Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs

We women entrepreneurs keep underpricing ourselves when offering the same service or product as our male counterparts. On average, we price up to 20% less. When I first heard that, I was blown away!

Pricing is one of the quickest and most powerful ways to adjust your business trajectory and make it more sustainable. I’ve seen it in my business and those of my clients. So in this episode, I discuss why properly pricing your offers is the first step to designing a successfully sustainable business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:36 - What is the feast or famine zone, and does your business fall into it? Discover the two biggest reasons why businesses in this zone struggle to compete. 

8:40 - I demonstrate how underpricing can easily lead to overworking by using the example of a wedding photographer.

12:18 - Taking the wedding photographer example further, this simple step is an easy way to improve your profitability and ease burnout.

14:42 - What if you want to double your rates? You need to take a deeper look at these factors in your business.

17:42 - Pricing impacts other aspects of your business. Michalowicz’s Profit First percentages can help you figure out the math to meet your revenue goal.

20:43 - I push back against the hype of online gurus who have a certain mindset about pricing. There’s a reason why I primarily work with service providers.

23:50 - What if you’re not used to selling at a higher price or booking multiple sessions at a time per client?

26:55 - Here’s why you don’t need a large audience to get enough clients for your higher-priced programs and services. I give you a behind-the-scenes look.

28:52 - Keep these questions in mind as you crunch your numbers.

Mentioned in Why Underpricing (and Overdelivering) Is Creating Business Burnout

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
• The CEO Collective
• The CEO Planner
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Leave a review on iTunes

Connect with Me:

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

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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!

Celebrity entrepreneurs don’t do any favors with all their hustle talk, and despite everything you hear about escaping burnout and hustle culture, too many women entrepreneurs still can’t escape. They desperately need the cash flow in their business right now. So if you’re struggling to get your business working on all cylinders, keep listening. Today’s episode kicks off a new series to help you break free from entrepreneurial poverty of time, energy, and money so you can attain the sustainable success you desire.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:06 - People prescribe this antidote too often to the burnout problem. It’s creating a FOMO culture for an increasing number of women.

4:55 - I discuss the entrepreneurial poverty of time and what it looks like for women business owners. 

9:42 - Energy poverty is HUGE right now. How does this impact you as a female entrepreneur?

13:07 - While lack of money is easy to point to, it doesn’t just have an effect on you financially. 

14:16 - I see so many women in the middle stage of their business succumb to this cycle. Why do some stay stuck in it for years?

17:17 - I quickly overview what’s coming up next in this new podcast series of episodes.

As mentioned in How the Current Hustle Culture Creates Entrepreneurial Poverty for Women

• The CEO Collective
• The CEO Planner
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Leave a review on iTunes

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!

A couple of years ago, I received an invitation to a thank you party via email. That incredibly heartfelt invitation gave me the best feeling and became the catalyst for a friendship and business contact. In this Thanksgiving Day episode, the woman behind that email, Shannon Siriano Greenwood, is back on the show. She and I talk about how gratitude can have a huge impact on and should be the driving force behind your business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

4:23 – I read the entire email from Shannon that caused me, a super introvert, to dress up and attend a restaurant downtown.

8:54 – Shannon discusses how she and I met. She calls it our own little love story.

14:53 – When did Shannon realize that bringing people together was her strength? She discusses why the realization didn’t come quickly.

20:25 – Shannon reveals a huge component of making connections and building relationships. It looks different from most people’s image of networking.

22:48 – What’s even better than a typical referral? All it takes is a simple mindset shift to see it, and it definitely has a huge effect on your business.

25:53 – We talk about how we remember to touch base and stay in contact with people.

31:04 – Why does Shannon get invited to a lot of things? She’s already done five podcast interviews this month without having to pitch herself.

34:32 – Shannon reveals the purpose behind her new program that brings women together.

Show Links

• Rebelle Con
• SWELL by Rebelle
• Shannon on Instagram
• Racheal on Instagram
• Leave a review on iTunes

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!

Angie Trueblood came to me years ago when she wanted to go all in on her idea. She’d learned how to pitch herself to podcasts as an interview guest and had the idea to do the same for other entrepreneurs. As someone in the podcast space who was in the target market for her services, she was the first person I saw talking about something like this in 2019. So, of course, I had to have her on the show (and immediately hire her after)!

