How to have a CEO mindset as an entrepreneur

Having a CEO Mindset Can Make All the Difference in Reaching Success.

About Stephanie Ritz

Stephanie helps women discover their path to Grow or Go or in their careers. Her vision of Claim Your Career is to see equity in leadership roles in fortune 500 companies. Stephanie’s mission is to help women create a pathway to taking their seat at the table in corporate leadership or building their own seat in starting their own company. It’s an important and personal question to grow or go. Stephanie helps women uncover their pathway to career success and happiness and claim it with confidence.

Stephanie believes that creating a career that aligns with your life goals and your own definition of success is possible. Opportunities exist within corporate and entrepreneurship. Taking the time to discover your path and creating a roadmap for success with an experienced coach will move you from those feelings you wake up with every morning of being stuck, stagnant, and frustrated to a clear path forward that you will feel excited about and confident in pursuing.

Stephanie’s second phase came from a place of self-reflection and strong emotions about the discrepancy of women in leadership roles. Through her own personal experiences of gender inequality, the challenges of being a woman in male-dominated industries, experiencing sexual harassment, and seeing how women were disproportionately affected during COVID, she decided now is the time to create Claim Your Career.

Stephanie is a former client of Robyn’s. Robyn and her team worked side by side with Stephanie to build and launch Stephanie’s brand, Claim Your Career.

To Grow or Go – The First Step in Mastering the CEO Mindset

Stephanie is a firm believer that one should do what they know how to do and get the help they need for everything else. Likewise, some women are meant to be entrepreneurs, and others are meant to work in corporate. Some women like the security in schedule, pay, and benefits that corporate offers. Stephanie would argue that there really isn’t job security in corporate because of downsizing and layoffs. On the other hand, some people are wired for entrepreneurship but don’t know what it means to own a business, start a business, or how organize a business.

Stephanie helps her clients not only make it to the C-Suite but to decide whether they want to stay in corporate or become an entrepreneur. Having a true sense of why helps you get through the day-to-day responsibilities and challenges of starting a business. Once her clients have decided to leave corporate, Stephanie helps them transition from corporate to entrepreneurship seamlessly.

The CEO Mindset in Entrepreneurship

There are differences between being the CEO or executive in a large company and being the CEO of your own business as an entrepreneur. So often entrepreneurs think they must do everything themselves so identifying your zone of genius is important for discovering where you should spend your time and what tasks you should hire someone else to do. It’s hard to invest in hiring others or hiring help, but can you afford not to.

Stephanie shared that starting a business while you have a 9 to 5 is a great way to ensure you have the resources to invest in the things you know you’ll need help with.

Tony Robbins says, “burn the boats so you have no choice to do anything but succeed.” Stephanie disagrees with this because it is hard to go after your goals and dreams if you constantly have a scarcity mindset and are chasing the next dollar. Fiscal responsibility is key to achieving success.

Our thoughts create our results so if we are constantly thinking thoughts of scarcity, we won’t be able to move the needle forward in our business.

CEO Mindset Means Work In Your Zone of Genius

People don’t realize that when you become an entrepreneur you are the one making the decisions on what to do, when to work, etc. No one is telling you what you must do or when or how to do it. It is just you to make the decisions, there is no one else unless you are going into a partnership. But you don’t have to do it alone. Seek help from other entrepreneurs and experts, not just trusted people in your life like family or friends, you need help from people who know what you are experiencing and the challenges and questions you have as an entrepreneur.

Making quick and informed decisions in your business is critical for moving forward in your business. Having a trusted advisor or coach is key in being able to do so.

CEO mindset means only spending time doing the things that will move the needle forward on your business. You must prioritize the things that you can do, love to do, and will move the needle forward and not do the things that aren’t the best use of your time. Decide on the tasks that you want and need to do and hire someone for the other items.

Stephanie and Robyn agree that investing in client acquisition through branding and marketing is more valuable than hiring a virtual assistant when you start a business. You must think of it as where will your money give you the best return on investment. Invest in the things that will bring in clients.

The CEO Mindset for Time Management When You Are in A Side Gig Hustle

Stephanie says there is no balance with time when working full-time and starting a business on the side. But she clarifies that intentional use of time is necessary. If she has time to do something for her personal life, it is time intentionally dedicated to that. If she doesn’t have time to do something in her personal life it is because she is intentionally spending her time on the action in her business. Stephanie believes the idea of work-life balance is a myth, that there is no equality with time and being able to do everything you want to do.

Having a paper planner and using Google calendar are key for Stephanie’s time management. Integrating tools like Calendly is key for ensuring time is organized. Taking a lunch hour to do things that will move the needle forward in your business is important too. Stephanie uses strict time management practices and lists specific action items to stay on target for reaching goals in her business.

How to Prevent Burnout When Building a Business as a Side Gig

Setting intentions, stating affirmations, journaling, and meditating are key to preventing burnout. Living with intentions on how she wants to feel every day and what she wants to accomplish, has helped Stephanie prevent burnout in her own journey. If she feels “off”, she goes back to her intentions for the day and resets.

Stephanie uses a journaling practice to affirm things she is grateful for that haven’t yet happened. She is giving gratitude to these things as though they’ve already occurred. For example, “I am grateful for making $XXX in my business this year that has allowed me to travel for six months.” She affirms her dreams in her journal every morning and then at the end of the day she writes of gratitude for the things that happened that day.

Using these practices daily keeps Stephanie in a CEO mindset and has reduced overwhelm and burnout so that Stephanie focused on her visions. Everyone’s practice should be specific to them and their needs and goals. Not everyone is good at meditation. People should experiment with daily practices and see what works for them as individuals.

How to Use Clubhouse as an Entrepreneur

Stephanie loves Clubhouse for the ability to have two-way communication. It is a great way to give value and have conversations with people around the world. It is a great platform to speak your truth and share your values and beliefs. You really get to show your expertise and share your voice. Stephanie has s club on Clubhouse called, “Being Boss”.

Stephanie hosts consistent rooms, it is a lot of administrative work, but once you get one, it is a great opportunity to answer questions in real time. Her rooms are about a mindset, growing your business on Clubhouse, and more. Before moderating a room or starting a club, go into rooms and engage first. Being consistent with time on the app is important for people to get to know you. Use your time on Clubhouse intentionally and avoid going into rooms that are like going down a rabbit hole and won’t move the needle forward on your business. Always go back to your intentions.

If nervous about speaking on the stage in Clubhouse, do it scared.

Stephanie’s handle on Clubhouse is @coach_steph.

Strategically Leaving and Planning the Go from Corporate

Before leaving corporate or starting a side gig is knowing your why. The second thing is having a financial plan for financial security in place. Plan and save to cover any mandatory expenses or unexpected expenses that come up.

Also, have a business budget plan in place. Include operating costs. Have a solid 6 months of savings for your personal financial security, your business budget, and an emergency fund before leaving your corporate job for entrepreneurship.

Create a business plan and set benchmarks before quitting the 9 to 5 so that you can keep momentum.

Affirmations and how to Create and Set Them

Come up with what you want to say. You can Google affirmations or check Stephanie’s highlights on Instagram.

It isn’t enough to write an affirmation. You have to say it and feel it. Creating reminders using sticky notes or visual cues is important. When you see the affirmation, pause, and really feel it and see it in your body. Affirmations must have meaning. They can’t be something you say just to say.

Affirmations are personal. When you write them think about how you want to feel and what you want to accomplish. They must be repeated and become ingrained in your body and mind, something that is living and breathing in your body. It won’t magically bring something into your life but will give you the feeling that whatever you want to bring into your life is possible and that you are in active pursuit of it.