Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs

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The Business You Have Today is The Result of The Work You Did 3 Months Ago! Feb 29, 2024

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Imagine you’re watching a movie about two solo entrepreneurs:

One is so excited about her business but finds herself spinning her wheels. She has an amazing vision for growing her business but goes from one idea to the next because instant success eludes her.

The other also loves the idea of growing her business. But instead of constantly changing course while trying everything under the sun, she takes the slow and steady approach and inevitably reaches her goals with the framework and consistency advocated inside The CEO Collective.

So in this tale of two entrepreneurs, which one do you want to be? Tune in as I discuss why what you’ve done over the previous few months has resulted in the business you have now.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

4:57 - What’s the real problem for women entrepreneurs struggling to get clients? I see this so often!

10:58 - My mindset shift during my TikTok experiment thus far demonstrates why giving yourself enough time to try out strategies is so important.

15:44 - Here’s another example of how this struggle plays out for a lot of entrepreneurs.

19:36 - Are you a podcaster struggling to pitch yourself to others for interviews? I reveal what I’ve discovered in my ten years of podcasting.

23:21 - Find out why you’ll never have to worry about bothering people with your offers again, as long as you adopt this shift in perspective.

27:50 - Hiring a coach to hold you accountable isn’t going to do this for you.

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How to Scale Sustainably Feb 22, 2024

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I’m a business growth strategist who’s revealing the truth about scaling your business, so this episode series may have surprised you. But I want your eyes wide open when you go into business growth mode. It’s not just about making more sales; you also need to scale your team, customer experience, and infrastructure behind the scenes so your business doesn’t implode. In this final installment, I break down some key things for you to start thinking about to be more strategic and sustainable when you’re ready to go into high growth business mode.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:57 - Which mode allows me to have the lifestyle I want? Being more strategic and intentional while looking towards business growth.

7:26 - Women entrepreneurs tend not to step into leadership in their finances. You can’t allocate resources or make smart decisions otherwise.

11:42 - Keep it simple, upgrade as you go, have perspective, and stop comparing yourself to others. Here’s a particularly helpful recommendation for both new and experienced entrepreneurs.

16:14 - Marketing is one area where I see people get overwhelmed. Some personal examples of how I use my own system to prevent this from happening to me.

20:07 - Slow down. Things take time. We tend to overestimate how much we can accomplish weekly or monthly, yet underestimate our amount of productivity in a year.

25:08 - The biggest disconnect I’ve noticed between entrepreneurs and other small business owners. What the former tend to do.

27:03 - Here’s something not talked about often enough behind the scenes, particularly for female business owners. Having a team of support, both professionally and personally.

30:54 - Growth isn’t linear, and that’s okay. Some pointers on handling plateaus and explosive periods of growth.

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3 Common Mistakes That Can Cause Your Scaling Business to Implode Feb 15, 2024

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When you hear of businesses blowing up overnight, you get the glamorized version. You see the celebrity entrepreneurs online living the high life. They’re taking luxury vacations, driving fancy cars, and talking about how their business makes six, seven, eight (or more) figures.

But here’s what they’re not telling you. Their business isn’t sustainable because things are constantly breaking behind the scenes. They feel stressed out due to all the fires they have to constantly put out.

So how about we take a different approach? In this next segment of the “Truth About Scaling” series, I talk about the three mistakes I often see entrepreneurs make that cause problems when it comes to scaling your business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

4:29 - How do you know if you’re making this first mistake? Here are the warning signs.

11:52 - I reveal how I’ve fallen into the trap of mistake #1 myself and how you can avoid doing the same.

14:54 - Hiring is another area in your business where you may be making this same mistake.

21:28 - This third area where people make the first mistake is a big pet peeve of mine (and another one I’ve done myself).

25:10 - How did I reverse track on making this mistake when I shifted my approach to The CEO Collective?

32:25 - Too many startup entrepreneurs don’t realize this about cash flow in their business.

35:44 - I discuss mistake #2 and the problem that it won’t fix for you.

41:42 - Where do you really need to get honest about your business? Here are the three markets that you need to be testing.

45:58 - The third mistake and why doing the opposite will save your scaling business.

52:30 - Too much humanity has gone out of business, so I reveal what I’m doing to help bring it back.

58:26 - To end the show, I quickly recap the three mistakes.

Mentioned in 3 Common Mistakes That Can Cause Your Scaling Business to Implode

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7 Lessons I Learned On My Way to a Sustainable Business Feb 08, 2024

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Just because you know something isn’t the same as experiencing it. As a CEO, you undergo rites of passage as you progress through your business, especially if you want a successful and sustainable one. In this episode, I share some of the lessons I’ve learned the hard way so you can see a little further ahead on your path, mitigate some of these challenges early on, or just have a more realistic view of what you’re up against.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:46 - Lesson one: you cannot do this on your way to sustainable business success.

8:03 - I get angry when I see how too many others fail to implement this lesson. You won’t have a dream business team with this mindset.

16:03 - What will you struggle with when you attain success, and why? The third surprising lesson I learned.

23:16 - Lesson four: the more your business grows, the less and less you’ll find yourself seeking this.

