The Strategic Entrepreneur with Cindy Gordon

Cindy Gordon, Selective Visibility Strategist, Business Mentor, Exclusively Cindy
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Daily

The Strategic Entrepreneur is hosted by selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon, for women who want to be seen, found, and chosen.Visibility gets you seen. Findability gets you chosen. Most women in business are already visible. They post, they show up, they are in constant motion. What's missing is being found: by the buyer searching for exactly what you do, by the algorithms deciding who sees your content, and by the AI tools now answering "who's the best person for this?" If your name isn't the one that comes up, someone else's is.Findability starts with message clarity. When what you do, who it's for, and why it's you lives only in your head, it comes out a little different everywhere you show up. People can't repeat it, search engines can't categorize it, and AI can't recommend it. Get clear, say it the same way everywhere, and you become the name that gets found.New episodes every Thursday, each built around one decision: what you stand for, where you show up, and how you show up once you've chosen.Topics include findability, SEO and AI search (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity), message clarity and brand voice, platform decisions, proof of human content in an AI-saturated market, and building a business that holds.Cindy has founded six businesses and sold four. She grew one brand's audience to over a million, including a 900,000-member Facebook community and a 250,000-person email list. Her recipes ranked at the top of Google for years, and one of them alone earned over $100,000 in ad revenue. With a Masters in Special Education focused on Behavior Analysis, she starts every recommendation with an assessment, never blanket advice.For female entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and small business owners with small teams, past the beginner stage and ready for strategy instead of another playbook.Start with the free Findability Audit: https://cindygordon.myflodesk.com/findabilityaudit Learn more at ExclusivelyCindy.comInstagram: @exclusivelycindy Formerly: The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur (originally Thrive in 5)

  1. 5d ago

    313: Humans, Algorithms, AI: The Three Things That Actually Make You Findable

    What Findability Actually Is Selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon breaks down what findability actually means, and it is not one thing. It is three: humans, algorithms, and AI. Most business owners think findability is about posting more, but that only touches one of the three pieces that actually determine whether you get found. This episode walks through what each piece actually is, being the kind of business that makes a human stop scrolling or pick up your card at an event, showing up when Google or TikTok's algorithm decides who to serve, and getting recommended by name when someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity who to hire. It is the anchor episode for a real focus on findability in the weeks ahead. In this episode, you'll discover: Why findability is not one thing but three, and why most people are only working on one of themWhat the human piece of findability actually means, and why it happens in more places than just social mediaWhat the algorithm piece means, and why it has nothing to do with whether a human likes youWhy the AI piece is the newest and fastest growing of the three, and what happens if you have not touched it at allThe real story behind one recipe on one of Cindy's own websites that made well over a hundred thousand dollars, and what it proves about findabilityWhy the cost of not being findable is invisible, and exactly why that makes it so easy to ignoreA simple way to figure out which of the three you are weakest in, and what to do about it this weekPerfect for: female entrepreneurs and small business owners who are showing up consistently and still not getting found by new people, and who have never actually broken down what findability is made of. Episode Highlights: "Findability is not one thing. It is three, and I actually say this every single episode without really unpacking it." "Thousands and thousands of people were typing that exact question into Google, and because that page was actually findable, I made well over a hundred thousand dollars from that one recipe alone." "You are not behind on something optional. You are behind on the piece that is growing the fastest of the three." Resources mentioned: The Findability Audit, a free walkthrough of exactly where you show up and where you don't, across humans, algorithms, and AI (link in show notes)Be the answer, everywhere someone might be looking. About The Findability Audit The Findability Audit is Cindy's free walkthrough for female entrepreneurs who want to know exactly where they are and are not showing up in AI search, Google, and social discovery. Twelve questions, a few minutes, and a clear picture of the specific findability gaps costing visibility right now. Link in the show notes. ➡️ ➡️ FREE FINDABILITY AUDIT Connect: @exclusivelycindy on Instagram  - BOOK a Strategy Session DOSSIER INTEREST LIST | MASTERMIND INFO About Your Host: Cindy Gordon is a Selective Visibility Strategist and 6x online business owner behind Exclusively Cindy. With a Masters in Special Education and training in Behavior Analysis, she takes an individualized approach to visibility, helping female digital entrepreneurs decide what they stand for, where they show up, and how.  Learn more at exclusivelycindy.com

  2. Sep 17

    312: Today Is My First Day Off.

