Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs

Raise your hand if you’ve never felt comfortable as a promoter of your business. Today’s episode is for you! I’m joined by speaker, Hay House author, marketing mentor, and dear friend Nikki Nash who’s written a new book called Market Your Genius. Nikki is here to share how she helps women entrepreneurs do business more confidently and package and leverage their expertise for real revenue growth. Her approach is one of the smartest ways of helping women I’ve heard yet, and I can’t wait for you to hear this conversation.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

5:39 - Nikki took a bit of a long, winding road to entrepreneurship. She gives a little background about herself.

10:33 - What makes Nikki’s approach to marketing your knowledge different from other mentors?

14:14 - Is Nikki’s approach the same as brand building? It’s similar, but she adds another layer to it that helps your business live beyond you.

17:31 - Nikki quickly describes the 3-step marketing genius process she walks people through.

19:52 - Here’s something people (many new entrepreneurs, especially) don’t realize about mindset, and business growth.

23:13 - How do trends and changes in marketing tactics fit into Nikki’s way of doing things? She discusses how solopreneurs need to approach social marketing differently.

31:13 - Nikki reveals another huge mistake so many entrepreneurs make that prevents them from gaining momentum. It’s tied to something that most marketers don’t talk about.

37:29 - Once, Nikki had a Facebook Live show she thought was a waste of time, so she quit. But, months later, it led to something... grand.

42:22 - I wrap up the episode with a few key takeaways Nikki and I discussed. 

Show Links

• Rebelle Con
• Market Your Genius by Nikki Nash
• Market Your Genius podcast
• Nikki on Instagram
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram

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!

Pricing is an uncomfortable subject for entrepreneurs that brings up all of our money mindset challenges. It often feels easier to just play safe when setting our price in order to not appear greedy to potential clients. So if pricing has ever been a sticking point for you, you’ll love today’s episode! I’ve invited my dear friend and financial behaviorist Jacquette Timmons to talk about the human side of money and how to determine the right price for us that honors what we do and helps us achieve our ultimate business and financial goals.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

6:59 - How did talking about the human side of pricing become such a huge part of Jacquette’s messaging?

9:33 - With money, Jacquette’s framework involves a few core areas to look at. Her process involves approaching them in a different, better way.

11:39 - Pricing has four jobs. What are we conditioned to do as entrepreneurs that needs reconsideration?

14:29 - Jacquette brings up another hard choice that women entrepreneurs can be confronted with.

16:49 - Jacquette reveals some common mistakes she’s seen people make when it comes to re-evaluating price points.

22:17 - Why has exclusivity and high-end service really stood the test of time, despite high prices?

27:50 - How does Jacquette help people approach the mindset block many have around raising prices? She provides two ways to shift your mindset, and one’s definitely easier than the other.

30:18 - We briefly discuss applying the “blue ocean strategy” to your business, as well as making another game changing move when the opportunity inevitably arises. 

Show Links

• Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
• Pricing Made Human masterclass
• Jacquette on Instagram
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram

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!

When you need to grow your business, what do you do? Do you lock out the rest of the world and brainstorm new products, programs, or service ideas yourself, like so many entrepreneurs do? Big mistake!

When you try to expand your business this way, you’re cutting out 100% of one of your most crucial assets: your existing customers and clients. In this bonus episode, my guest and CEO Collective member Layne Lyons tells us about how she’s on track to double her business by getting actual input from those already familiar with her business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

5:17 - Layne describes her business before it underwent an amazing transformation and reveals her first business bottleneck.

9:39 - What did Layne do to resolve her first bottleneck? What was her experience like after she started putting some boundaries in place?

13:12 - Layne shares what it felt like to finally increase her price points and offers advice to those on the precipice of doing the same.

15:53 - A new offer has opened the door for Layne to double the revenue from her business. She reveals what it is and the journey she went on to get here.

21:31 - What happened when Layne launched her new offer? This demonstrates why asking your existing client base for new ideas is the easiest way to build your next offer.

25:21 - Layne describes how she and her business are different now thanks to the changes she’s implemented.

34:21 - How was Layne’s experience joining The CEO Collective? She offers an inside look.

37:09 - To wrap up, I highlight a few points Layne made about streamlining and simplifying her business to the point where she now works less and enjoys her life more.

Show Links

• Layne’s Legal Umbrella Checklist
• Book Trademark Consultation with Layne
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram

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 money buried in your business somewhere. It doesn’t require you to gain more followers, run more ads, or hustle further to get your hands on it, either. It just involves taking advantage of the lowest hanging fruit in your business.

In the last episode of this series on putting an end to hustle culture, burnout, and entrepreneurial poverty, I reveal the third and final strategy to sustainably grow your business. I can’t wait for you to unlock this one!

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

4:13 - I share a quick story and reveal the final secret to sustainable growth for your business. 

7:50 - I expose the huge problem not being discussed in the business world right now. What could be the culprit?

9:35 - You need to nail these things to form the foundation for finding hidden money in your business. I see too many people ignore the last one.

14:24 - What simple offers can you provide your clients behind-the-scenes? I reveal one way to ensure your 1-on-1 clients fit perfectly for you.

18:47 - If you have past clients, what should you do next? Here are some other ways to discover hidden income opportunities. 

22:52 - I sum up all of the main strategies I’ve highlighted in this episode series.

Show Links

• Profit Plan Workbook (LINK NEEDED)
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram

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’re doing everything right. You’re offering a ton of content to get people in the door. But no matter what you do in your business, you only get a sale here or there. You’re just not seeing the results you want. So how can you make more sales?

