Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs Racheal Cook MBA: Small Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Business Growth Strategist

What’s the antidote to inconsistent cash flow and clients in your business? Having a solid plan certainly helps, but too many entrepreneurs are just winging it in hopes of finding success. In this episode, I deliver a little tough love and talk about how to figure out the kind of plan you need in place for your business to grow.

1:25 – What do most entrepreneurs do first when wanting to create the freedom and flexibility they desire? I explain why it’s a backward approach and a short-term solution.
5:08 – You find true freedom with a certain level of control in your business. I clarify what I mean by control here, because a lot of people might have mixed feelings on it.
7:39 – What do you need to have in place to get consistent cash flow and clients? I reveal the first of several different components necessary.
10:28 – The second component is one where a lot of people trip up. There’s a common trap entrepreneurs can fall into here as well, and I discuss how to avoid it.
14:23 – Having these two things in your business makes predictable profits so much easier to obtain. I explain how.
18:44 – How can you ensure that your team helps you create sustainable revenue, freedom, and flexibility? Without a plan here, things can become chaotic very quickly.
25:36 – I talk about another key thing to keep in mind as you’re working with your team to grow your business.
Mentioned in Winging It Isn’t a Business Growth Strategy
The CEO CollectiveThe E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. GerberRacheal on Instagram and TikTokLeave a review on iTunes

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.

Today wraps up this series on ending hustle culture, burnout, and entrepreneurial poverty. In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, I reveal the third and final strategy to grow your business sustainably. 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. 
7:51 – I expose the huge problem not being discussed in the business world right now. What could be the culprit?
9:36 – 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.
14:33 – 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.
19:02 – If you have past clients, what should you do next? Here are some other ways to discover hidden income opportunities. 
22:55 – I sum up all of the main strategies I’ve highlighted in this episode series.

Mentioned in Avoid Hustle & Burnout With The Hidden Money In Your Business
“Why Hustle Culture Creates Entrepreneurial Poverty”The CEO CollectiveRacheal on Instagram and TikTokRate and review on Apple Podcasts

Are you on this entrepreneurial journey with someone else?

Business owners often ask whether or not I can help them with their specific type of business. Perhaps they’re a business selling a product instead of a service, or they’re in a very unique niche. And while most of the small businesses I work with are solopreneurs, sometimes I see two people who’ve come together as business partners.

Co-CEOs need support, strategies, and systems specifically designed to help them too, because a partnership can open up new communication and work challenges. That’s why today I’ve invited Carmen Reed-Gilkison and Deirdre Harter, the co-CEOs of Encore Empire, to share their perspective on how two people can efficiently work together.

In this episode of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll hear how they’ve streamlined and upleveled how they communicate in their business. They’ll discuss how they ensure they’re not stepping on the other’s toes or accidentally re-doing the other’s work... and avoid overworking themselves in the process.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

6:06 - Where did the idea come from to form a business partnership and launch Encore Empire? Deirdre and Carmen discuss how they came together.
10:07 - Deirdre and Carmen love working with midlife women looking to launch something new. Why do they focus on this specific group?
16:25 - Where was Encore Empire a year ago when Deirdre and Carmen first joined The CEO Collective? They talk about the changes they’ve made in their business since.
25:19 - Deirdre and Carmen share the biggest takeaway they’ve implemented (and recommend) as business partners from attending the CEO retreats and working within the Collective.
30:30 - What are Deirdre and Carmen most proud of accomplishing in the last year? What’s really made a difference for their business?
Mentioned in Better Communication Between You and Your Business Partner With Encore Empire
90-Day CEO Operating SystemEncore EmpireEncore Empire on Facebook and LinkedInEmpire of Unstoppable Women FB GroupThe Marketing Methodology WorkshopThe CEO RetreatThe CEO CollectiveRacheal on Instagram and TikTokRate and review on Apple Podcasts

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?
Mentioned in Your Profit Road Map for More Sustainable Sales
The CEO RetreatThe CEO CollectiveRacheal on Instagram and TikTokRate and review on Apple Podcasts

Are you running your business on a wing and a prayer? Meaning, you don’t have a plan for what to do next in your business?
Andrea Bentschneider has been a leading expert genealogist in Germany for almost 20 years. She’s been featured on international TV shows and is a sought-after guest on German media.
But when she first joined The CEO Collective, her business and marketing strategy was winging it. She didn’t have consistent demand for her services, so she would have to hire and let go staff as demand went up and down, respectively. And she ended up in the feast and famine cycle because of it.
Things have turned around for Andrea now, but how? Today on the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, we continue our entrepreneurial poverty and hustle culture series. 
In this episode, Andrea will share how being clear on how you’re going to market your business, and being consistent with it, is a complete game changer. You’ll shift from reacting all the time to knowing what the right next steps are so you can move your business forward.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
1:19 - What are some signs that you’re winging it instead of being proactive in your business?
6:05 - Andrea talks about how long she’s been in business and what it looked like prior to joining The CEO Collective.
10:53 - Andrea explains what she found inside the membership that she couldn’t find elsewhere.
15:03 - What’s the one gap that still exists in Andrea’s marketing? She also reveals the answer to a question I answered that finalized her decision to join.
17:40 - Andrea has had some major media coverage as she’s gotten more proactive this year. She discusses some big visibility opportunities that started showing up for her.
21:00 - What were some of the little things Andrea did to help her land marketing opportunities?
27:35 - Here’s the one question Andrea asks herself whenever she’s hesitating about doing something. She also shares what she’d say to anyone considering joining.
Mentioned in Going From Reactive to Proactive In Your Business with Andrea Bentschneider
Beyond HistoryThe CEO RetreatThe CEO CollectiveRacheal on Instagram and TikTokRate and review on Apple Podcasts

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 of the Promote Yourself to CEO podcast, you’ll learn why properly pricing your offers is the first step to designing a successfully sustainable business and how to figure out the math in your pricing.
On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
4:49 - What is the feast or famine zone, and does your business fall into it? 
13:43 - Discover the two biggest reasons why businesses in this zone struggle to compete. 
16:54 - I demonstrate how underpricing can easily lead to overworking by using the example of a wedding photographer.
20:07 - Taking the wedding photographer example further, this simple step is an easy way to improve your profitability and ease burnout.
25:07 - What if you want to double your rates? You need to take a deeper look at these factors in your business.
30:27 - Pricing impacts other aspects of your business. Michalowicz’s Profit First percentages can help you figure out the math to meet your revenue goal.
33:46 - I push back against the hype of online gurus who have a certain mindset about pricing and the need for a large audience to get enough clients and customers.
38:27 - What if you’re not used to selling at a higher price or booking multiple sessions at a time per client?
45:51 - Keep these questions in mind as you crunch your numbers.
Mentioned in Why Underpricing (and Overdelivering) Is Creating Business Burnout
Profit First by Mike MichalowiczThe Get Paid CalculatorThe CEO CollectiveRacheal on Instagram and TikTokRate and review on Apple Podcasts