CEO Mindset for Femmepreneurs: Unlock Your Empire!
- (Admin) The Thrivology Company
- Jul 18, 2024
- 8 min read
From Gifted Gig-Worker to Game-Changing CEO: Are You Ready for the Leap?
Ever feel like you’re on a hamster wheel, even a successful one? You’re brilliant at what you do – your clients rave about you, your skills are honed, & the projects keep coming in. You’ve mastered the gig economy, you’re a respected practitioner, & the income is… well, it’s okay. But deep down, there’s a niggle, isn’t there? A feeling that you’re trading precious hours for every pound earned, & the ceiling of what you can personally deliver is fast approaching.
If that sounds familiar, lovely, then you’re in the right place. I’ve been there. That feeling of being an expert, an amazing ‘doer’, but knowing there has to be more. More impact, more freedom, more… you in the bigger picture of your business. I remember one month I almost quit because I was working 16-hour days and missing my kids' pottery cup presentations. I felt like I was failing at everything - as a business owner, & most importantly, as a mum - until I learned to leverage smart systems. The journey from being a highly skilled freelancer or consultant to becoming the CEO of a scalable, sustainable business isn’t just about adding a few new tactics. Oh no, it’s a fundamental shift in identity, in how you operate, & how you view your incredible talents. It’s about taking everything that makes you brilliant & channelling it through a completely new lens – the lens of a visionary leader. Honestly, it's a transformation I'm so passionate about guiding women through.
Your Proven Skills: The Launchpad, Not The Limit
Let’s get one thing straight: the expertise you’ve painstakingly built in the gig economy? That’s pure gold. Every late night, every tricky client, every project successfully delivered has forged a set of skills & a level of resilience that are invaluable. You’ve proven you can deliver, that you have something the market truly wants. That’s an incredible foundation, & we need to celebrate that! 👍
But here’s the truth I had to learn, & one I see so many brilliant women grapple with: those skills, as potent as they are, are your launchpad, not your destination. They’re the rocket fuel, but if you don’t build the rocket – the business infrastructure, the strategic vision – you’ll stay grounded, burning through that fuel just to keep things ticking over.
I remember in one of my early ventures, long before Femmeprenista, sparked by a 'now or never' feeling about the E-Factor competition in my final year at UEL as a new mother, I was the chief cook & bottle-washer. I designed the products, I did the marketing (or what I thought was marketing back then!), I handled the customer service, I packed the orders. And yes, it worked, to a point. But I hit a wall. There were only so many hours in my day, especially with a young family. My skills were getting me by, but they weren’t getting me ahead in the way I dreamed. The real shift started when I realised my expertise needed to be leveraged by a business, not just be the business itself. See, that’s when I realised I had to shift my thinking.
This journey isn't one you have to walk alone; understanding the kind of holistic support available is key when you're ready to build that rocket. You can get a sense of the bigger picture of our Femmeprenista Female Entrepreneur Support: Find Your Purpose to see how we champion women at every stage.
The CEO Mindset: More Than Just a Title Change
This is the big one, the transformation that underpins everything else. Shifting from a ‘doer’ to a ‘CEO’ is non-negotiable if you want to scale beyond your personal capacity. It’s about moving from being in the business to working on the business.
As a freelancer, your focus is often on the immediate task: delivering exceptional work for the current client. & that’s vital! But as a CEO, your perspective has to zoom out. You’re the visionary, the strategist, the leader. You’re thinking about:
Where is this business going in 1, 3, 5 years?
What systems do we need?
Who do we need on the team?
How do we create predictable results?
This isn’t just about learning new business skills; it’s about a profound internal shift. It’s about cultivating a leadership mindset, developing unwavering focus & resilience, & overcoming those sneaky limiting beliefs that tell you you’re ‘just’ a practitioner. It’s about taking radical personal responsibility for not just the work, but for the entirety of the business & its growth.
This is something I talk about a lot, because until I truly owned that CEO identity, I was my own biggest bottleneck. Honestly, I think that's where so many gifted women can get stuck, believing they're "just" good at doing. My MBA journey really hammered this home; I was surrounded by strategic thinking, & it became clear that applying those principles to my own ventures was the only way to break free from simply trading time for money. You know that feeling, right?
It’s about actively shaping your thinking, from "How can I do this?" to "How can this get done efficiently & effectively, & who or what is best placed to do it?" This shift requires immense courage & a willingness to step into a new version of yourself. It's like, to become the tree, you have to cease being the seed, as Myron Golden says. 🌳
Scaling Beyond Yourself: Smart Systems, Intelligent Automation & Future Teams
Once you’ve embraced that CEO identity, the next crucial step is building the operational framework to support your vision. This is where so many talented practitioners get stuck – they try to scale by simply doing more of what they’ve always done, leading straight to burnout. & seriously, who has the bandwidth for that?!
