Calligraphy Biz Corner

23. Empowered CEO Part 1: 4 Key Mindsets for Building a Thriving Business in 2025

• Alane Gianetti, Shaochen Wu • Season 1 • Episode 24

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We’re kicking off 2025 with a three-part series to help you step into your power as both a calligrapher and the CEO of your business. In this episode, we dive into four game-changing mindsets: defining your “why,” adopting an evidence-based approach, making decisions like your future self, and believing everything is figureoutable. These shifts will move you from working in your business to working on it, giving you the clarity and confidence to level up.

If you’ve been wondering how to think like a CEO and grow your calligraphy biz with intention, this episode is your sign! We’ll also give you a sneak peek at the next two episodes, where we’ll focus on strategy and actionable steps to transform you into an empowered CEO. Grab a notebook (and maybe a latte), and tune in for the mindset magic you’ve been waiting for—you’ve got this!

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alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Welcome back to calligraphy biz corner. I'm Elaine.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

And I'm Xiao Chen and we are excited to bring you part one of a three part series, which we're actually attempting to record for the second time today because technical difficulties. But this series is all about embracing your identity, not only as a calligrapher, but also as the CEO of your business.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

I'm really excited for this series. Cause I think it'll be a really good roadmap for business owners, regardless of where you are at in your business. So just to give you a little bit of a background on why we. Decided to choose this topic and why we thought it was important enough to do a three parter on. So we both believe and feel that as a calligrapher and a business owner, your mindset directly impacts the success and the growth of your business. And when you first start out, I feel like. I mean, this was my personal experience and I'm sure it was similar to yours where you're just so excited to find something that you love to do. And that brings you money. Like you're excited to get new clients, to take on new projects, and you really spend a lot of your time and your days just working in your business, wearing all the hats and, you know, handling all of the different moving parts. And I think it's the passion for whatever that like creative talent or craft that you've chosen really drives you forward to just like take it all on. But, you know, as your business starts to grow, something that I think that we both have realized on our journeys is that the mindset that you first started out with, and that helped get you here to where you are today, isn't going to help you get to where you're going next. So it's important to understand that, you know, there's different mindsets for different phases of your journey and different kinds of hats that you need to take on. So I feel like in the beginning when you're just starting out, you're kind of more of an, in an employee mindset where again, the majority of your time and your energy is spent working in your business. As you start to grow, it's really important to shift into this CEO mindset where your focus, your time, your energy really starts to shift to working On the business. And I feel like that's such a critical step in scaling and ensuring that long term success rather than just kind of like going for a few years and then burning out or throwing in the towel or whatever the case may be. I know that for me personally, like the first few years in business, I was super hyper focused on taking as much client work as I could, because one, I was just super excited about the work. So I was like, let's say yes to anything and everything. But two, I also just thought that that's what I needed to do in order to grow. Like I thought that the only way to grow is to just take on more clients, take on more work and you know, grow your income that way. But fast forward to 2021 when I was so overworked and on the verge of burnout and realized that it had been several years since I really took a step back and looked at the bigger picture of my business. Once I was able to pull myself out, thanks in part to the help of a business coach to help me get like, get a better bird's eye perspective of my business. I was really able to start thinking. More strategically and start acting like a CEO rather than just an employee. Like I said, really start to focus on working on my business rather than always being in my business. And that allowed me to regain control of my time and my revenue. The whole idea here is that when you show up as a CEO, you're able to step out of the daily grind, make more informed decisions and grow with intention rather, rather than just simply reacting to whatever is coming your way.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

and like Elaine said in the beginning, it's totally normal to like try all the things, do all the things, say yes to all the jobs. And that's part of the journey and part of the process as you figure out what works for you and what you like. So if you're in that phase and you don't feel like you're being super strategic or kind of taking that bird's eye view yet, that's totally normal. But we're kind of hoping that by giving you. Some of these insights that we've had a little bit further along in our business. You can keep them in mind as you continue down this path in this journey. So today we're breaking down our three part series into the mindset of a CEO, which is today's episode. Being strategic as CEO, and then finally taking action as a CEO is really like managing your day to day in an efficient way and productive way. And I'm really excited that we're starting with mindset because I feel like that really does set the foundation for whatever we do strategically or tactically in our business. So even if you've been running your business for a while, I think there'll still be some really great reminders in this episode, because I know personally that I need. These reminders periodically, not just like at one point in my journey.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yeah, same.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

