Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs

For so many small business owners, the non-stop hustle culture has seriously caused an epidemic of burnout. The last few years have only made this worse!

The good news? You don't have to work 60-80 hours weeks to have a successful business. In fact, many of our clients are working less than 30 hours a week with more than enough time to prioritize their health, wellness, family, friends.. you know... actually having a life!

In this episode, we creating a clear vision for all areas of our life in 2025 based on our definition of success.

Get access to the full Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge Here!

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 the holidays just around the corner, now is the time to look ahead and plan your business for 2025!

So many entrepreneurs set goals only to reach the end of the year and realize that they didn't follow-through. If that's you - no worries! We have you covered with the Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge.

In this episode, we are kicking off our 9th annual Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge beginning with the 2024 Year in Review.

Get access to the full Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge Here!

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 episode was a little hard to record - I ended up starting and stopping about a dozen times. 

Here at The CEO Collective and on the podcast Promote Yourself to CEO, I've spent a LOT of time talking about building a Life FIRST Business. One that allows you to prioritize enjoying your life - right now - as you grow your business. One that allows you to take time for your health, spend quality time with your family. All the fun parts.

But there is another reason why this approach is so crucially important.

Life doesn't always go as planned. 

And sometimes we don't just need a Life FIRST Business - we need a Life PROOF Business.

One that's going to fully support us as we experience loss, setbacks, and the harder parts of life.

In this episode, I'm sharing more about what I'm currently navigating as I'm experiencing the loss of my dear cousin Holly and how focusing on SYSTEMS are what have allowed me to keep this business running smoothly when I'm not able to show up 100%.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Plan Your Best Year Ever! - Join the free challenge!
• 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!

Avoid Common Planning Mistakes for Small Business Success in 2025

With my big-picture plan in order for Q4, in this episode I want to prepare you for  planning for 2025! As we begin that task, I want to offer you advice on course-correcting by detailing 10 major mistakes to avoid when setting business goals. The holiday season will be here before you know it, and I plan to be spending so much time with family and friends. I want to make sure that come January, my business is already in motion and I can take off with momentum. Join us for the 'Plan Your Best Year Ever' challenge to ensure both life and business goals are prioritized for sustainable success.


02:35 Seek specificity in your goal-setting starting with your priorities, and including traceable metrics
05:44 How can you break down your big goals into actionable, check-off-able items
08:17 Reviewing, adapting, and adjusting your plan must be part of the plan
10:47 The importance of tracking cashflow and financial planning in your goal-setting
11:52 Protect yourself from overwork, and how to not overload your plate
13:45 Don't compromise your long-term sustainability when working on short-term goals
16:09 The importance of involving your team in your planning process
18:11 Your Plan B in case of emergencies
19:54 Value-based, life-first considerations when planning your business's year ahead
21:57 Maintaining attention to the process, not just a final end
24:14 Introduction and Invitation to join the Plan Your Best Year Ever! Challenge

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!

Hey there CEOs, Q4 is here and with the holidays fast approaching, I want to talk to entrepreneurs about effectively managing the final 90 days of 2024. I share my insights on managing business during an election cycle, taking time off for family during holidays, and planting seeds that will fruit in Q1 2025! Join me soon for my 'Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge' to help set sustainable systems for business growth.

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!

Hear the entire recording of the latest live webinar on scaling your life-first business.

During this live training, we dove deep into:

• The Essentials of a Life-First Business Model. Not every business is set up to prioritize your life. We'll walk through the 3 essential elements that allow you to work less and grow more.
• 3 Key Systems for Sustainable Growth. The secret to consistent, sustainable growth is all about doing the hard work once to build the systems, then running those systems again and again!
• Protecting Your Time, Energy, & Personal Life. Dreaming of a 25 hour work week is the easy part. The harder part? Navigating the discomfort of stronger boundaries, saying NO, and leveling up your CEO habits.

One of the hardest lessons to learn as an entrepreneur?

You can be your own worst enemy.

You know that more visibility is essential to growth, but you overcomplicate it to the point where you do nothing.

You have an incredible idea for a new product, program, or service, but your perfectionism keeps you from ever launching it.

