She's Built Like a CEO

With Brooke
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She has the vision, the clients, and the revenue. What she needs now is the business systems that finally match the CEO she's becoming. She's Built Like a CEO is for women who are ready to stop running their business and start leading it. Hosted by With Brooke, operations strategist with 20 years of experience.

  1. 5d ago

    Building a Luxury Photography Brand on Your Own Terms with Lindsay Gronos | Ep. 32

    This one is special — Brooke's first ever in-person podcast episode, recorded inside a local studio. If you're listening, head to YouTube to watch the video, because the experience of being in that room together is worth seeing. One of the things that comes up in backend audits is that the backend is only part of the picture — and building a business that looks and feels like you on the outside matters just as much as what's running behind the scenes. Lindsay Gronos is the owner and creative artist behind Oak & Ember Collective, a North Dakota-based photography brand known for cinematic, editorial-inspired work that blends emotion, storytelling, and intentional artistry. With over ten years of experience — including work alongside Walt Disney's Yellow Shoes Creative team and jewelry campaigns across the Midwest — she's building a luxury photography brand in a smaller market entirely on her own terms. Today they talk about what that takes creatively, personally, and as a business owner. Key Takeaways - These apply to most creative businesses! Being in a smaller market isn't a limitation — it can mean more room to experiment, more creative freedom, and more meaningful client relationships than a saturated larger market allows.There's a real difference between taking photos and creating an experience. Brand photography is an identity — it's showing who you are as a business owner and how you want to be seen.Creative entrepreneurship has a specific kind of burnout. When the thing you do for passion becomes something you have to produce, the excitement and the obligation start to separate. Collaboration with other creatives is one of the ways to bring it back.Investing in your craft — equipment, education, skill — is a belief in yourself made visible. It shifts your mindset as much as it shifts your output.Submit anyway. Lindsay submitted late to a ProPhoto campaign, got featured in their top ten, and didn't even know until they tagged her. Keep tagging, keep submitting, keep going.When it comes to brand photography, reach out. Getting comfortable with your photographer before you're in the room together makes all the difference in what you walk away with. Resources + Links Find Lindsay Instagram: @oakandembercollectiveWebsite: oakandembercollectivend.comLindsay's Online Creative Collective: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1710326130138132 Find Brooke Instagram: @with.brookeWebsite: withbrooke.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/withbrookefb

    44 min

  2. Jun 2

    Before We Fix Anything, We Need to Talk About Your Client Path | Ep. 31

    When founders book a Backend Business Audit with Brooke, some come in with a specific problem. Others come in with everything — overwhelmed, scattered, not sure where to look first. That second kind of founder almost always has the same gap underneath all of it: the client path hasn't been mapped. In this episode, Brooke breaks down what a client path is, what happens in a business when it isn't clear, and four questions to answer before building anything else. Key TakeawaysScattered confusion on an intake form almost always points to one thing: the client path isn't mapped yet.A client path has four parts: where you're meeting people and what they're aware of in that momentwhat you're offering them firstwhere you're taking themand what comes afterWhen the path isn't clear, freebies multiply, offers get rebuilt, and content feels scattered because nothing has a clear job to do.Systems built without a clear client path have no clear purpose. They can be built, but they won't work the way they should.Map the path first. Everything else gets easier once you know what you're building and where it's going. The Four Questions from This EpisodeWhere am I meeting people, and what problem are they aware of in that moment?What is the first thing I'm offering them that gives them a real result or gets them closer to one?What is the offer I'm moving them toward, and what does their life or business look like on the other side of it?What comes after that — is there a next step, a continuation, or a reason to stay? Resources + LinksWork with Brooke Backend Business Audit: https://stan.store/withbrooke/p/backend-business-audit Free Backend Self Audit: https://withbrooke.myflodesk.com/self-audit Connect Instagram: @with.brookeWebsite: withbrooke.com

    9 min

  3. May 26

    Instagram Strategy, Ideal Client Clarity, and DM Conversions with Carlianne Compton | Ep. 30

