Maria Tan | Business Coach for Misfits | 5 Ways the CEO Mindset Makes Your Business Successful and Sustainable

Photo credit: Ake via Raw Pixel

"Entrepreneurship" is such a buzzword now.

It seems like everybody wants in on it. And if you don?t? Well, you?re missing out!

Or so they say.

(?They? = the gurus, experts, influencers, and even the search engines etc. What they don?t tell you is that it?s not for everyone? but it?s possible for YOU, as long as you have the right tools at hand!)

When CoVid-19 hit and the whole world saw a change like no other, entrepreneurship really became the holy grail - the answer to everyone?s doom-filled fear that they wouldn?t be able to make ends meet.

Jobs were furloughed or retrenched. A Zoom-centric operation model became the new normal with lots of people working from home. And the option to not just make extra money, but to do it on your own terms, started to sound like a pretty enticing option.

The next thing you know, a whole slew of people who previously had no idea how to build and run an online business started dipping their toes in the water.

For many, it's been a long road since then and they've ventured into different directions. Some have failed, while many others have learned with great success how to turn their ideas into a sustainable business.

But no matter if you are just starting out, or for those who have been at it for a while and are now ready to take their businesses up to the next level, having the CEO Mindset is crucial. (I bet most of the people whose endeavors flopped this past year would have had better luck if they?d incorporated this!)

Here are five ways that the CEO Mindset will help your business?and you?to thrive in the long-term:

1. Clear Vision

Without a clear vision of where you think your business should be in the next six months, one year, and three years at least, it's impossible to plot out how to get there.

Creating a clear vision is no easy feat but the CEO Mindset makes it easier. It encourages you to take a step back and really look at what it is that you want your business to do for you and for the world. By doing so, you can then lay out a better roadmap of how to get there. And this applies whether your goals are big or small?whether it's about weaning yourself off your day job, supporting a lifestyle that suits you, or bringing positive change to your community.

Without your vision, you'll have a difficult time seeing both the big picture (where you?re going) and all of its smaller components (the steps and pieces that comprise that larger goal). You?ll struggle to strategize and materialize your intentions. You won?t allow yourself the necessary space and awareness to make things happen.

But with the CEO Mindset, you?ll be able to

articulate exactly what you want to achieve,
take stock of what you?ve accomplished so far,
and assess the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

From there, you can figure out your next steps.

2. Aligned Actions

It doesn't matter how well laid out your plans for your business are. If you're not actually executing them, they'll never materialize into anything tangible. They?ll remain daydreams.

The CEO Mindset helps you to work toward your goals in a way that?s not only practical but also makes you feel good. Notice what you?re saying ?Yes? to and where you?re saying ?No,? both literally and also through your actions and habits.

What are your priorities? Are you making decisions based on FOMO (fear of missing out)? Are you trying to keep up with the trends?

Or are you doing what you really want to do?

If you have a goal of increasing your revenue this month, for example, and you're spending all your time on Twitter and TikTok reading the news or checking up on your favorite celebrity, then you're certainly not aligned with your actions.

Scrolling through social media is not going to help you achieve that goal? unless YOU leverage the platform to your advantage. Rather than scrolling mindlessly, you could be sharing your message and engaging with the people who are looking for what you have to offer. Likewise, you?re also not aligned if your goal is to ?do what you love,? but you're taking on clients and projects that frustrate you just to bring in some money.

Desperation is way out of alignment. Instead of worrying that nothing better will come along, focus on bringing in the clients and projects you DO want to work with.

3. Better Prices

Plenty of entrepreneurs make the mistake of undercharging because they want to be ?accessible,? and end up bringing in very little profit for the amount of time they put in. Others may set a price too high for the audience they?re looking to serve.

The CEO Mindset reminds you not to be so eager to make sales that you neglect charging your clients an amount that?s fair to BOTH of you. At first, pricing might seem a little intimidating (and honestly it?s still tricky even after a decade or two), but once you know what your competitors are charging for similar products or services, it's not going to be that hard.

It's better to charge what your offer is really worth and bring in a select few ideal clients, than to lower your prices to get some business but expend all your time/energy for minimal profit and dealing with clients that are causing you more stress. After all, you did go down the entrepreneurship route to be your own boss, right? You get to do what you want. YOU get to choose!

4. Stay In Your Own Lane

Regardless of how tempting it is to do what everyone else is doing? ignore 90% of that and forget all about how it?s ?supposed? to be done. It?s okay to pay attention to what?s popular and what seems to be working for others, but be adventurous and try out a variety of tactics and approaches. Ultimately the most important thing is to trust YOUR process and see what works for YOU.

The CEO Mindset allows you to stay focused on the world you?re creating and the change you're making. You?ll feel less inclined to look at what others are doing. You?ll also be consuming less of others? material and creating more of your own. Give ?em something they?ve never seen before, something they never even knew they needed, because when you do something new and different (i.e., when you do things YOUR way)... you?ve got the market cornered and the world becomes your oyster!

5. Effortless Sales

With the CEO Mindset, you know the value your business brings to the table. And when you know it inside out and deep in your bones, you?ll be able to articulate that value to your audience. In the end, remember that sales is simply sharing what lights you up, and inviting your audience to engage with you further.

So be you. Be ALL of you. Be consistently you. Talk about what you do and why you love it and why it?s important. Your people will find you, love you, and buy from you. Effortlessly.

Whether you?re one of the many who have decided to give entrepreneurship a try during these crazy times, or you?ve been doing business for a while now, know that if you start working toward these five things, business will become a lot easier. Instead of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, you'll know how to cast your net strategically. And?with a little time?everything else will fall into place.

SHARE THIS POST