When are you going to start acting like the CEO you are? CEO vs. Employee mindset — Imogen Roy | Accomplice and Mentor to Powerhouses and Trailblazers

Imogen-Roy-body-based-business-productivity-leadership-mentor-for-women — The first step to becoming an entrepreneur is unlearning everything you were taught by people who weren’t entrepreneurs.

I'll be honest. One of the things I still struggle with in the transition from being an employee to running my own business is slipping into my old “employee mindset.”

Mindset is the collection of default thoughts, attitudes and beliefs that drive your behaviour. So having the right mindset is everything when it comes to planning for success. But gaining an entrepreneurial mindset doesn’t happen overnight. For many of us, it can feel like we’ve gone to bed as an employee and woken up unexpectedly as the CEO - a business version of the film ‘13 going on 30’.

At first, it feels great. No more boss, no more rules and you’re free at last! Finally, you can do your own thing in your own way.

And doing things your way feels great. Intoxicating, even. Work is fun, and nothing is too much for your own business to ask. And so you get to work, and work...work...work. Your to-do list needs an army to tackle it, but you try to save money by doing everything yourself.

If you’re an entrepreneur who’s ever been an employee, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

What’s an Employee Mindset?

Having an employee mindset means…

Being obsessed with being busy and always focusing on the immediate tasks at hand. Any deep thinking or strategy takes time away from the to-do list, and is best avoided.

Only taking the next step when we’re “qualified” enough, or waiting for approval from others. After all, you have to “pay your dues” and “put in your time” to earn opportunities.

Believing that our value comes from how much time we spend working.

I recognise how much I’m still overcoming that last one. When I confess to people that I work less than 25 hours a week in my business, I tend to feel guilty. Real guilty. Like I’m somehow cheating someone, somewhere, by not working as long or as “hard” as I used to when I was an employee.

And yet, working less now results in me achieving more. Much more.

That’s because this is true:

The first step to becoming an entrepreneur is unlearning everything you were taught by people who weren’t entrepreneurs.

What’s a CEO Mindset?

So now that you’re the CEO, how do you get a CEO mindset? Well, you start behaving like one. We’ve all met CEOs, even if only via some crude stereotypes in TV dramas. Their schedules are organised into 15-minute increments, they love one-pagers and bulleted actions, and everything has to be about results, results, results.

Having a CEO mindset means:

Being obsessed with results: revenue, profitability and retained customers, and minimising the time you spend doing anything that doesn’t generate results.

Understanding that your time and more importantly your energy are your most valuable assets, not to be frittered away.

And probably the most important: having a clearly defined vision of where your business is headed, thus being able to evaluate all decisions based on long-term goals.

Balancing Employee Mindset and CEO Mindset

Don’t get me wrong, having an employee mindset can be extremely useful when it comes to delivering results in a particular area of your business, especially under time pressure or budget constraints.

But too many entrepreneurial people are letting themselves be run by their to-do lists in an endless hamster wheel of busy-ness. And busy-ness is bad for business. If you run your business exclusively with an employee mindset, you’ll quickly become overwhelmed, burned out and adrift.

As Michael E. Gerber explains in his fantastic book ‘The E myth’, to run a successful small business we as owners need to approach it like we have three people inside us: the Entrepreneur, the Manager and the Technician (employee). The Entrepreneur has the vision that gives the business a clear direction; the Manager builds systems and organises operations effectively; and the Technician does the delivery work.

The ideal is to strike the right balance that serves your business, not your comfort zone.

How to Embrace the CEO Mindset

Have a clear vision for your business. Define your ultimate objective and why your business exists, and ensure that all of your actions are working towards achieving this long-term vision.

Create a schedule for business strategy and planning. Allocate a good chunk of time towards the end of the year for reflection and planning for the year ahead; set goals for each quarter; then consistently review your progress monthly and weekly.

Protect your time and energy by learning to say ‘no’. Evaluate each opportunity that comes your way by asking, “will this help my business achieve its vision or bring in income? Take some time to write a range of polite but firm “no” responses and use them as templates.

Are you embracing a CEO mindset? Or do you find yourself slipping back into an employee mindset too often? If it’s the latter, it’s time to make radical shifts in your thinking to create the results in your business that you deserve.

My strategy programmes are designed to deliver more money, more impact and less stress to you and your business. If you’re not yet crystal clear on your business vision or roadmap, I’m here to help. My Brand Vision workshops are designed to build the foundation your whole business is built on. Find out more about Brand Vision.

I’m Imogen, and I help small businesses just like yours make a big impact with brand-building and marketing.

I’m also committed to empowering my fellow entrepreneurial spirits to design the lifestyle they desire and achieve meaningful success on their own terms. Sign up for my Success Strategy newsletter or follow me on Instagram for more updates.

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When Are You Going to Start Acting Like the Entrepreneur You Are? CEO vs. Employee Mindset

The first step to becoming an entrepreneur is unlearning everything you were taught by people who weren’t entrepreneurs.

At first, it feels great. No more boss, no more rules and you’re free at last! Finally, you can do your own thing in your own way.

And doing things your way feels great. Intoxicating, even. Work is fun, and nothing is too much for your own business to ask. And so you get to work, and work...work...work. Your to-do list needs an army to tackle it, but you try to save money by doing everything yourself.