You know that you have completely maxxed out your calendar - you simply don't have time to do more or work harder - but you struggle to bring on more support behind the scenes to free up your time.

And the thing is - we are all aware when we are self-sabotaging!

These mistakes often stem from deeply ingrained beliefs and habits that can be so incredibly difficult to break. 

That's why in this episode, I'm sharing the top 5 mistakes, how they hold our businesses back, and how to start overcoming them so you can get closer to the life-first business you really want!

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!

Supporting your family as a business owner is an incredible experience. 

Deciding to be your own boss, delivering value to paying clients, and bringing profit home to support your family's needs and wants is just part of the reward.

For me, supporting my family goes so much deeper than paying the bills. It's why I've been so intentional about building a business that allows me to be the best mom I can be, be a present wife, be a daughter who can help her aging parents. And it's meant I've always been able to prioritize the things that matter most to me and the people who matter most to me. 

And I know from experience working with thousands of women entrepreneurs that the biggest reason women start businesses is because they want that flexibility and freedom to take care of their families, to take care of their parents, to take care of their children, to live an actual life.

In this second installment of the series on a life-first approach to business, I run through ten common myths that hinder women entrepreneurs from achieving success both at home and in business, such as the myth that more hours equal more success and the necessity of hustle culture. I stress the importance of prioritizing personal well-being, family, and effective delegation, while debunking the notion that being constantly available or sacrificing personal life is needed for business success.

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!

In the first episode of this brand new series on Building a Life First Business!

I wanted to kick things off with my own personal story that has deeply impacted the lens that I see the world through - and is a huge part of why I do the work I do.

My mother was 31yo business owner when a car accident left her in a coma for 3 months and in the hospital for another 2 years before returning home to her family. She experienced a Traumatic Brain Injury that would leaver her permanently disabled for the rest of her life.

She survived but lost her business... and even more, she missed the early days of my and my sisters childhoods.

This episode is deeply personal but if you really want to know why I care so much about building businesses that actually allow you to enjoy your life - my story is a reminder that all we have is today.

00:00 Introduction and Series Kickoff
01:20 A Personal Story: The Accident That Changed Everything
04:10 The Aftermath: Family and Business Struggles
08:41 Building a Life-First Business
13:33 Adapting to Motherhood and Business
24:28 The Importance of Community and Support
28:32 Caring for Aging Parents
35:30 The Life-First Business Philosophy
42:44 Conclusion and Next Steps

Attend the upcoming free training with Racheal - Scaling Your Life-First Business

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!

Want clients for life? Give your client an experience that goes beyond their expectations.

Think about booking lodgings for a vacation. It’s one thing to book a room for your stay with all the expected accommodations. But you remember the place that goes beyond: the chocolate on the pillow to greet you as a new guest, warm and freshly laundered towels in the bathroom daily, a minifridge already full of goodies you didn’t even have to buy, etc. And the next time you’re ready for a vacation in the area, you want to stay there again.

Now, it’s really easy to think that translating that type of experience into your service-based business is as simple as surprising and delighting with little gifts, like that chocolate on the pillow. But there’s so much more to it, and today I’m excited to have Amber Kinney back on the podcast to talk about it.

In this final episode of our customer experience series on Promote Yourself to CEO, you’ll learn about how you can translate surprising and delighting clients into your business as part of your customer experience plan. We’ll teach you how to put a little more intention and thoughtfulness into the ways you choose to surprise and delight clients so that they’ll trust and connect with you and your company.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

6:44 - What’s one of Amber's favorite ways to surprise and delight clients in her agency?

8:45 - I talk about a recent surprise I received when I started working with someone new. This kind of delight can motivate your clients even more!

13:01 - You can vote with your dollars when delighting your clients, too. Here’s how we do it every year.

16:22 - How do you and your team build connection with your clients in ways that will surprise and delight them?

24:25 - I discuss another way I try to delight all the time. This one goes above and beyond, and it can stick for your clients for years!

• The CEO Collective

• The CEO Retreat

• Amber Kinney’s agency, The AK Collective

• Maven Made Facial Serum

• 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!