    One of the things that comes up in backend audits is that the backend is only part of the picture. When Brooke sees gaps in areas outside of her lane, she wants to make sure you have somewhere to go — and Carlianne Compton is one of the experts she trusts in that space. Carlianne is an Instagram strategist who helps service-based businesses grow on Instagram and turn their social media presence into revenue. In this episode, she and Brooke dig into what ideal client clarity really means (and why most founders think they have it but don't), what kills DM conversations before they start, how to find your people on Instagram, and what's worth focusing on no matter what the algorithm does next. Key Takeaways Most founders have a shell of an ideal client — a title or demographic — but not the psychological depth. Getting to the internal thoughts, fears, and patterns of your person is what stops them mid-scroll.Being specific doesn't cancel out potential clients. People resonate with patterns and feelings, not just identities. The right specificity brings in more of the right people, not fewer.DM conversions aren't built in one conversation. They're built over time, the same way any real relationship forms — slowly, with genuine interest and no agenda attached to every exchange.The algorithm is driven by people's decisions and actions. Understanding your ideal client at a psychological level is the most reliable way to get content in front of the right people, regardless of what the algorithm does.When ideal client clarity is deep enough, content becomes intuitive. Ideas come on their own because you know your person well enough that you think like them.Fun, relatable content that has nothing to do with your business still has a place in your strategy. It widens the top of the funnel so the right people can find their way down it. Find Carlianne Instagram (IG strategy): @conversionwithcarliInstagram (learn to be a SMM): @carlianne_comptonFREE WTF IG Quiz: https://go.carliannecompton.com/wtf-ig-quizWebsite: go.carliannecompton.com/strategy-reset-page Resources from Brooke Backend Business Audit: https://stan.store/withbrooke/p/backend-business-auditFree Backend Self Audit: https://withbrooke.myflodesk.com/self-auditInstagram: @with.brookeWebsite: withbrooke.com

    36 min

  4. May 19

    What Female Founder Businesses Are Telling Me Right Now About Leads, Offers, and Growth | Ep. 29

    There are four conversations happening right now in founder communities everywhere — about leads, offers, scaling, and visibility. Each one points to something real. And in each one, there's a backend gap sitting underneath the surface that's doing most of the actual work. Brooke walks through all four: what the situation looks like, where the gap actually is, and what to look at before making the next move. Key TakeawaysMore leads into a backend with gaps produces more wasted opportunity, not more conversions. The infrastructure that receives leads matters as much as the volume of them.Before rebuilding an offer, walk the purchase path yourself. Count every step between interest and transaction and look for where someone could get confused and leave.Adding client volume to a structure that runs on the founder's personal effort accelerates the ceiling. Build the structure first, then grow into it.Visibility and conversion are two different problems. Tighten the path for the audience you already have before expanding the top of the funnel. Resources + LinksWork with Brooke Backend Business Audit: https://stan.store/withbrooke/p/backend-business-audit Free Backend Self Audit: https://withbrooke.myflodesk.com/self-audit Connect Instagram: @with.brookeWebsite: withbrooke.com

    12 min

  5. May 12

    What Is a Business Backend? And Why It's the Key to Sustainable Growth for Female Founders | Ep. 28

    If you've ever heard the words "systems," "automations," or "backend" and thought , "what does that actually mean for my business?" This episode is for you. Brooke breaks down exactly what a business backend is, why it matters, and what happens when the backend hasn't kept up with the business. Whether you're just starting to notice the cracks or you've been holding everything together manually for years, this episode will help you see your business backend clearly — and understand what needs to happen next. What You'll Learn in This Episode What a business backend actually is and what lives inside itWhy most female founders build their backend pieced together — and why that's completely normalWhy one-size-fits-all backend systems don't work — and what to do insteadHow to know when your backend needs professional attentionThe difference between hiring help and fixing your systems firstWhy a clean, sustainable backend is the foundation for business growth Your business backend is everything happening behind the scenes that your clients never see — your tech stack, your systems, your automations, your processes, and the way everything connects. Or doesn't. Most female founders build their backend as they go. A calendar tool here, an email platform there, a Zapier connection holding it all together. That works until it doesn't. And at some point — usually right when growth is within reach — the backend becomes the thing standing between where the business is and where it's going. The backend that got you here will not get you to the next level. But fixing it doesn't have to mean burning everything down and starting over. It means knowing what to look at, what to fix first, and what to build next. A business backend built for you — not borrowed from someone else's business — is what makes growth sustainable, scalable, and something you can actually show up for long term. 🔗 Free Backend Self Audit: https://withbrooke.myflodesk.com/self-audit 🔗 The Backend Business Audit: https://stan.store/withbrooke/p/backend-business-audit Work With Brooke Brooke is a backend strategist for female founders who know their tech and systems are holding them back — and have zero interest in being the one to fix it. Connect With Brooke 📱 Instagram: @with.brooke 🌐 Website: withbrooke.com 🎙️ Subscribe to She's Built Like a CEO wherever you listen to podcasts If this episode resonated with you: Leave a review, share it with a female founder who needs to hear it, and hit follow so you never miss an episode. She's Built Like a CEO is a podcast for female founders who are done being the employee of their own business. New episodes every Tuesday.

