slow down too much in your business?
In this episode, I talk about how you can avoid losing momentum during the slower summer months and ramp up your business for the fall.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:21 - Summer is the perfect time to work on the bigger picture for your business. Here’s the first way to help you get the most out of this slower period.
6:45 - What’s the one thing that’ll help you grow your business sustainably? This allows you to leverage your time and energy by working smarter, not harder.
19:19 - Want to set yourself up for success for the rest of the year? Look at these three core parts of your marketing strategy and your overall marketing system.
28:33 - How your business shows up in the world matters. It’s the first impression people get, so consider upgrading this aspect over the summer.
32:36 - This time of year is when I’ll often plan for and create new offers, including my very first program in the summer of 2011.
Show Links
The CEO Retreat Google Workspace/Google Apps for Work Last Pass Help Scout Asana Calendly Dubsado Racheal on Instagram Leave a review on iTunes -
People keep asking for your time, energy, and attention. Someone invites you to an impromptu coffee date in the middle of something important or wants to meet up with you about something after business hours. But when it comes to your business, you need to learn to say no when necessary.
You want to turn these types of things down but fear it’ll have a detrimental affect on your life or business. Maybe you’ll miss out on an opportunity or offend a client or potential business partner or friend.
But there’s always a trade-off and saying yes to everything is really the thing that can hurt your business. The key to not doing that is the CEO’s best friend: boundaries. You need to set strong boundaries for yourself and your business and not waver on them.
That (especially the not-wavering thing) sounds easier said than done, right? Well, in this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about the three different types of boundaries you as a business owner need to think about setting for yourself. You’ll also learn how to enforce and stick with your new boundaries.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
8:47 - The first boundary you need to examine is the biggest challenge I hear from women entrepreneurs.
12:32 - What is the flow state, and how do you get into it?
16:46 - How do you organize your calendar? I walk you through how I do mine as an example.
19:13 - I talk about how to manage clients when it comes to your calendar’s specificity, including emergency appointments.
23:40 - What about appointments for non-business related things (i.e. lunch with a friend or potential business referral)?
26:50 - So many of us struggle with constant communication. I discuss setting up your boundaries around this so you don’t make yourself seem available 24/7.
30:22 - How can you set expectations for your response turnaround time? Here’s how we do it through my preferred communication channel.
33:27 - I talk about boundaries around your non-preferred methods of business communication.
37:48 - How do you respond to questions? You might experience this particular scenario, especially as your business grows and you become known as an expert.
43:09 - Having clear, upfront boundaries saves you so much time and energy when dealing with sticky clients situations such as these.
48:24 - Feel free to do this with clients when necessary. But make sure it’s in your contract/client agreement.
52:02 - To wrap up the show, I give a quick recap of the three boundaries.
Mentioned in 3 Areas to Think About When Defining Your Boundaries as CEO
The CEO Collective“How a Model Calendar Helps Me Work Just 25 Hours a Week!”Help ScoutRacheal on Instagram and TikTok Rate and review on Apple Podcasts -
What does it mean to be CEO of your business anyway?
When you start your business, you’re the marketing team, the sales team, the customer service team, the tech support, all of it. But over time, as your business grows and gets more established, you want to take some of this workload off your plate.
Traditional CEOs have the people and teams in place to help them so they can focus on higher-value tasks and take their business to the next level. But how do you, as the CEO of a smaller business, build an environment that’ll sustainably do the same for you? How do you transition from the role of entrepreneur to the role of CEO?
It all starts with getting clear on five elements that’ll help you figure out your role as CEO. In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about those elements that make up the job description of a traditional CEO and how to translate that for your small business. I’ll teach you the process to help you define your specific CEO role and reveal questions to help you determine your biggest value to your company.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:44 - Transitioning from solopreneur to CEO can be a challenge (and one I’ve faced multiple times). I explain why.
6:12 - What was Sara Blakely’s journey from solopreneur to CEO like? Here’s her story.
11:02 - What is the job description of a CEO? I share a process to help you define your role as CEO of your business.
18:58 - I talk about how we live one of my company's key values (“life comes before business”).
22:42 - Creating a strategic plan is part of your traditional CEO role. What does that look like for entrepreneurs running smaller companies?
26:07 - How do you lead your team as CEO of a small business? I use The CEO Collective as an example.
30:47 - The final piece that defines traditional CEOs is one of the hardest things about running your own company. (And you can’t crowdsource it, either).
35:44 - I quickly recap the five key elements of a traditional CEO role and how it impacts you as an entrepreneurial business owner.
37:43 - Ask yourself these questions to clarify what you need to be responsible for as a small business owner in your company.
45:57 - What do my essential CEO tasks of content, clients, and connections mean in my business? I share how I apply these to give you some clarity and insight.
Mentioned in 5 Key Elements That’ll Help You Define Your Role As CEOSara Blakely’s Instagram Post 1 and Post 2
90-Day CEO Operating System
Fired Up and Focused Challenge
The CEO Collective
The CEO Retreat
Double Double by Cameron Herold
National Association of Women Business Owners
- Vis mere