Now, Angie’s back to give an update on what’s happening in her business now and how it’s changed since she’s become part of The CEO Collective. In this episode, she talks about the service side of her business and why she’s making the choice to do the opposite of what so many other service-based entrepreneurs are doing.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

6:20 - What was business like for Angie in the summer of 2019 (before life as we knew it shifted drastically)?

12:02 - Angie reveals how the rinse and repeat process of the 90-Day planner impacted her business that year.

14:49 - Angie talks about what it’s like for her to have both group programming and a service up for offer in her business.

19:48 - Resistant to growing an agency for so long, Angie is leaning towards the service side of her business more. Why?

25:54 - People worry that growing a service-based business means more time and energy spent in the business. How does Angie find balance?

28:51 - Here’s something you need to know as a service provider looking to create and launch a course or membership.

33:42 - What excites Angie the most in this next stage of her business?

• “How to Go Pitch Yourself with Angie Trueblood”
• The Podwize Group
• Go Pitch Yourself podcast
• Angie on LinkedIn and The Podwize Group on Instagram
• The CEO Collective

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!

Certain subjects are polarizing, and I’m not just talking about the usual topics like politics or religion. The last time I had MegAnne Ford on the show we discussed the dark side of visibility she experienced through her coaching business…her parenting coach business.

As you can imagine, parents have particular thoughts about raising their (and sometimes others’) kids. And someone took umbrage to what MegAnne had to say that they bullied and essentially stalked her! She’s come out on the other side of it, though, and years later she’s still here and visible as ever.

In this episode, she talks about how she’s developed a community around her coaching and continued to grow her business since then. If you’ve had to deal with a bully, suffered vulnerability hangovers, or fear putting yourself out there due to the potential backlash over a disagreement, then you’ll want to listen in!

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

5:17 – I first met MegAnne a few months after she started her business. She talks about how she stumbled into it.

9:27 – What was MegAnne’s first year in business like? She realized she had to make this shift.

12:35 – MegAnne discusses how she developed her popular frameworks for parents.

15:14 – Building and nurturing a community has become a huge part of MegAnne’s business. She reveals how.

19:11 – How did MegAnne get into using Instagram stories and Tik Tok to gain visibility?

28:12 – MegAnne reveals what drew her to join The CEO Collective and talks about her prior “$18,000 learning experiment.”

33:37 – Before The CEO Collective, there was the Sweet Spot Strategy. Here’s why shutting it down benefited me and my clients tremendously!

38:16 – With her larger audience now, what does MegAnne have planned for her coaching business in 2023?

• “CEO Confession: The Dark Side of Visibility with MegAnne Ford”
• Be Kind Coaching 
• The Journey of Positive Parenting with MegAnne Ford
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Leave a review on iTunes

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!

We all love hearing success stories. If you’ve listened to this podcast since August of 2021, you may remember Sarah Young and her accounting business. Back then, she was about a year into her experience with The CEO Collective. Now a year later, she’s back! And she’s here to let us know what happened after she shared her success story on the show.

Today kicks off a series I’m doing with clients who’ve taken part in my flagship program. In this episode, Sarah talks about what’s changed in the last year, the incredible wins she’s enjoyed in her business, and how she plans to move forward with even more success. As you listen, you’ll come away with some major takeaways and lessons to implement in your own business!

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

5:24 - Sarah recaps how she started her business and changed it over a period of a couple of years.

11:53 - What’s happened in Sarah’s business since she last guested on the show? And how has it affected her husband?

16:54 - Sarah talks about the support she now has behind the scenes of her business and areas where she wants to improve.

19:24 - How has Sara’s business evolved to incorporate two different audiences? She discusses her trial and error process.

23:47 - Sarah reveals where she wants to go next in her business. It highlights the missing wealth piece for so many women entrepreneurs.

28:44 - As an entrepreneur, you may think you know what diversifying your income means. Here’s what it really means.

31:11 - What’s coming up for Sarah in 2023? She reveals what she plans to prioritize for the coming new year.

34:35 - Sarah made this mindset shift that can benefit you as an entrepreneur.