    15 min

  6. Apr 28

    Your Online Service Business Is Working. So Why Are You So Tired? | Ep. 27

    You did everything right. You built your business, you brought in clients, you figured out the tech. And somehow you are more exhausted than you have ever been in your life... even though this business was supposed to be the thing that gave you more freedom. It all makes complete sense once you understand what's actually happening inside your business right now. What This Episode Holds Why the tech stack you built wasn't wrong — it was built for a version of your business that no longer existsWhat's really happening when your tools don't talk to each other and you become the translator filling every gap manually, every single dayThe truth about businesses that look effortless from the outside — and what's actually making them runWhy growing revenue without growing infrastructure creates the kind of exhaustion that doesn't go away with a rest weekendWhat it means that your business is ready for something different, and why that's not a failure — it's momentumWhat has to change if you want to keep going without burning down Who This Episode Is For The woman whose business is generating income and clients, but she's somehow more depleted than when she startedThe woman who has bought the tools, set up the systems, and still ends every week buried in manual tasks she can't seem to get ahead ofThe woman who looks at other businesses running smoothly and quietly wonders what she's missingThe woman who is starting to wonder if this is just what running a business feels like — and who needs someone to tell her it doesn't have to be Key Quote "The business that looks effortless from the outside? It's not. They're supported, not effortless. And that support is invisible because it's working the way it's supposed to." Resources and Next Steps If you recognized your business in this episode and you're ready to understand exactly what needs to change and in what order — that conversation is available to you. Let's book your Backend Audit Here: https://stan.store/withbrooke/p/backend-business-audit And if you want to start auditing your own backend, I have a free resource that walks you through what needs to exist inside your business right now. Click here: https://withbrooke.myflodesk.com/self-audit You've built something incredible. The exhaustion you're carrying isn't proof that you can't do it. It's a signal that what you built is ready for more support underneath it. I'm here to help.

    7 min

  7. Apr 17

    Why Your Business Feels Like the Corporate Job You Left | Ep. 26

    You left corporate to build something different. Something that felt like yours. And somewhere along the way the thing you built started feeling a little too much like the thing you left. In this episode I talk about why that happens and what actually changes it. Including the moment in my own business where I realized I had left corporate but brought the corporate blueprint with me. We Discuss: The corporate blueprint and how it shows up in an online business without you realizing it. Trading time for money. Measuring success by a full calendar. Being available all the time. Doing everything yourself because that is the only model you were ever taught.The moment I recognized it in my own business. I was charging hourly and trying to fill a forty hour work week because that was the only definition of a real income I had ever been given. By the time I got to twenty five or thirty billable hours I was already feeling it. The freedom I had left corporate to find was getting further away not closer.The shift that changed everything. Stopping asking how do I fill my calendar and starting to ask what kind of life do I actually want to build and what does my business need to look like to support that.What that shift actually required. Getting honest about what requires me and what does not. Looking at what my technology should be handling. Asking what my systems should be holding. Designing the work to fit the life instead of fitting the life around the work.What becomes possible when you stop building on the corporate blueprint. A business that actually feels sustainable. Work that requires you doing the work that actually requires you. And the freedom you kept pushing to someday starting to show up in the actual texture of your days.CONNECT WITH BROOKE Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/with.brooke/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withbrookfb   WORK WITH BROOKE Book your Backend Business Audit: https://stan.store/withbrooke/p/backend-business-audit

    12 min

  8. Apr 10

    The Real Reason Hiring a VA Did Not Give You Relief | Ep. 25

    If you have hired a VA and it did not work out, or if you keep telling yourself you will hire one as soon as you get your backend cleaned up first, this episode is for you. The problem is almost never the VA. And it's almost never you. It's the setup. And the setup has a fix. In this episode I walk through exactly what needs to exist before you bring someone in, why the tasks living in your head are the real bottleneck, and what a VA hire actually feels like when everything is in place. What I Cover Why the VA hire keeps not working, and why it is almost never the VA's fault or yours.The one question that tells you whether you are actually ready to hire: what are the things in your business that happen regularly and predictably that do not require you to do them?What an SOP actually is, why it does not have to be complicated, and why it is the thing that changes everything about whether your VA hire gives you real relief.What it actually looks like when a VA hire is working. She comes in, reads the documentation, asks a handful of questions in the first week, and then gets the work done. You get your time back quickly.Why you do not need to build your entire SOP library before you bring someone in. You just need to start with the most recurring tasks and build from there.The honest truth about getting to that setup when you are already overwhelmed. Sometimes it is not something you can do alone.And something I did not want to leave out. Sometimes when we look at your backend together, we can automate so much that you do not even need to hire someone right now. But you are set up to do it when the time is right.Key Takeaways You do not need to clean the house before the maid comes over. The tasks living in your head are the bottleneck, not your VA. An SOP is just a document clear enough that someone who has never done the task before can follow it and get it right. You do not need everything figured out before you ask for support. You just need someone to come in and look at what is actually there. CONNECT WITH BROOKE Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/with.brooke/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/withbrookfb   WORK WITH BROOKE Book your Backend Business Audit: https://stan.store/withbrooke/p/backend-business-audit

    9 min
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About

She has the vision, the clients, and the revenue. What she needs now is the business systems that finally match the CEO she's becoming. She's Built Like a CEO is for women who are ready to stop running their business and start leading it. Hosted by With Brooke, operations strategist with 20 years of experience.

Information

  • Creator
    With Brooke
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 With Brooke
  • Show Website
    She's Built Like a CEO