Ep 40 - 6 Foundational Skills CEOs Can't Ignore in Order to Grow

Are you ready to take your online business to the next level? Do you strive to know what those successful entrepreneurs you see are doing to grow and scale? In this episode, we're diving deep into the 6 non negotiable foundations every serious entrepreneur must master. From consistency to confidence, focus, and rest, I'm uncovering the cold hard truths and practical strategies that will propel your business forward. Get ready to level up like never before. Are you that driven entrepreneur who believes that working harder holds the key to your dreams? Are you drowning in the day to day tasks, wishing you had more time to strategize and cast the vision for your business growth? Hi. I'm Donna Dube, your guide on this entrepreneurial journey. I've walked in your worn out shoes, burning the midnight oil, convinced sheer hard work was the secret to success. Just one more email, one more task, until I found myself on a one way track to burnout. But here's the twist in the tale.

I discovered that success isn't just about working harder, it's about working smarter. It's about being intentional with our time. It's about steering our ship with focus because no team, system, or automation can outperform a lack of direction. In this podcast, I'm sharing with you all the strategies for business growth that it took me years to learn. If you're ready to step out of the daily overwhelm so you can amplify your profits, then I'm ready to teach you. I believe the only limit to your business growth is the one you set for yourself. Go grab a notebook, warm up that cup of tea, and let's do this. Are you drowning in a sea of tasks, feeling stuck in the same spot, and working round the clock without seeing the growth you envisioned? I've been there, and I get it. You're tired of bottlenecks, unsure what's working or what's not and desperately needing to break free from the cycle of overwork.

Ever set goals only to find them buried under the daily grind? I want you to know that you're not alone. Most entrepreneurs go through this from time to time. That's why I want to introduce you to Operations in Your Pocket, a 90 minute session that untangles the mess, gets you unstuck, and creates a personalized plan for your business growth. No more working tirelessly without direction, no generic cookie cutter advice. In just a 90 minute strategy session, you'll gain the clarity, action plan, and accountability you need to overcome obstacles such as hiring, delegating, metrics, team management, or optimizing your time and habits as a business leader. Let's talk. Book a free clarity call at ceoamplify.ca/ops to determine if this is a good fit for you.

Don't stay stuck. It's time for your business to thrive. Head on over to ceoamplify.ca/ops to book your call. Welcome back CEO. Have you ever found yourself wondering what that magic key is that some entrepreneurs just seem to have. Somehow they just seem to have their stuff together and as you watch on the sidelines, they're growing and scaling to new heights. I know when I first started my business I did a lot, now that's capital a lot of comparison and watching of those who went before me.

Why did things just seem to work for them? How did they do it? How did they get there? What is the elusive key to growth? And whether you're just starting out or you've been in this game for years, there are foundational principles that remain constant on this journey to success. These are the principles that separate the amateurs from the pros, the dreamers from the achievers, and you might be just a little bit surprised about what these foundations are. So take a pause, go grab your notebooks and let's get ready to take a deep dive because today I'm gonna unpack the 6 foundations you simply can't afford to ignore if you're serious about taking your business to the next level. Let's uncover the strategies that will set you up for success. Alrighty, number 1: consistency. This isn't just a buzzword. It's really the lifeblood of your business and if you go all the way back to episode 1, I talked about consistency. Think about it.

You don't build a strong brand or a loyal following of highly engaged fans overnight, right? It's the daily relentless commitment to showing up and delivering value that really sets you apart. So whether that's your content strategy, your customer service, your product or program development, It doesn't matter. Consistency is key in all those areas. And as an entrepreneur, you know, we're growing things from the ground up, right? Just like in the spring we see those seedlings start to sprout and grow and in order for that to happen we need to be consistent. Consistent whether it's our social media posting, our weekly emails, our podcast, our blog, every interaction with our audience is an opportunity to reinforce our brand and to build trust. So I hate to break it to you, but you don't get to skip the hard work. Unfortunately, consistency is key. But consistency isn't just about showing up when it's convenient.