The key to sustainable scaling is to stop being the only engine in your business. It’s about:
Implementing Smart Systems & Processes: Think about all those repetitive tasks – onboarding clients, scheduling, invoicing, even aspects of your marketing. These can, & should, be systemised. This isn't about becoming a robot; it's about creating smooth, efficient workflows that free up your time & energy for high-level strategic thinking & client delivery. You need to design processes that ensure consistency & quality, regardless of who is executing the task (even if that’s still you, for now!). I remember the beautiful chaos of my early days, trying to juggle client work with my first baby literally on my lap. Systems weren’t a luxury; they became a survival mechanism! Even something as simple as a clear client intake form & automated reminders made a world of difference. It’s about creating a flow that supports you, rather than drains you. It's a total game changer.
Leveraging Technology & AI (The Smart Way!): Especially for us busy mothers, technology is our superpower. Studies show that mothers who leverage automation tools can increase their productivity by up to 30% Harvard Business Review Article. & now, with the rise of accessible AI tools, the potential to enhance productivity is incredible. Think about how AI can help you with content creation, data analysis, customer service, or streamlining those very systems we just talked about. It’s not about replacing the human touch; it’s about augmenting your brilliance & working smarter, not just harder. This is a core part of how we help women build future-proof businesses – by integrating these intelligent tools strategically.
The Vision for Delegation & Team: As you grow, you’ll reach a point where you simply can’t do it all, even with the best systems. This is where delegation comes in. It might start with a virtual assistant for a few hours a week, then perhaps a specialist contractor. The thought of building a team can be daunting, I know! But it’s essential for true scale. Learning to let go, to trust others with aspects of your business, is a massive CEO growth moment.
This holistic approach to building a business – one that considers your mindset, your operational flow, & how you leverage smart tools – is at the heart of what we teach. It’s about creating a truly flourishing enterprise, & you can see how these pieces fit together in our The Business Flourish Framework. & honestly, if you're feeling overwhelmed by the thought of it all, remember that the system is going to help us!
From Gig Income to Sustainable Profit, Purpose & a Life You Love
So, why go through all this? Why make these shifts, learn these new skills, embrace this new identity? Because the rewards are transformational.
This journey isn’t just about increasing your income (though that’s a very welcome outcome!). It’s about:
Sustainable Profitability: Moving beyond the feast-or-famine cycle of gig work to create consistent, predictable revenue streams that don’t solely depend on your billable hours.
Greater Autonomy & Freedom: Designing a business that gives you more control over your time, your schedule, & your life. Imagine being able to take that family holiday without your income grinding to a halt! That’s the power of a scalable business.
Building an Asset: Creating something of lasting value, something that could even be sold one day, or provide a legacy for your family.
Amplified Impact: Reaching & serving more people than you ever could as a solo practitioner. Your expertise, leveraged through a scalable business, can change so many more lives.
A Fulfilling Life: Ultimately, it’s about building a business that supports the life you truly want to live. One where your work energises you, where you have space for your family, your passions, & your own wellbeing. This holistic success, where your business & personal life flourish together, is the ultimate goal. It's not just about making a living, but designing a life, as Jim Rohn so wisely said. To get you started, remember the system is going to help us!
This transition, from skilled doer to strategic CEO, is one of the most exciting & empowering journeys an entrepreneur can undertake. It’s challenging, yes. It requires growth, yes. But the potential to build a business that not only thrives financially but also aligns deeply with your purpose & supports a rich, fulfilling life is absolutely within your reach. To achieve it, you must embrace the CEO identity.
You’ve already proven you have the skills. Now, are you ready to build the empire?
If you're an established service provider, perhaps feeling that income ceiling & noticing that you’re working harder but not necessarily smarter, & you're ready to step fully into your CEO role, build those scalable systems, & attract premium clients without burning out, then our Momentum Coaching Page accelerator is designed specifically to guide you through this transformation. We'll help you implement the strategies & mindset shifts needed to scale sustainably.
No matter where you are on this path, remember your skills are just the beginning. The real magic happens when you combine that expertise with a CEO mindset & smart, scalable strategies. I know it can seem a mountain to climb, but for me, implementing batch content creation was life-changing - I was pulling my hair out trying to create fresh content every day, & almost binned the idea completely until I realised I could dedicate one day a month to creating a whole bank of posts, & then schedule them out. Now, it's a non-negotiable!
Carlene Nisbett
Founder & CEO, Femmeprenista (Coach, Mentor, Speaker)
Wife, Mother of four, Business Owner, PhD Researcher, Pet mom, Plant mom, 5'0" tall Passionate Multitasker & Wine Lover, You get the drift
P.S. This workbook is just the beginning!
If you're looking for a supportive community of like-minded female entrepreneurs who get it, why not pop over and say hello?
We'd love to welcome you!
Comments