Transition to being the CEO of your business
It's time to put on your big-girl pants.
Over the last three weeks, I’ve shared my thoughts on how to make the right hires at the right time to grow your business, how to onboard a new hire, and best practices to start managing a team.
This week, we’re moving on to the necessary mindset shifts to make and actions to take to transition into the role of CEO of your business.
Because whether you realize it or not, it IS a transition. You have mental habits and ways of working that are now well-worn grooves in your brain. You do things so automatically you don’t even realize it (something I know all too well).
When you’re running a business solo, you’re responsible for everything — client work, operations, marketing, finances. Every decision, every task, every detail is on your plate.
Now that you’ve hired at least your first team member(s), your role needs to evolve along with this change. You need to lead the business.
What does it mean to be the CEO of your business?
First things first… this isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s going to be a process.
One that has you going:
From doing the work → to setting the direction
From handling every task → to empowering your team
From reacting to daily demands of the business → to making intentional decisions for growth
This shift isn’t immediate, and it’s not always comfortable. But it’s necessary if you want to build a business that runs smoothly, grows sustainably, and doesn’t rely on you for everything.
If you’re struggling to think big and define your new role…
A great place to start is to carve out one to two hours in your calendar each week over a few weeks and think about the kind of CEO you want to be.
If you need inspiration, you can look to:
A manager you had that you loved working for
A business owner you know and admire
An ass-kicking CEO you admire from afar (perhaps on social media or via their newsletter or videos)
In each case, make a list of what you admire about them. It could be how they present themselves, how they show up in their business, or how they talk about and manage their team and/or clients when you meet up with them or hear them speak. Identify the characteristics and actions you want to take on and adopt in your role and business.
How do you want to show up? What do you want your role to be?
And then, if it sounds appealing, run it by your AI assistant. Brainstorm what being the CEO of your business can look like for you.
How to make the shift.
As I said, it’s a process. Here’s what it looks like.
1. Redefine Your Role.
Take what you learned from doing the exercise above and then break it down. What are the activities you want to keep and what can you shed?
Ask yourself:
What are the high-impact activities only you can do?
What tasks can (and should) be handled by someone else?
Where are you getting stuck in the weeds instead of driving the business forward?
Make a list of what you can hand-off now, what you can look to remove from your list in three to six months, and where you want to be spending your time.
2. Get comfortable letting go.
Delegation is one of the hardest parts of this transition. I’ve struggled with this, big time. It can feel easier to keep doing things yourself rather than train someone else. Or to believe that no one can do it as well as you. Or, for whatever reason, you have to be the one to do the thing.
But this mindset keeps you stuck.
If any of this sounds familiar, start small. Identify one or two responsibilities you can offload. Set clear expectations, provide the right tools and thoughtful feedback, and trust your team to step up. Over time, it will get easier.
Here are two books I can recommend to help if you’re stuck on the delegation piece, either because you don’t know what to delegate and how best to do so, or you need to learn to let go of the reins and trust that others can complete the work (perhaps even better than you).
Delegation Nation: How Entrepreneurs and Assistants Can Thrive Together in a Remote World by Valerie Transpunsky (this link is for the paperback and there’s an ebook version available as well) — tactical, how to work with an assistant
Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire by Dan Martell (this is the hardcover and again there is an ebook option) — strategic and tactical — helping you see the importance of giving up control, building a team for growth and how to do it
3. Build the right support around you.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to do it alone. Put yourself in the room with people (even the virtual room) who can help.
Whether it’s:
Hiring an operations lead to create structure
Leaning on mentors or peers who’ve been through this shift
Getting guidance from an advisor or coach to work through the challenges
The biggest mindset shift you need to make.
You need to get in your bones that it’s time to move from the belief that:
More Work = More Growth to More Leverage = More Growth
Realize that scaling isn’t about working harder, it’s about leveraging people, systems, and resources in your business to create more impact with less effort on your part.
Where it’s easy to get stuck:
You equate success with being busy, which leads to burnout.
You struggle to charge enough to support a team and reinvest in growth.
You think hiring and systems are expenses instead of investments.
The shift:
You need to understand that growth comes from leverage. More revenue and impact don’t come from working more hours, they come from building the right team, systems, and pricing model to sustainably scale your business.
What you can expect when you make this shift.
When you take your role as CEO seriously, things start to change:
Your team knows what to do without constant direction (yes, this is truly possible).
You have more time to focus on strategy and growth (and just more time).
The business becomes more sustainable—and less dependent on you (that’s the goal).
Doesn’t this sound appealing? Start small, go slow, give yourself a break. You’ll get there.
Until next time.
Katherine
#ICYMI
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