Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs

CEO doesn’t mean Chief Everything Officer!

When we start our businesses, it’s a one-woman show. We are the marketing team, the sales department, and the bookkeeper. We are used to rolling up our sleeves and just figuring it all out!

But as the saying goes “What got you here won’t get you there!” 

Continuing to be the Chief Everything Officer will not only make you the bottleneck in your business but will create a ceiling that limits your growth potential.

In this live training, we’ll share the top mindset shifts and CEO habits that our CEOs embraced as they said yes to building a more sustainable business, 90 days at a time.

Watch the video version on-demand.

Apply to The CEO Collective.

The CEO Collective is a 12-month immersive mentorship meets mastermind experience for women entrepreneurs who are ready to sustainably scale and step into the role of CEO. Applications are currently open for the next cohort until Friday February 23rd, 2024!

>>> Click Here to Apply

Say YES! to a full year of business mastery inside The CEO Collective.

Ready to fully implement and integrate our proven 90 Day CEO Operating System into your business?

During this live Open House, Racheal and our incredible mentor team will share an in-depth look at the experience working directly with us inside The CEO Collective and answer your biggest questions about taking the next step with us towards being a fully supported CEO.

Watch the video version on-demand.

Apply to The CEO Collective.

The CEO Collective is a 12-month immersive mentorship meets mastermind experience for women entrepreneurs who are ready to sustainably scale and step into the role of CEO. Applications are currently open for the next cohort until Friday February 23rd, 2024!

>>> Click Here to Apply

For one week only, we are sharing the live 90 Day CEO Sustainable Success Series with you here on the podcast!

For small business owners ready to grow – what comes first – growth at all costs or stabilize then scale?

It’s easy to believe that more revenue solves all business problems. But growth at all costs creates more chaos and leaves the business owner feeling out of control.

Research shows that small businesses fail to grow when the business owner feels out of control.

In the first live training, we are diving deep into the research behind the sustainable scale stack – a set of proven tools that help business owners regain control over their business.

Watch the video version on-demand.

Apply to The CEO Collective.

The CEO Collective is a 12-month immersive mentorship meets mastermind experience for women entrepreneurs who are ready to sustainably scale and step into the role of CEO. Applications are currently open for the next cohort until Friday February 23rd, 2024!

>>> Click Here to Apply

Entrepreneurs earning 10x more aren’t working 10x harder. They are working smarter.

Hustle culture has many small business owners convinced that if only they could just do MORE, that their business results would explode.

This mindset has trapped many in the weeds of their business, constantly looking for the next silver bullet tip or trick that will explode their growth. After a year or two – they are burned out and stressed out.

In this live training, we are walking through our research backed and client proven 90 Day CEO Operating System®️ growth framework for more ease and less stress in your business.

Watch the video version on-demand.

Apply to The CEO Collective.

The CEO Collective is a 12-month immersive mentorship meets mastermind experience for women entrepreneurs who are ready to sustainably scale and step into the role of CEO. Applications are currently open for the next cohort until Friday February 23rd, 2024!

>>> Click Here to Apply

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.

• The CEO Collective

• The CEO Collective Free Resources

• 90 Day CEO Planner

• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok

• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

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.

• The CEO Collective
• 90 Day CEO Planner
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

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.

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

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.

• Business Growth Checklist
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

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

• La Tondra Murray
• What’s Your CEO Style? Quiz
• StrengthsFinder/CliftonStrengths® Online Talent Assessment
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

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.

• StrongHer.me
• ‘Activate Your A’ Mini Session

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

• Kolbe A™ Index
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Rate and review on Apple Podcasts

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!

🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!