30:55 - The biggest celebrity influencer entrepreneurs make it seem like marketing solves all business problems. Here’s why it isn’t the answer.

33:17 - Lesson six is the best lesson of all. So how do I apply it in my business?

38:33 - We’re idea machines as entrepreneurs. But we need to take more heed of this lesson and beware who we listen to. I explain why.

45:15 - Surprise! I reveal a bonus lesson to wrap the show.

Mentioned in 7 Lessons I Learned On My Way to a Sustainable Business

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BONUS! Was 2023 A Hard Year? You Aren't Alone Feb 07, 2024

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This week, I went live on Instagram to share a little Rach Rant that I knew I needed to share with you on the podcast.
I've been hearing from so many small business owners who are looking for real support but when they bring their legitimate business challenges to the so called experts - they are told that the reason they are stuck is mindset.
Mindset it important! But there are very real challenges that we all are facing that impact our small businesses. If 2023 was a challenging year, then listen in!
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
00:00 Rachel Cook challenges mindset struggles for small businesses.

03:09 Challenges faced by women micro business owners.

06:56 Limited availability drives up costs for working families.

11:35 Global pressures can't be offset by mindset.

13:11 Consumer behavior shifts impacting small business owners.

18:45 Get proactive with marketing to boost sales.

20:19 Be wary of misleading marketing messages on social media.

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What You Don’t Know About Scaling Your Business Will Kill It Feb 01, 2024

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Scaling is the name of the business game online, or so it would seem. So often we hear about people having seven-figure launches or seven-figure months (or even days).

But there’s something that really doesn’t get talked about regarding these eye-popping figures that you need to know. Beyond just making more money, what does it really mean to scale your business? Is it possible to double, triple (or more) your business in just a year or two?

Scaling just for the sake of it can be detrimental to your business. So I wanted to do a new series to talk about the truth behind scaling. In this first episode, I talk about everything you need to consider before you press the “scale” button on your business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:16 - What’s the difference between growth and scale? These words get used interchangeably a lot but aren’t exactly the same.

8:41 - Too many people go after scale at all costs and put their business into unstable territory. I reveal one of the biggest red flags that expose this.

14:26 - Beware of the well-known celebrity influencers you follow who teach you this. Here’s the real truth behind their success.

19:47 - What’s another potential “hidden” cash eater in your business? A lot of celebrity influencers like to use this one to bring in sales and clients.

22:48 - I discuss what I personally aim for when scaling my business that makes it easier for me to plan ahead.

26:37 - The last few years have seen the fragility of so many businesses. Some had to get really creative and have a solid but flexible infrastructure to survive.

29:18 - What should you focus on this month? Believe me, it’ll make it seven times easier to do business if you stick to this one thing.

Mentioned in What You Don’t Know About Scaling Your Business Will Kill It

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How to Leverage StrengthsFinder to Be a Better Team Leader In Your Business with La Tondra Murray Dec 21, 2023

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It’s one thing to have the right people on your team. But do you have them in the right roles?

Assessment tools like StrengthsFinder (now officially called CliftonStrengths®) can help you not just learn more about yourself and your team members but also give you the information you need to help put them in a better position for success. Specifically, StrengthsFinder helps you discover your top talents so you can maximize your personal and professional potential.

CEO Collective member La Tondra Murray has over a decade of experience with CliftonStrengths® and uses it as part of her strengths-based leadership coaching to help established entrepreneurs create business results with a lean team. She’s helped more than a thousand individuals and over 40 teams (including my own) in assessing their talent, work-life integration, and emerging leadership.

In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn about how using the CliftonStrengths® assessment tool can help you truly set your team members up for success. La Tondra will teach you how each of the four domains of StrengthsFinder can express itself in your role as leader, and you’ll even get a peek into what she discovered about me and members of my business team.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

6:14 - How did La Tondra first start working with strengths-based leadership as a powerful piece of her work?

10:32 - La Tondra explains what strengths are (specific to the CliftonStrengths assessment).

13:01 - La Tondra reveals what stands out to her the most when looking at others using their leadership strengths.

17:04 - What does La Tondra look for when assessing how members of a business team work together?

22:37 - La Tondra discusses what StrengthsFinder isn’t, the importance of all types of strengths, and pivoting from one domain to another.

28:07 - What are the four domains of the CliftonStrengths assessment, and how can they show up in leadership?

38:12 - La Tondra talks about her delightful discovery as a CEO Collective member for the last six months.

Mentioned in How to Leverage StrengthsFinder to Be a Better Team Leader In Your Business with La Tondra Murray

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How the Kolbe A™ Index Helps You Better Support and Lead Your Business Team with Kendra Tillman Dec 14, 2023

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You have all kinds of personality assessment tools available to use. You’ve probably even taken some of the tests like Myers-Briggs, StrengthFinders, or the Enneagram.

But what about a tool that can help you assess and build your team in the best way possible? That’s where the Kolbe A™ Index comes in! It’s a tool that small business owners can use to understand their natural instincts in problem-solving and decision-making.

