Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs

Racheal Cook MBA: Small Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Business Growth Strategist
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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 stepping into your role as CEO of your business, the hard lessons learned along the way, and practical, profitable strategies to grow a sustainable business without the hustle and burnout. Listen in to the latest show and connect with Racheal at http://www.theceocollective.com or on Instagram @racheal.cook to continue the conversation!

  1. 3H AGO

    The 4 Biggest Mistakes Keeping Your Growth Unpredictable

    Send a text Here's a question most business owners can't actually answer: Do you know where your next 10 clients are coming from? Not their names — just the path. The channel. The sequence of events that gets someone from "never heard of you" to handing over their credit card. If you paused on that, you're not alone. In this episode, Rachel Cook gets into the specific patterns she sees when she pops the hood on a client's business during a strategy review — and why so many smart, hardworking entrepreneurs are stuck in feast-or-famine despite doing more marketing than they probably need to. The uncomfortable truth she makes here: unpredictable growth isn't a motivation problem. It's a systems problem. And most of the "solutions" people reach for — more content, more platforms, more visibility — are actually making it worse. If your revenue feels harder to predict than it should be, this episode is worth a listen. Rachel doesn't dress it up, and she doesn't make it complicated. She walks through four mistakes that are almost universally present in stalled businesses, and gives you enough to start diagnosing your own. In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: Nurture vs. attract marketing — and why confusing the two quietly shrinks your business. If your marketing is only reaching people who already follow you, you're not growing visibility. You're just talking to a contracting audience.The math most business owners are avoiding. Once you know your conversion numbers at each stage of the client journey, you can forecast revenue within 10% — and finally stop guessing at whether your marketing is working.Why passive selling is costing you clients who were ready to say yes. The people in your audience aren't tracking your offers as closely as you think. Rachel makes the case for why showing up once — or burying an offer in a P.S. — isn't enough.Doing more vs. deciding better. When growth stalls, the instinct is to add: more tactics, more platforms, more content. Rachel explains why that instinct is usually what's keeping you on the hamster wheel.What "removing friction" actually looks like in the client journey — and how making it easier for people to understand their next step is often more valuable than any new marketing strategy.Why decision fatigue is the real reason your marketing to-do list stops producing results — and what to do instead of continuing to pile on.A preview of the Client Growth Engine framework — the strategic system Rachel uses with every client at the CEO Collective, and what's coming in the next episode.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!

    31 min

  2. 5D AGO

    The Marketing Advice That Works… Just Not for Your Business

    Send a text Here's something nobody wants to admit: most marketing advice actually works. The problem? It's just not working for your business. And that disconnect is exactly why everything feels so much harder than it needs to be. I'm pulling back the curtain on why you keep getting stuck in this exhausting cycle of trying every strategy, tactic, and tip that crosses your feed—only to end up more burned out and no closer to the sustainable business you want. We're talking about the online marketing echo chamber that's lost touch with how real businesses actually work. The advice designed for high-volume, transactional businesses that makes zero sense when you're building something based on trust and long-term relationships. If you've ever frozen up trying to decide what to post, felt guilty for not doing "all the things," or wondered why client referrals keep your business running while you're stressing about content calendars—this one's for you. I'm sharing the exercise that helps my clients immediately identify what's actually driving results in their business (spoiler: it's usually not what they think). Time to stop forcing strategies that were never built for businesses like ours. In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: • Why the online marketing world has become an echo chamber – and how it's completely lost touch with regular, everyday small businesses that serve actual humans (not just other entrepreneurs trying to sell courses) • The massive difference between high-volume transactional businesses and high-trust relational businesses – and why trying to apply the same marketing strategies to both is making you feel like you're failing when you're absolutely not • The hidden costs of forcing the wrong strategies on your business – from burnout and fragmented client journeys to analysis paralysis that keeps you frozen instead of implementing anything at all • How my business not only survived but grew during the hardest year of my life – and why having a strategy that actually aligns with your life and business model is what makes "cruise control" possible • The "last 10 clients" exercise that reveals the truth – this simple diagnostic will show you exactly where your clients are actually coming from (and it's probably not where you're spending 80% of your marketing energy) • What your hair stylist understands about sustainable business that most online gurus don't – the power of 150-200 loyal clients who come back every three months versus chasing thousands of strangers on social media • The real goal isn't to stop marketing – it's to build a strategy so clear and aligned that you never run out of ideas, you stop second-guessing every decision, and marketing finally feels manageable instead of overwhelming 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!