• Young + Co
• Profit + Prosper podcast
• Sarah on Instagram

• “Increasing Profit and Decreasing Burnout: A Case Study with Sarah Young”
• The CEO Collective

• Racheal on Instagram and

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!

Forgetting to consistently market and prioritize making sales? What about letting your schedule get so out of control that you don’t give yourself any time off for months on end? Or chasing every next shiny object instead of focusing on what works in your business?

What you suffer from, dear entrepreneur, is a lack of plan implementation. In the final part of this year’s Best Year Ever challenge, you’ll discover how to take all the insight from the previous episodes and turn them into an actionable 12-month profit plan for 2023.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

6:32 - How does my 5-part framework (attract, engage, nurture, invite, and delight) form the foundation for your 12-month plan?

11:20 - Here’s where I start when I’m mapping out my 12-month big picture profit plan.

15:12 - Discover how to plan out what you’re going to sell and when you’re going to sell it.

20:31 - What’s one easily forgettable thing you need to keep in mind throughout this process? I reveal what it is.

24:49 - To wrap up, I give you this reminder as you go about planning things out for the first time.

• Best Year Ever Challenge
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Leave a review on iTunes

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 tell yourself, “This year, I’m gonna do it!” You write down your business goal. You put it where you can see it constantly. You’re determined to reach that pinnacle you’ve set for yourself this time! A few months later... you’ve forgotten about it or given up on it.

We tend to only set goals once a year, and that’s one of the reasons why goal setting often doesn’t work for most people. On day 4 of this series, I take a different approach to goal setting to help you establish business milestones you’ll actually follow through on in 2023.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:16 - Many of us have such a love/hate relationship with goal setting. Why does it fail so often?

5:18 - As you brainstorm all of your potential goals for the new year, refrain from doing this. I also offer a huge tip to ensure you don’t miss out on key things.

7:07 - I go through the process of making sure you have the business systems you need set up before taking on additional projects.

10:45 - I talk about how I apply my five-part systems process to my own business.

13:58 - Once you’ve brainstormed, how can you narrow your goals down to five for the year? What will it take to make each goal happen?

15:48 - One of the most important pieces of the puzzle involves thinking about how you’re setting yourself up for success. Think of it like a marathon.

17:55 - What if you have more than five goals you want to accomplish? Here’s what I do.

18:35 - Finally, I encourage you to do this as you complete the BYE workbook.

• Best Year Ever Challenge
• Get Paid Calculator
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Leave a review on iTunes

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!

Are you constantly running your business in emergency mode? You might be running your company by default instead of by design, constantly putting out fires and working crazy long hours. But panic as a business strategy isn’t a wise recipe for success.

So in this episode, I talk about how to design a business that works for you and runs like clockwork in 2023.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:39 - I give a quick recap of the Best Year Ever series thus far.

5:45 - What does personal and professional success mean to you? Here are some things to keep in mind.

9:23 - Who are the dream clients you want to focus on attracting and attaining in 2023?

10:25 - Time to shift into money mode! But you don’t want to pull a revenue goal out of thin air here.

14:29 - The final thing you want to look at as you go through this process of (re)creating your business by design.

• Best Year Ever Challenge
• Get Paid Calculator
• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Leave a review on iTunes

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!

With our hustle and bustle culture, we’re always in danger of burning ourselves out. The last couple of years, however, have made it even worse. It always feels like there’s something going wrong in the world--pandemics, war breakouts, etc.--that can have an effect on our business, causing us to worry about its future.

No matter what’s happening in the world, though, you can still build your dream business. This Best Year Ever series can help you get clarity about what you want to experience right now. In this episode, I dive into the second challenge and it’s a powerful one!

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:40 - Today’s the day you jump into your time machine! What do I mean?

5:25 - I reveal the best place to start as you go through today’s exercises. This is all about getting intentional.

6:59 - I give an example of how you can go through this exercise (with a little insight from my own life).

8:53 - Keep it simple. Sometimes you can dream so big that you overwhelm yourself and get frustrated.

10:36 - My company’s #1 value is putting life before business. How can your business support the life you want?

12:41 - This is when you bring some numbers into play. I talk about how doing so affects me and my family.

• Best Year Ever Challenge
• Get Paid Calculator
• Double Double by Cameron Herold
• Racheal on Instagram and TikTok
• Leave a review on iTunes

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!