So, how does it work, and how can you implement it for yourself and your team? Kendra Tillman is a former client and founder of StrongHer.Me Coaching & Consulting specializes in using this system so that you understand your natural strengths as well as those of your employees. And she’s here to tell you how!

A system like this is essential when building a strong company culture. In this continuation of our culture series on the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn how the Kolbe system works and how to use it to build, support, and lead a better business team.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

8:02 - I originally took the Kolbe test in 2005 and still have the printout. How did Kendra first start working with this assessment system?

13:01 - Kendra explains what you can use Kolbe for as an entrepreneur who’s growing a business and leading a team.

16:39 - When you first get your Kolbe report, you see all these numbers, colors, and other information. What does it all mean?

21:35 - Kendra discusses how you can use the system to hire people or figure out who on your existing team needs to come in and support you.

28:46 - What do you need to pay special attention to when using Kolbe to evaluate potential hires for a spot on your business team?

31:53 - Kendra demonstrates how this assessment system can change the dynamics within a team.

34:55 - How does following the results of your Kolbe assessment affect the energy you put into your business? Kendra uses my Quick Start strength as an example.

About Kendra Tillman

Kendra Tillman is the founder of StrongHer.Me Coaching & Consulting. Her company’s mission empowers rising women leaders to RECLAIM their authentic voice, OWN their leadership potential, and ACTIVATE the courage to live their calling.

Mentioned in How the Kolbe A™ Index Helps You Better Support and Lead Your Business Team with Kendra Tillman

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Shared Power and DEI Work Done Differently In Your Business with Mia Henry Dec 07, 2023

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You’ve seen and heard about it from the hiring room to the Hollywood screen. For the last few years, every workplace imaginable has been discussing and trying to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion by implementing DEI practices in their company.

But Mia Henry, founder and CEO of Freedom Lifted, sees a flaw in the way these concepts often get applied. Her approach involves pioneering innovative work, and she has lots of experience working with those committed to promoting justice and equity.

In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, we’re continuing our work and business culture series with Mia. You’ll learn how to cultivate a sense of belonging within your team by using a more effective way of applying these concepts in your small business. Mia will reveal what shared power looks like, why it’s important to have it, and the process she uses to help others begin to do DEI work differently.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

7:03 - Why are diversity, equity, and inclusion so important within the culture of a company? Mia explains from her unique perspective.

12:42 - Mia discusses what social power and equity are and how they relate to shared power within team dynamics or management of organizations.

20:07 - Many still aren’t ready to have this conversation, so what is necessary for people to be ready to do this work? And how does Mia help them start to tackle it?

23:12 - Issues still arise when those with marginalized identities gain positional power. Why? And why is privilege not necessarily a bad thing?

25:23 - We talk about the two stakeholders I think small businesses really need to consider in this and how too many businesses approach it instead.

32:33 - How is this kind of social justice and movement work similar to doing trauma work? Mia also discusses a critical (and sometimes revolutionary) part of her work.

38:21 - Mia gives some examples of people she looks up to who are leading from this new paradigm of shared power.

41:11 - We share why we have hope for younger generations to make a difference, and how our generation can help.

45:08 - Mia has been part of The CEO Collective for a year. What has happened to her business since joining?

Mentioned in Build a Business Culture That You and Your Employees Love with Tiffany Slater

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Build a Business Culture That You and Your Employees Love with Tiffany Slater Nov 30, 2023

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Are you a small business owner who is hiring more employees and building a real team? Then it’s time to start thinking at an entirely new level about how this will change the game for your company. And you need to have a culture in place that helps you attract and retain the talent you want onboard.

In the last few years, we’ve seen huge changes in the way people work. In fact, the pandemic accelerated changes that were already underway. These changes very much revolve around company culture and how that affects its employees, something that the human resources department of every corporation has a direct hand in.

Dr. Tiffany Slater is very much a product of this change. She has over 20 years of experience as an HR professional but had to leave a toxic workplace situation. Now, she specializes in helping other busy entrepreneurs take the lead on their human resource needs. And she’s here today to help me kick off a new podcast series on business culture.

In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn how to get really honest about the type of business you want to have now that it’s no longer just about you. Tiffany will teach you how you can start building a more intentional culture for your small business that’s enjoyable and effective for you and your employees.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

4:27 - The dichotomy between the old and new way of work management has changed in the last few years. How does it impact small business owners?

12:09 - Tiffany explains what being a fractional human resources executive means for small business owners and reveals the tipping point for managing the HR side of a company.

15:55 - What does it mean to have a culture in your business? Every organization has one, even if they don’t plan for it.

17:59 - As a solopreneur, your company’s values are your values. But what happens with those values as you build your team?

23:23 - When you’re not intentionally thinking about your company’s culture, it tends to create one by accident. Tiffany describes the challenges she sees in those businesses.

27:45 - How is creating a healthy, functional dynamic for your team within your business similar to hosting a party? Tiffany reveals the two things that bring it all together.

31:22 - If you want to attract and retain talent in your business, you must build a company culture that does this.

Mentioned in Build a Business Culture That You and Your Employees Love with Tiffany Slater