It's about putting in the work even when you don't feel like it and yeah, the truth is there's sometimes honestly we don't feel like it, right? There's some weeks we don't want to do the thing. Being consistent in the strategies that you use to bring new people into your audience and the top of your funnel makes all the difference in the world. You need to keep the pipeline flowing with new people who are finding about you, finding out about you, and what you have to offer. All right, so you're asking, Growth Donna, I need to be consistent. I'm not very good at being consistent. So now what? How do I accomplish this level of consistency? Well, there's a few tricks up my sleeve that I have used over the years and also used with clients that I think you might find helpful. Using a scheduling ninja, as I like to call it, or a model calendar, an ideal calendar that works for you in your stage of life, and on that calendar is dedicated time each week to focus on the activities that move the needle forward in your business. What pieces of the systems that you have in your business that you as business leader are responsible for? They need to be on your calendar each and every week.

Batching content is another way to stay on top of things and be consistent. It helps you work ahead a little bit so when life happens or you have a vacation, you're still consistent. And when you're consistent, you're not just growing your business, you're laying the foundation for long term success. So keep that top of mind on those days when you, you know, the energy is not there, you don't feel like it. Being consistent is laying the foundation for long term success. Alrighty, number 2 operations, confidence. Now, confidence isn't something we're born with, right? It's something that you need to cultivate and grow over time and I'm sure many of you can attest to this in your own life whether it's in business or personal. Think back to experiences you've had in your life when you weren't confident and how were you able to grow and change over time? Maybe a previous job situation or a leadership role you took on and as an online business owner, confidence is non negotiable because the truth is people buy from people they believe in.

So, how do you grow your confidence? A couple tricks. Step outside your comfort zone and do something that pushes you. Challenge yourself to try and do something outside of your comfort zone every single week. Now again, friends, this doesn't have to be a huge leap, right? It can be 3 steps forward, but try something that's going to push you forward a little bit and get you out of your comfort zone. I know for me, it's easy to hide behind the laptop and try and run my business this way, but if I'm not meeting and talking with people and getting visible, no one knows I exist. So I might have wonderful solutions for business owners, but if no one knows I exist, it doesn't help. So I had to put my comfort aside and push myself and stretch myself, and I made a commitment to attend networking events, to meet people, to pitch podcast hosts, to be guests on their podcasts, and to have those conversations. And to be honest, was it easy at first? No, not at all.

And I wanted to chicken out and I wanted not to show up. But when I committed and I started showing up, it got easier over time. And guess what? My confidence level grew. I want to make a point here that confidence isn't just about what you say, It's about how you say it. Right? It's about conveying emotion and authenticity in everything that you do. So whether you're writing a sales page or you're recording a podcast, just remember to speak from the heart and let your true passion shine through. Just be real with others. Alrighty.

The third foundation is focus. And I know many, many, many people, and especially entrepreneurs struggle with this in the online world. There are a million and one distractions almost every second it feels like, but being able to focus is a superpower. It really allows you to cut through the noise, get laser focused on the tasks that matter most for you and your business. But did you know that focusing isn't just about saying no to distractions? It's also about saying yes to your priorities. It's about being intentional with your time. We get to control how we use the time we have to devote to our business. Right? Whether that's 10 hours a week, 20 hours a week, 30 hours a week, doesn't matter.

We get to control how we use that. Your own day and your time. You decide when to email, when to text, when to respond. Your priorities are still important and they need to be put front and center. I remember a client I was working with who was a busy mompreneur. She was juggling her business and her family with 3 little children and the responsibilities that come with that. And when we first started working together, she had a hard time trying to "fit it all in." She felt pulled in 1,000 directions and not really able to be fully present for everything.

To be honest with you, overwhelm was dictating most of her days. So we worked together so she could learn how to take control of her time, set boundaries, and prioritize her tasks. Now, for this busy entrepreneur that involved turning off notifications on her phone, batching her work, and tackling the hardest tasks first, all with a laser like focus that allowed her to crush her goals. She managed to carve out a few focused hours at the beginning of her workday for her priorities as business leader. No emails, no text, no slack messages from her team. This was her time to work on the 3 top priorities for her week. Notice I said 3 top priorities? We first had to do some strategic planning in order to develop what the top 3 would be And notice I said 3 and not 23, but focus isn't just about what you do. It's about how you do it.

