If you’re self-employed, you’re a CEO (for better or worse)…
Ray J. Green
Strategic Growth Partner | B2B Revenue Scaling Expert | Former Managing Director at U.S. Chamber of Commerce | Helping MSPs and B2B Services Scale to $30M+
If you’re self-employed, chances are you’re wearing a lot of hats in your business.
You’re doing work for clients, so one of your jobs is?being the product.
You’re also the head of sales, and the top salesperson.
You’re the client success manager.
You’re the operations manager.
You’re the copywriter.
And more.
These roles are important. But none are more important than?being the CEO.
You may be the CEO of a one-person business. Or, you may be the CEO of a business with one person supported by a team of contractors.
But make no mistake:?You are a CEO.
As a CEO, there are 3 critical roles:
The amount of quality time & energy you invest in your CEO duties plays a huge role in determining whether your business survives, thrives, or fails.
I’ll break of each of these functions down, then share 1 quick tip to dedicate time to each of them.
Create a Clear Vision
Without a clear vision, your business is just surviving. And that’s not all that fulfilling or rewarding for the people that work there… or, in your case,?you.
Having a clear vision for your business means knowing why it exists and exactly where it’s headed.?It’s pretty hard to find the right route when you don’t know where you’re going.
More importantly, having a clear vision for the business gives you a?goal to work towards.
As naturally goal-striving beings,?we are happiest when we are working towards something meaningful. A clear vision gives us that “something meaningful” to work towards. And without one, we’re just… existing. Not nearly as much fun.
In that sense, creating a clear vision improves the chances of success and makes the process of achieving it more enjoyable.
[Want to read more about creating a clear vision? You can?read my recent newsletter on establishing Vision Founder Fit here.]
Develop a Strategy to Make the Vision a Reality
A vision without a strategy to achieve it is just a dream.
And when you’re the marketer, salesperson, and product, that dream can quickly become a nightmare if you don’t have a plan to make it a reality.
Creating a strategy to achieve your vision means answering the following:
A detailed strategy can go much further, but as a solopreneur, these are the basic pieces to start with if you want to build a thriving business.
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Allocate Resources to Execute the Strategy
As a CEO, after you clarify your vision and strategy, you allocate resources to execute the plan.
And while there may be more resources in a Fortune 500 company than there are in your one-person business, the resources themselves are generally the same:?time, energy & capital.
The question is, how do you best allocate these resources to achieve your vision and strategy?
There are 3 questions I like to fall back on to help answer this:
These few questions will help you lock in what is and what isn’t be allocated properly, and make adjustments.
One Tip To Help Do All The Above
So, just how do you find time to clarify the vision, create a strategy, and manage the allocation of resources…?while you do the 14,572,190 other things you have to do as a solopreneur?
Great question. Here’s what I do:
That’s right. I walk.
Maybe not like that though.
For the past 6 months, I’ve walked 6 miles to start every day.?And?30 minutes?of that time is headspace I dedicate to my CEO work.
Here’s what I do in those 30 minutes:
That time is vital in helping me clarify the vision and strategy for my business. And it’s just as important in helping me start each day with a focus on what matters most.
As Ryan Holiday says in?Stillness Is The Key:
“If you aren’t taking the time to think deeply about your business, who is?”
Great businesses of all sizes are created by design, not default.
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Until next Tuesday, that’s a wrap.
Are you tired of just chasing clients or stuck earning a living and ready to build a business from your expertise?
Let’s talk.
Book a strategy call with me here?and we can dive into what’s working in your business, what isn’t, and help you figure out what to do to get the results you want.
Otherwise, see you next week.
Adios,
Ray
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Commercial Executive
2 年Whether an entrepreneur or intrapreur, clarity is key!
I interview leading ecommerce experts in 10-minute episodes | $4.7M+ profit generated in 16 months ? Helping you monetize your relationship with your list for their highest & greatest good
2 年Wow great read! I thought it was too long before I started reading it, and way too short after I finished it!
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2 年Great article Ray J. Green.
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2 年Insightful read Ray J. Green Thanks so much. This is much appreciated.
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