    "Today Is My First Day Off." Selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon tells the story of a client who runs a brick and mortar bakery, closing in on seven figures, who spent weeks building out the systems and SOPs to finally remove herself from the day to day. The proof showed up in Cindy's texts: "today is my first day off." Then, "I'm working from home all week." Then, "I'm getting a massage today, on my day off." That is what systems actually buy you. But the real story is what became possible after. Because the systems existed, this client's business could finally shift focus to something that was not even on the table before: findability. This episode is about why that sequence matters, and why you cannot do meaningful visibility work while your business still fully runs through you. In this episode, you'll discover: The real story of a client who went from buried in her own bakery to taking her first day off in a long timeWhy findability work was not even possible for her until the systems work was done firstWhy running everything through yourself does not just cost you your calendar, it quietly costs you being foundWhat this client is doing next to grow toward seven figures: pricing and findability, togetherA simple gut check to know whether you need systems first, or whether you are ready to focus on being foundWhere to go to find out exactly where your findability gaps are right nowPerfect for: female entrepreneurs and small business owners who feel like everything in the business routes through them, and who have not yet made the connection between being buried in the work and quietly disappearing from search. Episode Highlights: "That is what systems actually buy you. Not just efficiency. Your actual life back." "You cannot do meaningful findability work when everything still runs through you. There is no room for it." "You buy back your time first. Then you reinvest that time into being found." Resources mentioned: The Findability Audit, a free 12 question walkthrough of exactly where you are showing up and where you are not (link in show notes)Buy back your time first. Then go be found. About The Findability Audit The Findability Audit is Cindy's free walkthrough for female entrepreneurs who want to know exactly where they are and are not showing up in AI search, Google, and social discovery. Twelve questions, a few minutes, and a clear picture of the specific findability gaps costing you visibility right now. Link in the show notes. ➡️ ➡️ FREE FINDABILITY AUDIT Connect: @exclusivelycindy on Instagram  - BOOK a Strategy Session DOSSIER INTEREST LIST | MASTERMIND INFO About Your Host: Cindy Gordon is a Selective Visibility Strategist and 6x online business owner behind Exclusively Cindy. With a Masters in Special Education and training in Behavior Analysis, she takes an individualized approach to visibility, helping female digital entrepreneurs decide what they stand for, where they show up, and how.  Learn more at exclusivelycindy.com

