Stay ConnectedYou started this business to lead. Somewhere along the way, the business started leading you instead.
The Modern CEO Podcast with Amber McCue is where that stops, and growth gets a plan. Real strategy, sustainable systems, and the kind of leadership conversations that help you step fully into your role as the CEO your business needs.
Your season of growth is already underway. You’re right on time.
There are weekends and there are WEEEEKENDS, am I right? (Parents especially will agree with me on this!)
Let me tell you, the weekend before I recorded this podcast was definitely the latter! I dealt with so many temper tantrums, freak-outs, and plans not going as planned that I was actually happy when Monday rolled around.
I want to share a quick story with you.
Over Father's Day weekend, I took a trip with my girls to the mall to get a Father's Day present. This led to my girls deciding that they needed presents, too.
Of course, this could be a teachable moment for them, in an ideal world.
But you know what? Sometimes, the world isn't ideal. I was outnumbered, I'd been fighting a headache, and I thought that maybe a toy for each of them could keep them distracted for a few hours while we recharged after a morning of beach time and shopping.
The plan started off well, but then my three-year-old decided that one toy wasn't enough! Her new baby doll needed a FRIEND.
Cue: full-on MELTDOWN. That lasted for TWO DAYS.
Every rational parenting bone in my body fought against the impulse to give in. She JUST got a new doll. She has DOZENS of dolls already It makes ZERO sense to get her another one.
My husband and I debated this for a while. Even though it wasn't the rational parenting choice to get her that new doll, we agreed that it would make the rest of our weekend go by so much easier.
And it WORKED.
You know what? It wasn't a perfect parenting moment. But, sometimes, you have to throw perfectionism to the wind and make decisions that make sense for your situation!
And that doesn't just go for parenting – look at the situations in your life where you're actually being held back by your desire to be perfect. Not only that, but a desire to be perfect by SOMEONE ELSE'S standards, not your own!
Do you know what a focus on perfectionism leads to?
Anxiety and a fear of asking for help!
Both of those things can stop you in your tracks and hold you back from making decisions or starting projects that will help you move further along the path to success, in your business or whatever else you've got going on in your life!
Don't fall victim to the curse of perfection!
In this episode, I'm going to:
Give yourself a break!
Highlights:
5:25 Throwing perfectionism to the wind
7:01 The dangers of chasing perfection
7:36 What should we be letting go of? What will actually have a big impact on your life?
10:00 Aiming for the high-vibe energy and giving yourself guard-rails
Thank you for listening! Want more information and tips? Visit http://www.niceops.com and follow me on twitter and Instagram: @AmberMcCue
Is there anyone out there who doesn't want to get more done in less time??
Yeah, that's what I thought!
Well, in episode 7 of the Modern CEO podcast, I'm going to let you all in on a little secret.
Wait for it ....
I'm going to teach you how to clone yourself!
No, it doesn't involve test tubes, DNA, or freaky weird scientist hair.
This episode is about outsourcing, but outsourcing in a smart way – making sure that you keep a laser-focus on the things that you're really good at (and enjoy doing!), so that you're best serving your business!
If outsourcing isn't realistic for you right now, then systematization is a great way to do those tasks more efficiently so that you have more time to do the job of growing your business. You'd better believe that I'll be covering THAT in this episode, too!
After all, at least part of the reason you started your own business was to increase your quality of life, right? Well, if you're tied to the tasks that you hate to do (or kind of suck at), then you're not serving your business OR your spirit!
So let's get started!
In this podcast, I'm going to:
Ditch the DIY trap!
Highlights:
0:54 What should you outsource first?
2:17 Where is your time going?
5:24 Identify your 'keep', 'outsource' and 'systematize' tasks
12:03 How to 'park' your ideas for the future
13:16 There's nothing solo about being a solo entrepreneur!
Thank you for listening! Want more information and tips? Visit http://www.niceops.com and follow me on twitter and Instagram: @AmberMcCue
Mentioned in this episode:
Business Brilliant: Surprising Lessons from the Greatest Self-Made Business Icons by Lewis Schiff
What makes an entrepreneur?
Can you still be an entrepreneur if you have a side hustle?
Do you need to quit your day job to be considered an entrepreneur??
These are the questions that we're going to be digging into in the 6th episode of the Modern CEO podcast!
"You're not REALLY committed to your business until you quit your day job!"
