By Racheal Cook MBA: Small Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Business Growth Strategist
If you're fed up with the non-stop solopreneur grind… I'm so glad you've found The Promote Yourself to CEO Show!
Each week, join host Racheal Cook MBA for candid conversations about steppin
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The podcast currently has 537 episodes available.
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
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
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
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
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
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
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
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
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
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 CEO
Sara Blakely’s Instagram Post 1 and Post 2
90-Day CEO Operating System
Fired Up and Focused Challenge
The CEO Collective
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
Do you feel bogged down in your business?
You might be in your email inbox more often than you want to be. Or chasing people who still need to pay that invoice or scheduling people on your calendar all the time. Or perhaps you’re stuck on the technical side of things every day, messing around with the code on your website or trying to figure out what happened to that client email that seemed to vanish.
Instead of being the CEO of your business, you, my friend, are stuck in employee or manager mode. So how do you shake off those shackles and embody the role you’re meant to? In this new series on the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn the difference between the employee, manager, and CEO roles. And I’ll teach you how to start firing yourself from those first two modes so you can step into your role as CEO.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
2:13 - Why do women start their own business? Believe it or not, money isn’t at the top of the list of reasons.
9:30 - There’s so much glamorization around the entrepreneurship space for women. But you’ll see something different, if you take a peek under the hood.
11:19 - I discuss the role of the employee and how it’s different from being a manager or CEO.
13:58 - You can start off wearing so many hats as CEO of your business. Then as your company grows, you start bringing in team members in this order.
17:03 - You might find yourself becoming an accidental manager by adding team members. What’s the role of a manager?
21:06 - Most entrepreneurs spend their time in the employee or manager mode. How much time do you actually get to spend in CEO mode?
25:29 - Here’s how shifting into CEO mode gives you more freedom, flexibility, and control in your business.
30:10 - What does it truly mean to step into the role of CEO? I reveal what happens when you take a bigger picture view of your business.
36:02 - I talk about the importance of having a vision and values for you, your team, and your company.
Mentioned in Being the Employee Vs Manager Vs CEO In Your Business90-Day CEO Operating System
Fired Up and Focused Challenge
Nichole Forsline’s The Solid Bow
Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:29 - Are you spending much of your time doing $10 p/h activities in your business? For big shift #1, I go over what $10, $100, $1,000, and $10,000 hourly tasks look like.
12:28 - Many clients hit another plateau when they refuse to make the second big mindset shift. Here’s how doing so can pay dividends.
15:05 - I reveal another challenge I often see among entrepreneurs (myself included), even when they’ve previously overcome the second mindset hurdle.
17:46 - Where was my focus when I hit this business plateau? It took me a long time to admit this to myself.
22:20 - I discuss the final shift needed and reveal an exercise I frequently do to help me get out of my own way.
26:14 - To wrap the show, I recap the three shifts to think about if you’re feeling stuck and unsure about how to move the needle in your business.
Show Links
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
A lot of us entrepreneurs have seen (and heard) from our parents and others that success requires a lot of hard work and long hours. I used to be frustrated with the whole “work smarter, not harder” concept because I saw my entrepreneurial parents embrace the hustle. I thought to gain success, you had to do anything and everything and work 80-100 hour weeks.
But you eventually reach a point where you just can’t work any harder! So how do you get to that next level of success? Working harder for it clearly isn’t the answer. You need to shift the way you think about your relationship with work. So in today’s episode, I talk about six lessons that will have you working smarter instead.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
3:48 - When you do this, you get an exponentially higher return on your time and energy. So what’s lesson #1 and how have I practiced it in my business?
7:12 - What does the E in CEO not stand for? I learned this lesson the hard way!
11:46 - You’ve probably heard this phrase before, and there is some truth to it. I’ve had to follow this lesson whenever my business crossed another threshold.
17:03 - Many entrepreneurs, especially creative ones, find lesson #4 challenging to implement. But not doing so can eventually sabotage you.
20:41 - Don’t love the idea of going into debt to invest back into your business? Here’s what I did early on in my business for lesson #5.
25:32 - You can’t implement the final lesson through Google. You’ll face rites of passage in your business when you want this in your corner instead.
Mentioned in 6 Lessons to Work Smarter, Not Harder
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
In your business, you have to constantly make big decisions. Who’s going to be your coach or mentor? Who should you hire to join your team? What resources should you use to help run your company? How (and where) will you market your business?
It can get overwhelming! So you want to only spend time and money where there’s a return on your investment. In this episode, I cover the five key ways to ensure you’re getting the most out of every business investment you make.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
2:09 - I reveal why relying on your feelings can sometimes lead you astray in making business decisions.
3:45 - Tip #1 is one of the biggest things that ensures you’re not signing up for something or hiring someone who isn’t the right fit for you.
9:40 - People often get stuck in their journey because they don’t follow tip #2. Even I’ve been guilty of it recently, and I tell you how.
12:30 - So many of us have a hard time with the third tip. I discuss how I’ve seen this inside The CEO Collective.
19:23 - What’s a good rule to follow whenever you’re learning or getting advice from others? Some of my best business breakthroughs have come as a result of this tip.
23:20 - By following this final tip, you establish the ability to create your own economy. I explain what I mean by that and how I’ve benefited from it.
29:26 - To wrap the show, I quickly recap the five ways to make your business investments worth your time, energy, and money.
Show Links
Are you running your business… or is your business running you?
It’s time to get your business in order so you can step into your role as a confident, in control CEO! Join Racheal Cook for this free 4-part training series May 20th-24th to sustainably scale your business with more ease and less stress.
RSVP at http://www.theceocollective.com/success
The podcast currently has 537 episodes available.
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