  3. Sep 3

    311: Why Your Content Is Getting Flagged as Made with AI

    New AI Rules Just Started. Here's What Actually Matters. Selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon walks through what actually happened on August 2 when the EU AI Act's Article 50 took effect, why Anthropic just started watermarking Claude's text, why TikTok is now flagging legitimate content as AI, and the piece of this news cycle that actually matters for your business, which is not what most people are talking about. The label showing up on Reels is not the risk. The risk is that AI recommendation engines will start to trust AI-detected content less when somebody asks who to hire, who to book, who to trust. Which means the real question in front of you right now is not "will my content get labeled?" It is, "am I using AI to draft, or am I letting it write?" In this episode, you'll discover: What actually changed on August 2 with the EU AI Act's transparency rules, and why it applies globally, not just in EuropeWhy Anthropic just started watermarking every piece of text Claude generates, and what those watermarks actually doThe frustrating early days of TikTok's AI detection, and why creators are getting flagged for content they did not generate with AIThe direct quote from Anthropic's own website naming the exact patterns that make AI content detectableWhy the AI label itself is not the risk, and what the real risk actually isThe reframe that separates using AI as a tool from letting AI replace your voiceWhy being findable to AI recommendation engines increasingly means being verifiable as humanPerfect for: female entrepreneurs and small business owners who have been using AI for their content and are starting to wonder if the pendulum is swinging back. Also for anyone who has watched real content get mistakenly flagged as AI and worried about what that means. Episode Highlights: "The label is not the risk. The risk is sounding like everyone else." "The real question is not 'will my content get labeled?' The real question is 'am I using AI to draft, or am I letting it write?'" "Being the answer AI can trust means being the human answer. Not the AI-flavored version of it." Resources mentioned: The Findability Audit, Cindy's free walkthrough for figuring out where you show up (and where you do not) in AI search, Google, and social discovery (link in show notes)EU AI Act Article 50 (effective August 2, 2026)Anthropic's Claude watermarking announcement (August 11, 2026)The label is not the risk. The risk is sounding like everyone else. About The Findability Audit The Findability Audit is Cindy's free walkthrough for female entrepreneurs who want to know exactly where they are and are not showing up in AI search, Google, and social discovery. It looks at where your ideal client would search for what you do, where you actually come up, and the specific findability gaps costing you visibility right now. Link in the show notes. ➡️ ➡️ FREE FINDABILITY AUDIT Connect: @exclusivelycindy on Instagram  - BOOK a Strategy Session DOSSIER INTEREST LIST | MASTERMIND INFO About Your Host: Cindy Gordon is a Selective Visibility Strategist and 6x online business owner behind Exclusively Cindy. With a Masters in Special Education and training in Behavior Analysis, she takes an individualized approach to visibility, helping female digital entrepreneurs decide what they stand for, where they show up, and how.  Learn more at exclusivelycindy.com

  4. Aug 27

    310: Someone Is Asking ChatGPT Who to Hire Right Now. Are You the Answer?

    Someone Is Asking ChatGPT Who to Hire Right Now. Are You the Answer? Selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon asks a question most business owners have never asked themselves: when was the last time you actually searched your own business in ChatGPT? Or Perplexity? Or Claude? Because people are using AI tools as search engines now, and every time somebody types "who should I hire" into ChatGPT, somebody gets recommended. If it is not you, it is somebody in your space. This episode walks through why AI has quietly become the newest search engine, what happens when your business either does not come up or comes up wrong, and the exact assignment to do the second this episode ends. Because the cost of not showing up is invisible, and that is what makes it dangerous. In this episode, you'll discover: Why people are increasingly using ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude as search engines, not just chatbotsWhat most business owners find, or fail to find, when they search their business in AI for the first timeThe four common results (nothing, outdated, wrong, somebody else) and what each one is actually telling youWhy every AI recommendation query is a warm lead somebody is giving away, and how to stop being the one giving them awayThe one skill that makes AI actually able to recommend you, and why it is the same skill that makes humans able to recommend youA live assignment to search your business right now while the episode is still fresh in your mindPerfect for: female entrepreneurs and small business owners who have never checked what AI already knows about them, and who suspect they might be quietly losing warm leads they never even knew were warm. Episode Highlights: "Somebody is asking AI who to hire in your space right now. If you are not the answer, somebody else is." "The cost of not showing up is invisible. Which is what makes it dangerous." "AI is reading your website. It is reading your bio. It is crawling articles and mentions of you. If your story is inconsistent, it moves on to the person whose story is easier to verify." Resources mentioned: The Unmistakable Dossier interest list, for when the next round opens (link in show notes)Episode 308, Stop Trying to Crack The Algorithm, the reframe on SEO and AI as the same skillEpisode 307, the client story about being the answer on InstagramSomebody is asking AI right now. Be the answer. About The Unmistakable Dossier The Unmistakable Dossier is a 4 week live mini mind where each woman builds her Dossier, the brand core document that everything downstream in her business gets built on. Foundation, position, voice, visibility language. It ran live in August 2026. The next round is not currently scheduled, but an interest list is open. If you want to be the first to know when it opens back up, whenever that is, link is in the show notes. ➡️ ➡️ FREE FINDABILITY AUDIT Connect: @exclusivelycindy on Instagram  - BOOK a Strategy Session DOSSIER INTEREST LIST | MASTERMIND INFO About Your Host: Cindy Gordon is a Selective Visibility Strategist and 6x online business owner behind Exclusively Cindy. With a Masters in Special Education and training in Behavior Analysis, she takes an individualized approach to visibility, helping female digital entrepreneurs decide what they stand for, where they show up, and how.  Learn more at exclusivelycindy.com