Okay, so we're going to talk through four kind of like mindset themes. And the first one is to define your why and make sure you revisit it. So in my pro wedding calligrapher course, the very first lesson I have in there is all about setting your vision for your business and really being able to articulate the why behind. You know, why are you creating this business? And I really think it is one of the first things that we should do as a CEO. Even if you don't exactly know where this business is going to take you or how it looks, kind of what your income streams are, anything like, I really do want you to identify that why and try to find your deeper why the one that's beneath, like, because I love calligraphy, that's often the first answer that I hear when I ask people this question. So really think about, like, Does your why have to do with having more freedom around your own schedule, making those decisions of like where you spend your time? Maybe it's because you want to bring joy to other people's lives and that's really important to you. Is it so that you can contribute financially while also staying home with your kids and spending more time with them? I feel like when we really dig into those deeper motivations, And getting clarity on them, it's important to understand that like underlying reason for why you're doing this business because we all know that having a business is like no walk in the park. It's really more like a roller coaster ride and sometimes it goes off the rails. So in those moments where like, Things feel the hardest or we're flying off the rails or at the bottom of the roller coaster, like knowing your why and that true motivation is going to be what keeps you going. And ultimately, I've heard this quote from someone that like, the businesses that succeed are the ones that keep going.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

I know that hearing like define your why can sometimes feel really overwhelming. I know it did for me at one point in time, especially when I was in the earlier stages of my business. So one tip that I heard at some point, I don't remember where I heard it from. So I apologize that I can't give this person or podcast or book or wherever it was credit for it. But if you are having trouble getting down to what your real why is to keep asking yourself why. So for example, when you were like Because I love calligraphy. Okay, what's deeper than that? So just keep saying why. So it's like because I love calligraphy. Why? Because I really like making people happy. Why? Because it's really rewarding to have a, you know, play a part in somebody's special day or help them create memories. Like keep asking yourself why until you get down to like what that root really is.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

hmm. Yeah, that's actually the same exercise that I walk people through in my course too.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Oh, nice. Okay. Perfect.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

Yeah. I love that one. And I like the idea of actually doing it with a partner, someone that you're, you know, comfortable sharing that with. So could be a good friend, your significant other, but it's really nice to have that conversation kind of reflected back to you because sometimes they'll like know you well enough to, to like press you a little bit and ask you questions you might not have asked yourself.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yeah. I was going to say, I feel like doing it with somebody else could help push you farther than you might even feel comfortable pushing yourself and like journal or whatever. Your why really helps you get clear on what you actually want and it helps you make more informed decisions for yourself and your business. So for example, rather than taking on. Anything and everything that comes your way or saying yes to every single opportunity that you get presented with when you know your why, and you have that at the forefront of everything you do, you can be way more strategic about the jobs, the people and the opportunities that you align yourself with. We're going to get more into the strategy piece in part two of the series, but just to give you an example here, you know, I had started offering large scale signage of your year. A few years ago when it was like starting to become more of a trend. I feel like I've talked about this before, but it also ties in well here. I very quickly realized that doing large scale signage did not align with my bigger picture vision for my business. And once I realized that it became so much easier to say no. To those types of inquiries, because I knew right away that I wasn't the right fit for them. And that that type of a project didn't actually support my larger business goals. So again, just getting clear on your, why is going to help you be more strategic and also just help you stand firm and decisions that you make for your business.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

and like sometimes defining that why alone gives you clarity that maybe a business isn't even what you want out of the hobby, right? And that's totally valid as well. I have had a calligrapher that I worked with through mentoring decide after going through the visioning exercise and kind of talking through more of the strategy of her business that. It really made more sense for her calligraphy to stay a hobby and not become a business, which again is totally fine and valid. And that clarity is so important because it helps you to direct your time and energy somewhere else.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yep. I love that example.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