Sound familiar?
If you're anything like me, then you felt a lot of pressure to go all-in when you started your business. To just drop everything else and dedicate yourself fully to the journey of becoming a successful businessperson.
Often, this kind of pressure can come from people who don't even have their own business!
I want to tell you something: I felt SO RELIEVED when I stopped buying into this idea that I needed to quit my day job as quickly as possible. You know what happens when you start feeling less stressed out? You gain the ability to be more innovative and more creative – and doesn't that sound a lot more productive than worrying about whether you fit someone else's definition of an entrepreneur??
In this podcast, I'm going to:
Be the entrepreneur you want to be! Click here to listen!
Highlights:
2:25 The problem with going "all-in" too soon and the benefits to slowing down
4:15 Wise words from Adam Grant
6:41 Can procrastination actually be a virtue??
8:32 Innovation v. improvement
11:50 A case-study of the slow-burn approach
15:50 Find the $100-bill ideas
Thank you for listening! Want more information and tips? Visit http://www.niceops.com and follow me on twitter and Instagram: @AmberMcCue
Mentioned in this episode:
I made it my goal to keep these episodes coming regularly for you! And since goal-setting is actually one of the topics of today's episode, I'm going to tell you my secret to actually hitting those goals.
And, no, it's not cheating!
Effectively tracking your progress is actually the best way to help you manage those goals. Not only does it keep you on top of what still needs to get done, but it's also an awesome way to keep yourself motivated. If you're a list-maker, you already know how satisfying it is to check off those boxes, so it won't surprise you when I say that measuring progress has been shown to improve happiness levels!
Speaking of goals, one of my major goals for the past few years has been to read 50 books (or more!) in a year. This is the first year that I've actually been on track to achieve this goal, so I am VERY excited!
Why reading? Let me tell you!
One thing that a lot of successful people have in common is that they read a lot. And I'm not talking V.C. Andrews paperbacks, either – they choose books that help them shift their ways of thinking, learn new skills, or take a more visionary approach to their industry.
In this podcast, I'm going to:
Keep your pen and paper handy for this one!
Highlights:
2:44 What gets measured gets managed
5:30 The Blinkist app vs Kindle samples
8:40 Note-taking – get the most out of your reading!
10:15 WhisperSync it when you can't read it!
11:43 Get into Goodreads!
12:15 Amber's Amazing Book List of 2017 (So far!)
Thank you for listening! Want more information and tips? Visit http://www.niceops.com and follow me on twitter and Instagram: @AmberMcCue
Mentioned in this episode:
Today, we're going to tackle the elephant in the room.
In this episode of the Modern CEO podcast, I get down and dirty with a topic that a lot of people don't really like to talk about – money!
Studies have shown that people would rather talk about politics and religion than this topic, but as business owners, we've just got to do it!
Women, in particular, tend to resist talking about their financials – we often don't ask for the raises we deserve or negotiate when we're taking on a new project, so learning to talk dollars is a huge key to being professionally successful. Doubly so, if you run your own business!
It's a fact – people who have reached self-made millionaire or billionaire status tend to talk about their money and their revenue goals with people who are in their inner circles so that they can support each other in reaching their goals.
So this podcast episode is all about talking about that C-A-S-H money, baby!
In this episode, I discuss:
Hopefully, this episode will help you get a little more comfortable thinking, talking, and planning about money so that you can really get your business on track to hit those revenue goals!
Highlights:
2:05 The importance of talking about money
2:49 The super-successful entrepreneurs' approach to financial discussions
5:30 The importance of checking in on your finances and forecasts
6:55 How your forecast helps you pinpoint where to invest in your business
8:03 Building your financial discussion inner circle
9:33 Businesses that have a revenue plan in place tend to grow faster than those that don't – build yours!
11:30 Getting intentional with your plans
13:30 Is your profit where you want it to be?
16:25 How often should you be looking at your expenses?
Thank you for listening! Want more information and tips? Visit http://www.niceops.com and follow Amber on twitter: @AmberMcCue
Mentioned in this episode:
Why did you decide that you wanted to start your own business?
You were passionate about something – that's a given! But chances are, you were also excited about the opportunities that entrepreneurship can bring you, like the freedoms that you gain when you're not chained to a desk from 9-5 in someone else's office. The opportunity to carve out a life for yourself that based on your own dreams – that's something that I like to call the 'millionaire feeling'.