  5. Aug 25

    309: Your Family Is Watching (And That's Actually Good News)

    Your Family Is Watching (And That's Actually Good News) Selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon shares the story of two whiteboards, one dinner, and what her sixteen year old said that she never expected to hear. This episode is about a kind of visibility most female entrepreneurs are missing entirely, not the visibility we obsess over online, but the visibility that lives inside our own physical space. And what happens to your goals, and to the people around you, when you finally get them out of your head and into your line of sight. If your business goals are in your head, in a Google Doc you open once a quarter, or on a vision board you built two years ago that is now behind a stack of laundry, they are not really visible to you. Which means they are also not visible to anyone around you. This is the episode about why that matters, and what happens when you fix it. In this episode, you'll discover: Why the goals you keep in your head are not actually visible to you either, and what that costs you every single dayThe two whiteboards Cindy added to her home office, what she put on them, and why she almost did not do itThe dinner story that made Cindy realize her family had been paying attention to her business in a way she never asked them toWhy what you make visible in your own physical space becomes real, not just to you, but to everyone around youThe selective visibility reframe you have not heard yet, this one applied inward instead of outwardA simple assignment this week to get one goal out of your head and into your line of sightPerfect for: female entrepreneurs and small business owners whose goals live in their head, whose family has no idea what they are actually working toward, and who are quietly exhausted from being the only person in the house who knows the plan. Episode Highlights: "What you make visible in your own line of sight becomes real." "If they are not in your line of sight, they are not really visible to you. Which means they are also not visible to anyone around you." "Your family is watching. Which actually turns out to be really good news." Resources mentioned: The Unmistakable Mastermind, always open enrollment (link in show notes)What you make visible becomes real. About The Unmistakable Mastermind The Unmistakable Mastermind is a 6 or 12 month container for female entrepreneurs ready to work inside a room of women taking their goals seriously. Enrollment is always open. Link is in the show notes. ➡️ ➡️ FREE FINDABILITY AUDIT Connect: @exclusivelycindy on Instagram  - BOOK a Strategy Session DOSSIER INTEREST LIST | MASTERMIND INFO About Your Host: Cindy Gordon is a Selective Visibility Strategist and 6x online business owner behind Exclusively Cindy. With a Masters in Special Education and training in Behavior Analysis, she takes an individualized approach to visibility, helping female digital entrepreneurs decide what they stand for, where they show up, and how.  Learn more at exclusivelycindy.com