And don't forget to revisit your why over time. I mean, our lives change every, every day, every year, our priorities change. And so our motivations also change. Something that brought you joy in your business at one point, it might not anymore. And that's totally fine. I feel like businesses, especially as small businesses pivot all the time. I mean, I see, I follow so many small businesses, creatives, and artists on Instagram, and I'm always seeing people reinvent themselves. And honestly, I think that's. really healthy. It's a healthy way of aligning to our shifting motivations as people, as humans. So if you feel like you're in a place where you feel a change coming on, Or maybe you're ready to leave a job and go full time with this business. I want to share one more bonus mindset tip is that remember that when you're shifting into a new chapter that it doesn't diminish any of your past accomplishments or anything that you've already done. And in fact, whatever you've learned in the past, you bring into whatever comes next for you. I remember struggling really hard with that when I personally left the kind of corporate and tech world to start my calligraphy business. Because that felt like such a shift in my identity that it, I mean, there were some, Ways where I felt like did I fail in some way, you know, but I just wish that I had understood this more back then that like, it didn't diminish any of the things I already done. In fact, this is like a brand new challenge and I get to take everything that I learned along with me to make me even a stronger business owner.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yeah, absolutely. That is such an important reminder. And that's something that Marie brought up in episode 21 as well. That, like, We all have transferable skills. So even if you do pivot or you change direction, you're always going to be walking away with that previous experience. Like it's never, ever a waste. I think sometimes people are like, Oh, I wish I didn't do that. Or I wish I'd gotten into my business sooner or whatever the case may be. But it's like every step of your journey, regardless of what it is, is so important. And I do believe that it's always going to be the foundation for whatever your next move is.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

Yeah. Love that. Yeah.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Shift or mindset to embrace as a CEO is to adopt an evidence based mindset. So as creative entrepreneurs, I feel like we tend to rely heavily on our own feelings. And while it is important to find and do the things that make you happy, that light you up. I do also believe that when you are stepping into your role as the CEO of your business, it's also just as important to look at. The facts rather than just your feelings, because the CEO makes decisions based on data rather than solely on in the moment emotions. So I am actually going to use the hot topic of HoneyBook's price increase as an example here, because. I know that that recent news of them increasing their prices left so many business owners, myself included, frustrated. And I totally get it. You know, I have been a HoneyBook member since 2018. I sing their praises all the time. That's what I help my calligraphers that I work with in my mentoring program build out. So I was even disappointed to hear that like current members like myself, weren't being grandfathered into old pricing, but You know, I let myself be like, Oh, this is annoying. I'm mad, blah, blah, blah. But before jumping straight into those feelings and being like, I'm just going to switch CRMs. I took a minute and I put my emotions to the side and just took a closer look at like the actual hard facts. And so these were some of the questions that I asked myself as I was taking in all the news, seeing everybody's feelings swarm the internet and whatnot. And like trying to decide what is The best thing for me. So first does HoneyBook save me time and does it help bring more money into my business? The short answer is yes. And yes, does it save me money as well? Because I'm not outsourcing my admin tasks. Also, yes, hiring a virtual assistant would be way more costly than HoneyBook subscription. Does HoneyBook help me deliver my services in a seamless and elevated way? And does it enhance the experience that my clients receive while we're working together? Also a big yes. Has HoneyBook been making improvements to its platform or has it stayed the same over the years? The answer is yes, they've been rolling out a ton of new updates and features that have made it so much easier on both myself and my clients. And then lastly, what would it actually look like for me to move CRM? So, you know, taking into account that I've been on HoneyBook for seven years, which means that I have seven years of client data, contracts, invoices, communications, workflows, and more. And then having to also think about learning a brand new program. I know that all of that would cost me time that I just don't have. Especially because we are about to enter like engagement season inquiry season. So having to move those things right now would just be a huge disruption in my business, which could also end up costing me more business. So what I'm trying to get at here is that after running through all of these questions, I am able to see from an evidence point of view that HoneyBook is still the right investment for my business because it does save me time. It does bring in more money and they are constantly improving. And so. The cost does seem justified and I am okay investing a little bit more in something that helps me do my job better. So basically, bottom line is that when you are the CEO of your business, you are going to use data, you're going to crunch real numbers, and you're going to consider the pros and the cons to help you make decisions that are actually aligned with your bigger picture rather than just relying on like, I'm mad or I'm frustrated or this seems really exciting.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