My guest today, CEO Collective founding member Leesa Klich, is a health writer and blogging expert who helps health and wellness professionals use engaging research-based content to build their practices. In this bonus episode, she reveals the strategic tweaks she made in the foundation of her business that took her from struggling to sell a thing to selling out her offers and generating her best revenue month ever.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

9:01 - Leesa shares the vision she had for herself that prompted the restructuring of her business model.

12:26 - How did Leesa transition from serving one person at a time to multiple people simultaneously while also raising her prices?

20:11 - Leesa reveals what she has and hasn’t done to market herself and her business. Introverts especially will want to pay attention to this!

24:43 - You can get stuck in this quagmire as an entrepreneur. What does it take to be the most successful possible in your marketing efforts?

28:03 - Leesa created an even bigger offer to sell. She discusses the process of how she came up with and then refined her idea for a white label course.

30:24 - How did Leesa feel about increasing her price point again with the introduction of her course? I had to really work with her to get her pricing mindset right on this.

33:32 - Leesa discusses her audience’s response upon launching the course and what increased her confidence in raising her price.

38:15 - What’s next for Leesa? She tells us where she’s most excited to put her focus for now and advice for anyone considering joining The CEO Collective.

Show Links

• Leesa Klich
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram

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!

What do you think you need to gain in order for your business to change and grow? Too often entrepreneurs get hyped up to chase vanity metrics like huge numbers of Instagram followers or email subscribers. Ultimately though, gaining five or 10 new clients is all you need to have a massive impact on your business.

The simplest, easiest way for getting those clients isn’t something sexy or glamorous. It involves using a real strategy to invite people in, actually connect with them, and let them know how you can help. Continuing on with this series to avoid hustle and burnout, today I talk about the second strategy you need to adopt to grow a truly sustainable business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:27 - I rant (again) about an issue in the business world that sets so many people up for failure.

5:18 - What is a predictable profit plan? It’s key to how I help entrepreneurs break out of the feast or famine cycle, so I walk you through how to put one together.

10:00 - I reveal the most important but least discussed part of a profit plan. If you don’t have this, it’ll break your business.

10:45 - People get so focused on marketing and sales that they forget about this piece of the puzzle and end up with a lot of unhappy clients.

15:00 - What will be your strategies for marketing, sales, and delivery? I use The CEO Collective as an example.

17:13 - Consider this if you have no idea when you should promote your signature offer. I give more examples from my business.

20:14 - Full upfront payment is awesome! But you’ll love extending payment plans to clients for this incredibly powerful reason.

25:04 - How can you ensure that you don’t experience a revenue gap?

Show Links

• Profit Plan Workbook
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram

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!

Undercharging and over-delivering can be a challenging habit to break. You have to come to terms with the idea of increasing your prices and overhauling your packaging structure. 

If you’re like my guest today and feel nervous about raising your prices, then listen up because I have a real-life case study for you! I interview CEO Collective member Sarah Young about her journey over the last 18 months where she increased her price points, decreased burnout, positioned herself differently than other bookkeepers and CPAs, and now enjoys her business more than ever.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

6:15 - What did Sarah’s business look like before she joined The CEO Collective? She reveals what prompted her to get into business for herself.

10:11 - Sarah feels like her pricing story is a little embarrassing, but she tells it anyway. Everybody has the same struggles, especially women.

14:27 - After some research, Sarah started raising her prices but still found herself burning out. Then something happened in January 2021 that changed her business.

21:28 - What did existing clients think after Sarah raised her price points? She discusses repackaging herself for higher-paying clients and framing a response to those who could no longer afford her.

27:13 - Sarah reveals something she had to come to terms with as she rebuilt her business from the ground up.

28:48 - Where did Sarah find higher-level clients willing to invest at her prices? If you think it’s super complicated, think again.

32:08 - Sarah shares what she sees happening financially with fast-growing businesses when they underprice themselves.

36:09 - How do you build in profitability in your pricing, especially as you hire and grow a team? Sarah offers her insight.

42:47 - Sarah shares what’s been the best part of being a member of The CEO Collective.

Show Links

• Sarah’s CFO Checklist
• Sarah on Instagram
• The CEO Collective
• Racheal on Instagram

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 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.

Show Links

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
• Racheal on Instagram

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!

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.

Show Links

• Racheal on Instagram

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!

Have you ever told yourself you’ll make time to do something when your life calms down a bit? Did you promise to start focusing on your health, go work out, practice more self-care, and so on when you have the space to fit it into your schedule? Then you need to listen to this special episode with my business friend, podcast host, and author, Heather Chauvin. In our conversation, she and I talk about why you must stop putting yourself on hold and why the time to prioritize your needs is now. 

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

7:08 - Heather describes what led to her changing perspective for how she wanted to show up in life and business.

13:21 - Heather makes a surprising claim about her ordeal with cancer and her health today.

15:53 - Instead of focusing on money, Heather now filters everything she does and allows in her life based on this concept.

18:59 - Why did Heather have to remove herself from “mom culture”?

22:18 - Heather discusses the mindset shift that finally ended her struggle to embody the concept of feeling good.

25:48 - It can be hard to reprogram yourself, but you’ve probably seen people everywhere discuss this process as a way to get there.

29:00 - What are some simple things Heather recommends to start with that can add up and make an impact on your stress levels over time?

32:43 - Pay attention to gender roles. Heather describes her difficult time loosening her grip on domestic duties.

38:39 - How does over-mothering, over-nurturing, or over-delivering show up in your personal life and business?

Show Links

• Heather Chauvin
• Dying to Be a Good Mother by Heather Chauvin
• Heather on Instagram
• Mom Is In Control podcast
• Join The CEO Collective waitlist
• Racheal on Instagram

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!