  6. Aug 20

    308: Stop Trying to Crack The Algorithm. It's SEO in Disguise

    Stop Trying to Crack The Algorithm. It's SEO in Disguise. Selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon reframes the two things every female entrepreneur has been trying to master separately: SEO and the algorithm. They are not two things. They are the same question. Once you see it, you can stop trying to master two separate skills and get really good at just one. Google is trying to answer what somebody typed into a search bar. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are all trying to answer what somebody is interested in or actively searching for. Same question. Different platform. And the businesses that get found are the ones that stop chasing tactics and start being the answer. In this episode, you'll discover: Why SEO and the algorithm are actually the same question, and why treating them as two separate skills has you doing twice the work for half the resultHow Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have all quietly become search engines, and what that means for how you show upThe one skill underneath both SEO and the algorithm, and how to focus your energy there instead of chasing the next hackWhat being the answer actually looks like on your website, in a caption, and in your bioWhy the woman who thinks she does not do SEO because she is not techy is probably already doing itThe clarity skill that makes findability possible on every single platform someone might search for youPerfect for: female entrepreneurs and small business owners who are tired of chasing SEO tactics on one side and algorithm changes on the other. If you have quietly decided you are just not that kind of business owner, this reframe is going to change how you think about the whole thing. Episode Highlights: "SEO and the algorithm are actually the same question." "You have been running two races. You have been running one race the whole time." "SEO is not a technical skill for you. It is a clarity skill." Be the answer, in every place someone might search. About The Unmistakable Dossier The Unmistakable Dossier is a 4 week live mini mind where each woman builds her Dossier, the brand core document that everything downstream in her business gets built on. Foundation, position, voice, visibility language. It ran live in August 2026. The next round is not currently scheduled, but an interest list is open. If you want to be the first to know when it opens back up, whenever that is, link is in the show notes. ➡️ ➡️ FREE FINDABILITY AUDIT Connect: @exclusivelycindy on Instagram  - BOOK a Strategy Session DOSSIER INTEREST LIST | MASTERMIND INFO About Your Host: Cindy Gordon is a Selective Visibility Strategist and 6x online business owner behind Exclusively Cindy. With a Masters in Special Education and training in Behavior Analysis, she takes an individualized approach to visibility, helping female digital entrepreneurs decide what they stand for, where they show up, and how.  Learn more at exclusivelycindy.com

  7. Aug 18

    307: If Your Ideal Client Searched Instagram Right Now, Would You Come Up?

    If Your Ideal Client Searched Instagram Right Now, Would You Come Up? Selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon shares a client story that happened in seven days. One line at the bottom of every Instagram caption. Four posts. Third post, an amazing business contact in her very specific niche reached out. This episode is about why that worked, why it will not work for everyone who copies the tactic, and the foundational piece that has to be in place before any Instagram SEO move actually lands. Because the internet is full of one line hacks right now. This is not one of them. This is what happens when a business owner who has already done the WHAT work adds one piece of execution on top of it, and the market responds inside a week. In this episode, you'll discover: The exact one line change a client added to her Instagram captions that led to an amazing business contact in seven daysWhy the same tactic works for one person and completely flops for another, and how to know which one you areWhat being the answer actually means when your ideal client is searching InstagramThe weight of your words, and why one clear line can do the work of a full brand overhaulWhy the Dossier work is not just for someone starting out, and how established business owners are using it to restrengthen what they have already builtA simple visibility check you can do this week to see if you are even the answer to what your ideal client is searchingPerfect for: female entrepreneurs and small business owners who are watching other people get quick Instagram wins and wondering why the same tactics never land the same way for them. If you have been quietly wondering whether the foundation is what is missing, this episode names it. Episode Highlights: "The words you put out in the world carry weight. And when they are clear, even one line can do the work of a whole overhaul." "I call this being the answer. When somebody in your niche is searching for what you do, your content actually has to say what you do in the words they are searching for." "For most of us, that piece is still in our heads. It is not on paper. And you cannot execute against something that is not on paper." When the words are clear, even one line can do the work of a full overhaul. About The Unmistakable Dossier The Unmistakable Dossier is a 4 week live mini mind where each woman builds her Dossier, the brand core document that everything downstream in her business gets built on. Foundation, position, voice, visibility language. It ran live in August 2026. The next round is not currently scheduled, but an interest list is open. If you want to be the first to know when it opens back up, whenever that is, link is in the show notes. ➡️ ➡️ FREE FINDABILITY AUDIT Connect: @exclusivelycindy on Instagram  - BOOK a Strategy Session DOSSIER INTEREST LIST | MASTERMIND INFO About Your Host: Cindy Gordon is a Selective Visibility Strategist and 6x online business owner behind Exclusively Cindy. With a Masters in Special Education and training in Behavior Analysis, she takes an individualized approach to visibility, helping female digital entrepreneurs decide what they stand for, where they show up, and how.  Learn more at exclusivelycindy.com