It's about being intentional with your time and ruthless in your pursuit of excellence. So the next time you sit down to work, ask yourself, what am I working on? And everything else can wait. Alrighty. The next foundation, personal growth. Now I know as business owners, we're constantly striving to grow our businesses. It's always on the top of our mind, but what about growing ourselves? You CEO, personal growth isn't just a nice to have. It's a non negotiable if you want to succeed in the long run. You may be a seasoned entrepreneur who's been in the game for decades and there's always going to be someone who is one step ahead of you and you can gain wisdom from them.

If you're open, humble, and most importantly teachable. Don't just rest on your own knowledge. Continue to invest in yourself, whether that's attending workshops, reading books, seeking out mentors, but find people who can challenge you to grow and you may be listening to me now and thinking, oh yeah, I got this under control. I'm involved in this mastermind. I attend that scale. I listen to that podcast and I read those books, but hold on. Personal growth isn't just about acquiring knowledge. It's about taking action.

It's about stepping outside your comfort zone and actually doing the hard work necessary to level up. So whether it's learning a new skill, overcoming a fear, remember, growth begins at the edge of your comfort zone. Take that one step forward and let's see what happens. Alrighty. 5th foundation boundaries. So most of us, when we think about boundaries, we're thinking about saying no. Right? Thinking about saying no to others. But did you realize boundaries are also about saying yes to yourself? As business owners, it's so easy to fall into the trap of people pleasing and saying yes to every request that comes our way.

But the truth is, we can't pour from an empty cup. So let me ask you, do you have clear boundaries of when you work? Does your team have clear boundaries of when they can reach you? Do you have clear boundaries with your clients that you discuss upfront at the beginning of the relationship? I want to tell you about another client I worked with. She's a coach and she struggled quite a bit with send setting boundaries in her business. Instead of burning out, trying to please everyone, we took a step back and reevaluated her priorities. She started to learn how to say no to clients who weren't a good fit, and carving out some time for self care, and in the process, she became a better coach and a happier person. Setting boundaries isn't just about protecting your time, it's also about protecting your energy. It's about recognizing that your time and attention are valuable resources that deserve to be treated with respect. So the next time you find yourself saying yes, when you should probably say no, remember that you can't do your best work if you're spread too thin.

And this flows nicely into the last and final foundation that are non negotiables for CEOs who want to grow. And I think this one is probably going to make you grow the most. And this final foundation is rest. An often overlooked foundation that we don't think about. You know, we live in a culture where this hustle and grind mentality, keep working, keep working. You'll be successful. It's really easy to fall into the trap that believing that success requires constant motion. But do you know what? Rest really is so essential if we want to perform at our best, And, I know there are entrepreneurs out there who pride themselves on working 80 hour weeks, but for me, I truly believe that's just a one way track to burnout.

You can't nor shouldn't sustain that pace forever. So make a commitment to prioritize rest and recharge your batteries, and in the profit, become a better leader and a happier person. Remember, rest isn't just about taking time off. It's about recharging your body, your mind and your soul. Give yourself permission to slow down and enjoy the journey knowing that success is a marathon, not a sprint. Alrighty, friends, there you have it. The 6 foundations you simply can't ignore if you want to take your online business to the next level. Consistency, confidence, focus, personal growth, boundaries, and rest.

These principles will set you up for success and ensure that you're not just building a business, but a life that you love. Alright, now it's your turn. I want to hear from you. Which of these 6 foundations do you feel you struggle with the most? Challenge yourself to pick 1 and make an effort to work on it for 1 month, 30 days. Make an effort to adjust your thought process and your actions in one of these 6 areas. Hop on over to the Facebook group CEO amplify and let me know which area is going to be your focus for the next month, and let's hold each other accountable. Alrighty. Until next week, keep moving forward.

Thank you for joining me on this episode of CEO Amplify. I appreciate you being part of our thriving community of ambitious business owners. If you enjoy today's episode, I kindly ask you to share this podcast with a friend and take a hot minute to rate and leave a review. It would mean the world to me. Your feedback helps me reach more people and continue providing valuable content. Thanks so much for your support. Keep shining, and we'll catch you on the next episode.