    34 min

  3. FEB 10

    Why Your Marketing Feels Hard (Even When You’re Doing Everything Right)

    Send a text You're showing up, creating content, following the advice. So why does marketing still feel like pushing a boulder uphill? Here's what I realized after the hardest year of my life, when I had to step back from my business for months: most marketing advice wasn't designed for the kind of business you're actually building. The strategies you're following? They're built for high-volume businesses with massive content teams. That influencer playbook? They have five people following them around with cameras. You're trying to make it work solo or with a tiny team, wondering why you can't keep up. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the disconnect between what you're being told to do and what actually works for relationship-based businesses. I'm sharing what kept my business running and growing when I couldn't show up, and why you're not broken or behind—you've just been following the wrong roadmap. This changes everything. In this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: • The two business models almost no one talks about—and why following advice designed for the wrong one makes everything unnecessarily hard • What it actually takes to execute "simple" marketing tactics—the behind-the-scenes reality of massive teams that most business experts won't mention • The autopilot test—what happened when I stepped away during the hardest year of my life, and what it revealed about truly sustainable systems • Why you don't need to be an influencer—the truth about sharing your life versus building a successful relationship-based business • The certainty question—one simple filter that reveals whether your marketing strategy is actually working (or just keeping you busy) • What high-trust businesses need instead of constant content—this will change how you approach marketing forever • The square peg problem—the real reason you feel behind (and why it has nothing to do with you) 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!

    34 min
  4. Run Your Day Like a CEO

    JAN 29

    Run Your Day Like a CEO

    Send us a text As soon as you get up, the dog is already begging to be let outside. The kids don’t want to get ready for school, so you have to practically drag them out of bed. Your partner is wondering where the hell this or that is while you’re trying to get ready yourself for the day. And you’re still just barely awake in all this and haven’t had your coffee yet! Are your mornings crazy like this? Let’s do something about that! High performance CEOs know how to manage their day and conserve their energy to get the results they want in life and business. So in this last installment of the “Run Your Business Like a CEO” series, I talk about three surprisingly key things to running your day like a CEO, based on my own experience. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 7:54 - A great day truly starts the night before. I used to never be a great sleeper (and even failed at it, according to my FitBit), so here’s how I fixed that. 15:48 - Morning routines can be so different from person to person. As an introvert who likes the quiet, here’s what I do and don’t do. 20:00 - What else can you consider to keep your days running smoothly? Pay attention to these things. 23:00 - I reveal what I do to simplify decision-making regarding my wardrobe, self-care, and home essentials. 26:45 - What’s sucking away your time? I discuss the happy accident that helped me truly relax. 28:27 - I used to feel resistant to morning and nighttime routines. Are you in the same boat?   Mentioned in Run Your Day Like a CEO FitBit Calm Grove Collaborative “From Not Ready Yet to Ready for Next Level Visibility with Stylist Nicole Otchy” 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!

    32 min
  5. Run Your Week Like a CEO

    JAN 22

    Run Your Week Like a CEO

    Send us a text As a CEO, you’ve got many potential distractions in your business. Answering emails or other ongoing administrative work can keep your attention off the tasks that’ll actually move your company forward. Then by the end of the week, you’ve made little (if any) progress on the tasks that do drive business growth and success. In this episode, I talk about how you can run your week as a CEO with five top strategies that help you skillfully manage your time and energy while prioritizing those higher-value tasks that move the needle. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 5:01 - What is a model calendar, and how do you use one? I talk about how I created my model calendar and really dig into the details of how I use it now. 21:57 - If you have other people on your team, here’s something else you should consider doing to protect your time and energy. 26:33 - What’s the second most important strategy to run your week like a CEO? I do this for my business every Monday morning. 39:46 - I’m pretty ruthless when I implement the third strategy. And it certainly helps with client appointments and business boundaries when I do this. 41:37 - I often get asked why I included these couple of questions in The CEO Planner. What are they, and why did I? 45:03 - The CEO Score comes in handy when it comes to sticking to the weekly plan you just mapped out. Here’s a breakdown of what it’s all about. 57:26 - The last strategy is built right into the planner as this series of questions so you can make better decisions and nip any recurring problems in the bud. 1:02:58 - To wrap up, I quickly recap all five top things to do to run your week like a CEO. Mentioned in Run Your Week Like a CEO The CEO Collective The CEO Planner Fired Up & Focused Challenge “How a model calendar helpConnect 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!