  8. Aug 3

    306: Stop Trying to Systemize Something You've Never Written Down

    Stop Trying to Systemize Something You've Never Written Down Selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon names why nothing you delegate ever sticks, why your virtual assistant misses, why AI writes things that sound nothing like you, and why you are still the bottleneck in a business that should have scaled past you a year ago. Not because you are bad at delegating, and not because you need better systems. Because the WHAT is still in your head. This episode walks through the ceiling most business owners cannot explain, the exact reason every delegation attempt keeps landing back on your desk, and the piece that has to exist before systems, standard operating procedures, or AI can actually work. Cindy shares the ceiling she hit running a team of eleven contractors, and the reframe that finally moved her past it. In this episode, you'll discover: Why the ceiling you keep hitting is not a systems problem, it's a WHAT problemWhy your virtual assistant asks you the same question three times, and it's not their faultThe exact reason AI writes copy that sounds nothing like you no matter how good your prompts areWhy every business coach telling you that you need better standard operating procedures is missing the actual issueThe team of eleven ceiling moment Cindy hit, and what she finally figured out that moved her past itWhere this shows up in your business right now: the tasks that only you can do, the work you keep redoing, the sales response you can't hand to anyoneHow to get the WHAT out of your head and onto paper, and why the Dossier is the document your whole business runs onPerfect for: female entrepreneurs and small business owners at a scale ceiling, watching everything route back through them, tired of being the person who does every single thing. If you can feel the ceiling, this is the last week to join the Dossier before it starts. Episode Highlights: "You cannot hand off what you have never made clear." "They are not doing it wrong. You never gave them the version of it that is right." "You are the bottleneck because the WHAT is still in your head." Resources mentioned: The Unmistakable Dossier, a 4 week live mini mind starting August 4, 2026. Enrollment closes Monday, August 4. This is the final week to join. (link in show notes)Systems come after clarity. Not before. ➡️ ➡️ FREE FINDABILITY AUDIT Connect: @exclusivelycindy on Instagram  - BOOK a Strategy Session DOSSIER INTEREST LIST | MASTERMIND INFO About Your Host: Cindy Gordon is a Selective Visibility Strategist and 6x online business owner behind Exclusively Cindy. With a Masters in Special Education and training in Behavior Analysis, she takes an individualized approach to visibility, helping female digital entrepreneurs decide what they stand for, where they show up, and how.  Learn more at exclusivelycindy.com

See All (310)

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

The Strategic Entrepreneur is hosted by selective visibility strategist and business mentor Cindy Gordon, for women who want to be seen, found, and chosen.Visibility gets you seen. Findability gets you chosen. Most women in business are already visible. They post, they show up, they are in constant motion. What's missing is being found: by the buyer searching for exactly what you do, by the algorithms deciding who sees your content, and by the AI tools now answering "who's the best person for this?" If your name isn't the one that comes up, someone else's is.Findability starts with message clarity. When what you do, who it's for, and why it's you lives only in your head, it comes out a little different everywhere you show up. People can't repeat it, search engines can't categorize it, and AI can't recommend it. Get clear, say it the same way everywhere, and you become the name that gets found.New episodes every Thursday, each built around one decision: what you stand for, where you show up, and how you show up once you've chosen.Topics include findability, SEO and AI search (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity), message clarity and brand voice, platform decisions, proof of human content in an AI-saturated market, and building a business that holds.Cindy has founded six businesses and sold four. She grew one brand's audience to over a million, including a 900,000-member Facebook community and a 250,000-person email list. Her recipes ranked at the top of Google for years, and one of them alone earned over $100,000 in ad revenue. With a Masters in Special Education focused on Behavior Analysis, she starts every recommendation with an assessment, never blanket advice.For female entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and small business owners with small teams, past the beginner stage and ready for strategy instead of another playbook.Start with the free Findability Audit: https://cindygordon.myflodesk.com/findabilityaudit Learn more at ExclusivelyCindy.comInstagram: @exclusivelycindy Formerly: The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur (originally Thrive in 5)

Information

  • Creator
    Cindy Gordon, Selective Visibility Strategist, Business Mentor, Exclusively Cindy
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    310
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Strategic Entrepreneur with Cindy Gordon
  • Show Website
    The Strategic Entrepreneur with Cindy Gordon