If you’re an entrepreneur who’s ever been an employee, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Ever wondered am I living a life that’s true to myself?

Give yourself the gift of clarity.

Having an employee mindset means…

Being obsessed with being busy and always focusing on the immediate tasks at hand. Any deep thinking or strategy takes time away from the to-do list, and is best avoided.

Only taking the next step when we’re “qualified” enough, or waiting for approval from others. After all, you have to “pay your dues” and “put in your time” to earn opportunities.

Believing that our value comes from how much time we spend working.

I recognise how much I’m still overcoming that last one. When I confess to people that I work less than 25 hours a week in my business, I tend to feel guilty. Real guilty. Like I’m somehow cheating someone, somewhere, by not working as long or as “hard” as I used to when I was an employee.

And yet, working less now results in me achieving more. Much more.

That’s because this is true:

Having a CEO mindset means:

Being obsessed with results: revenue, profitability and retained customers, and minimising the time you spend doing anything that doesn’t generate results.

Understanding that your time and more importantly your energy are your most valuable assets, not to be frittered away.

And probably the most important: having a clearly defined vision of where your business is headed, thus being able to evaluate all decisions based on long-term goals.

Don’t get me wrong, having an employee mindset can be extremely useful when it comes to delivering results in a particular area of your business, especially under time pressure or budget constraints.

But too many entrepreneurial people are letting themselves be run by their to-do lists in an endless hamster wheel of busy-ness. And busy-ness is bad for business. If you run your business exclusively with an employee mindset, you’ll quickly become overwhelmed, burned out and adrift.

The ideal is to strike the right balance that serves your business, not your comfort zone.

Have a clear vision for your business. Define your ultimate objective and why your business exists, and ensure that all of your actions are working towards achieving this long-term vision.

Create a schedule for business strategy and planning. Allocate a good chunk of time towards the end of the year for reflection and planning for the year ahead; set goals for each quarter; then consistently review your progress monthly and weekly.

Protect your time and energy by learning to say ‘no’. Evaluate each opportunity that comes your way by asking, “will this help my business achieve its vision or bring in income? Take some time to write a range of polite but firm “no” responses and use them as templates.

Are you embracing a CEO mindset? Or do you find yourself slipping back into an employee mindset too often? If it’s the latter, it’s time to make radical shifts in your thinking to create the results in your business that you deserve.

When Are You Going to Start Acting Like the Entrepreneur You Are? CEO vs. Employee Mindset

The first step to becoming an entrepreneur is unlearning everything you were taught by people who weren’t entrepreneurs.

At first, it feels great. No more boss, no more rules and you’re free at last! Finally, you can do your own thing in your own way.

And doing things your way feels great. Intoxicating, even. Work is fun, and nothing is too much for your own business to ask. And so you get to work, and work...work...work. Your to-do list needs an army to tackle it, but you try to save money by doing everything yourself.

If you’re an entrepreneur who’s ever been an employee, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Ever wondered am I living a life that’s true to myself?

Give yourself the gift of clarity.

Having an employee mindset means…

Being obsessed with being busy and always focusing on the immediate tasks at hand. Any deep thinking or strategy takes time away from the to-do list, and is best avoided.

Only taking the next step when we’re “qualified” enough, or waiting for approval from others. After all, you have to “pay your dues” and “put in your time” to earn opportunities.

Believing that our value comes from how much time we spend working.

I recognise how much I’m still overcoming that last one. When I confess to people that I work less than 25 hours a week in my business, I tend to feel guilty. Real guilty. Like I’m somehow cheating someone, somewhere, by not working as long or as “hard” as I used to when I was an employee.

And yet, working less now results in me achieving more. Much more.

That’s because this is true:

Having a CEO mindset means:

Being obsessed with results: revenue, profitability and retained customers, and minimising the time you spend doing anything that doesn’t generate results.

Understanding that your time and more importantly your energy are your most valuable assets, not to be frittered away.

And probably the most important: having a clearly defined vision of where your business is headed, thus being able to evaluate all decisions based on long-term goals.

Don’t get me wrong, having an employee mindset can be extremely useful when it comes to delivering results in a particular area of your business, especially under time pressure or budget constraints.

But too many entrepreneurial people are letting themselves be run by their to-do lists in an endless hamster wheel of busy-ness. And busy-ness is bad for business. If you run your business exclusively with an employee mindset, you’ll quickly become overwhelmed, burned out and adrift.

The ideal is to strike the right balance that serves your business, not your comfort zone.

Have a clear vision for your business. Define your ultimate objective and why your business exists, and ensure that all of your actions are working towards achieving this long-term vision.

Create a schedule for business strategy and planning. Allocate a good chunk of time towards the end of the year for reflection and planning for the year ahead; set goals for each quarter; then consistently review your progress monthly and weekly.

Protect your time and energy by learning to say ‘no’. Evaluate each opportunity that comes your way by asking, “will this help my business achieve its vision or bring in income? Take some time to write a range of polite but firm “no” responses and use them as templates.

Are you embracing a CEO mindset? Or do you find yourself slipping back into an employee mindset too often? If it’s the latter, it’s time to make radical shifts in your thinking to create the results in your business that you deserve.

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