Being an entrepreneur means having the freedom to make a LOT of choices in your life.
But what's guiding your choices? How are you approaching your life and work?
Are you operating at your highest levels of joy??
In this podcast, I get a little personal – I want to share with you a little bit about my own entrepreneurial journey (just between us!).
It took a lot of time, hard work, and tough choices for me to move from the 9-5 corporate path to where I am today. Trust me, I learned a lot of lessons along the way!
In this episode, I talk about:
No matter how dedicated or determined you are, life ALWAYS finds a way to knock you off course. I want to help you develop a mental GPS system that will nudge you back onto the path to your best self!
Highlights:
0:20 The big opportunities we have as Modern CEOs
1:58 How do you start succeeding and living your dream today?
3:08 The 'Millionaire Feeling'
14:22 Stay in touch with yourself and keep yourself aligned with your path
16:00 We have choices in how we approach things
16:43 Learn how to operate at your highest levels of joy!
17:39 Figure out where your ideal day starts
20:02 Your action step for this week!
I'm so excited to drop episode number TWO of my podcast – let me tell you, it's been a journey to get this baby up and running!
If you listened to the first episode, you heard me talk about the internal resistance I felt when I first started working on this project. You know the resistance I'm talking about – the urge to procrastinate instead of taking the first steps on a big, new, scary idea. The little voice telling you that your idea is too late, or too niche, or unneeded. In episode one, I discussed how to talk back to those voices and neutralize those negative messages.
In this episode, I am going to give you some of my go-to strategies for pushing forward through that resistance, from clear goal-setting to the perfect planning cycle. I use each and every one of these strategies for every new project I work on – they've saved me from countless hours of distracting myself with Netflix or Hulu or just plain giving up on great ideas.
I'm also going to drop some science that explains exactly how much time you can actually save by having a solid plan in place – you can't argue with the research!
And THEN I'm going to give you some action items to help take you from procrastinater to expert planner!
By the time you're finished listening to the episode, I want you to be full of ideas and inspiration for your next 90 days!
Sound good?
Let's get started.
Highlights:
1:59 What does resistance look like for you?
3:29 The difference between relaxing and procrastinating
4:41 Dealing with your lack of confidence and uncertainty
5:56 Clearly defining your goals – and measuring them!
7:12 Three reasons to set those meaningful goals!
9:04 Why you need to build a plan around your goal
12:11 Stay nimble - operate in 90-day planning cycles!
16:43 Summary, takeaways, and action items
The first step in starting a new project is always the hardest – especially when your old friend resistance kicks in! Your own brand of resistance can take any number of forms:
Are you freaked out about being too much like your competition?
Do you spend more time procrastinating than actually building your product?
Are you nervous that you're too late to the game?
These anxieties can do more than just slow you down - they can stop you in your tracks! Eeeek! I've talked to so many entrepreneurs that have come very close to giving up on some truly awesome ideas just because of resistance thoughts like these.
Guess what: You need to get over those fears if you're going to get your entrepreneurial groove on!
So how do you dodge these mental roadblocks??
I'm going to share with you my own pesky resistance points (including the ones that popped up when I started working on this very podcast!) and teach you how to skillfully neutralize them so that you can get back to making things happen!
Let's get started!
Highlights:
01:31 Differentiation and timing: Amber's 2 key resistance experiences
3:37 What are you procrastinating right now?
4:13 "One of the ways that you will differentiate is just by showing up and being you"
6:05 Put aside your perfectionism and jump on the "just start" train
7:22 No matter what you're trying to do, you're right on time!
8:40 How Amber overcame her fear of being late
13:30 Shifting your mindset: The Big Leap
15:33 The story of the big meeting and the missed train
17:21 "The moral of the story..."
17:40 Don't panic about double- (or-triple-) booking!
20:00 Life happens! Give your clients, colleagues, and prospects permission to be "right on time"
21:40 "The more important a call or an action is to our soul's evolution ..."
Thank you for listening! Want more information and tips? Visit http://www.niceops.com and follow Amber on twitter: @AmberMcCue
Mentioned in this episode:
The Art of Paid Traffic Podcast
The Mind Your Business Podcast
Missing Richard Simmons Podcast
Want more? Click here: AmberMcCue.com.
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