    1h 8m
  6. Run Your Month Like a CEO

    JAN 14

    Run Your Month Like a CEO

    Send us a text I go on CEO dates with myself. Once every month (as well as on a weekly basis), I take some time to check in on my business and ensure I’m continuing the progress toward the goals I’ve set. This is how I create business plans that I follow through on and adapt as circumstances arise. And in this episode, I discuss how you too can build in self-accountability so that your plan isn’t just another document you’ll never open again. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 2:59 - I talk about my monthly CEO date and dive into my check-in process. 7:48 - What kinds of questions can you ask yourself as you look back on the previous month? 11:28 - I reveal another reason why I absolutely love working with The CEO Planner. 14:15 - What are the consequences of not tracking and documenting things in your business on a consistent basis? 20:07 - Your business metrics and revenue help you predict your company’s future. I reveal how I check on mine every month without obsessing over them. 27:20 - What if you discover that you’ve fallen behind (even way behind) on your projected goals? Here’s how I handle it. 32:24 - One of the most crucial things you need to do with your team while setting your top business priorities for the next month. 34:10 - What’s the last thing I do at the end of my monthly CEO date? Mentioned in Run Your Month Like a CEO Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge The CEO Collective The CEO Retreat The CEO Planner 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!

    39 min
  7. Run Your Quarter Like a CEO

    JAN 7

    Run Your Quarter Like a CEO

    Send us a text Every new year feels like a new chance to go after the big, audacious goals of your dreams. But as recent years have shown, you need to have adaptable plans for your business so that it can have the flexibility it needs while still getting the results you want. That’s why I love running my quarter through 90-day plans. Today, I talk about how to actually dig in and start creating these plans for your own business. On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: 3:34 - Why go for 90-day plans? Entrepreneurs love setting big, ambitious goals, but it can be overwhelming. 7:27 - How do you break down big goals into more manageable chunks to fit your time, energy, and resources? You can make your best guess, or do this instead. 11:24 - As an example, I quickly walk through how you can launch a new group program within a year (or sooner). 16:03 - How do you actually create your first 90-day plan? I dig into it and discuss the kind of goals you want to focus on during this process. 19:50 - Start the process by looking over your sales and marketing with this 5-part marketing strategy framework. 27:01 - Most people think of this part of the framework when they think of marketing and can get it confused with the first step. I reveal why it’s different and necessary. 34:08 - What’s next after you have your systems in place? I discuss the difference between process vs. project goals and breaking them down in your 90-day plan. 38:38 - Asking yourself these questions as you work through your plan can really help ensure you avoid major challenges. 42:50 - I talk about fine-tuning your plan throughout the quarter without burning yourself out. Mentioned in Run Your Quarter Like a CEO Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge The CEO Collective The CEO Retreat The CEO Planner Get Paid CalculatorConnect 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!

    56 min
  8. Authentic Growth Beyond Revenue with Michelle Mercurio

    11/13/2025

    Authentic Growth Beyond Revenue with Michelle Mercurio

    Send us a text I need you to meet Michelle Mercurio. She's one of those rare people who refuses to pick a lane—and that's exactly what makes her brilliant. In this conversation, we dig into why the traditional business advice to "niche down" might actually be killing your ability to show up as yourself. Michelle's built a career that spans branding, community building, teaching, and yes, witchy practices—all tied together by two powerful threads: understanding who we are and how we relate to one another. What I love most about this episode is how Michelle reframes growth itself. We're so conditioned to think growth means up, up, up—more revenue, bigger team, next level. But what if growth is actually a spiral? What if coming back to familiar patterns isn't regression but evolution? We explore how to shed decades of conditioning that taught us to smooth out our edges and fit in, why elevator pitches actually kill connection, and what it really takes to build authentic community (spoiler: it requires showing up even when it's uncomfortable). If you've ever felt like you're supposed to be further along or you're doing it wrong because you don't fit the mold, this one's for you. In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO: • Why Michelle describes growth as a spiral rather than a ladder—and what that means when you feel like you're revisiting the same challenges you thought you'd already overcome • The real danger of trying to fit in as a small business owner—how smoothing out your edges to belong actually makes you invisible in the marketplace • What neuroplasticity research reveals about conditioning—and why it takes intentional effort to break free from the patterns that keep us playing small • How elevator pitches kill connection instead of creating it—Michelle shares her "Ditch the Pitch" approach that uses questions as hooks instead of titles and credentials • The truth about successful people that nobody talks about—hint: they're just the ones who didn't quit (but Michelle draws an important line about what you should quit) • Why you can't just show up once and expect community to happen—what it really takes to find your people and build genuine relationships in business • The one action you can take today to build authentic community—Michelle's practical suggestion for anyone feeling isolated in their business journey 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!

    52 min
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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 stepping into your role as CEO of your business, the hard lessons learned along the way, and practical, profitable strategies to grow a sustainable business without the hustle and burnout. Listen in to the latest show and connect with Racheal at http://www.theceocollective.com or on Instagram @racheal.cook to continue the conversation!

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