I mean, I've been seeing those posts as well, and I know that it is a fairly. Big percentage jump, I think, in the price, right? And no, it sounds like no one's getting grandfathered in even though people who are on the platform are getting a little bit of a discount and the first year they raise the price, but ultimately I think, your analysis makes like a lot of sense that you would stay, but as a CEO, you can also build that cost into your pricing, right? Now that the cost of running your business is a little bit higher, then your prices can also adjust to reflect that, you know, and when you kind of distribute that amongst your clients, it's pretty negligible to them. Right. So,

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Exactly. It's like I did the math and I know my increase will be different than other people's because I'm also still grandfathered into like a yearly subscription. They have since changed plans to like monthly subscriptions, like tiers. And I joined before they had that. But like. My increase is going to be 15 and 66 cents per month. Like

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

yeah.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

I can figure out how to increase my prices to cover that cost and to save myself from the headache of like having to move everything over.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

I love that breakdown of just thinking through the pros and cons of a specific scenario that comes up, like that example, that isn't just related to looking at data from your finances or looking at income streams, for example. So you really can take this evidence based mindset through any type of decision that you're making. And obviously when you're first starting out in your business, you might not have a lot of data to look at, but what we wanted to call out here is that the importance of having a evidence based mindset from the beginning is that one, you want to make sure you have a way to track the data that you're interested in. That's something you want to start right away. even if you don't have any data today, you want to make sure you're collecting it. And then two, you want to make sure that you have some kind of cadence in your business where you're. You're looking at that data. And we'll talk more about this in a future episode in this series, but like, for example, if I want to be able to analyze my lead sources, so I know which sources are bringing me the best leads or the leads that are converting at the best rates, then first I need to be able to track where my leads are coming from. And honestly, a lot of people say, Because they don't ask, like, how did you hear about me in their contact form? Right? So I have to make sure I have that field on my form. So I'm tracking that data. And then I have to make sure that I set aside time either quarterly or at the end of the year or whatever that cadence is to actually look at that data, understand that data. So I know what's like feeding the sales of my business. Let's move on to mindset tip number three. We've talked a little bit about this one before in past episodes, but I think it's just like such a good one that we want to dive into it more, but it's make decisions like your future self. I first heard this advice from Sam, Vander Whelan's podcast. She's a lawyer business owner. And her podcast is called on your terms, love her podcast. And I just really love this tip because it's really helping you step into like your vision for your future self. It's such a great mindset shift because if the future you is already successful, then it's much easier for you to feel confident in the decisions that you're making. Right.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yeah. I love this advice too. And this is definitely a mindset that I'm always trying to tap into. I think a good example that we can use to kind of explain this is looking at business costs or expenses as investments. So kind of reframing those. Terms and viewpoints in your mind. So for example, when I first started my business, I didn't always understand the value of investing in tools or resources that helped me do my job better or more efficiently. You know, when you are just starting out, like funds are definitely way tighter, right? Like. Income might not be as steady. Your pricing might not necessarily be taking into account those types of expenses. So it was much easier for me to just look at a cost as a cost and be like, I can't afford this right now. Because at that time I thought that money was also my most valuable resource. I didn't really understand that. You know, as you really start to step into your role as an entrepreneur, as an, as a CEO, first of all, our superpower is knowing how to go out there and make money. But also time is our most valuable resource, especially business starts to grow. And time is something that you are absolutely never going to get back. Whereas you can always figure out how to go out and make more money. So with my CEO mindset, thinking cap on, I start to think through like, if this is something that is going to benefit my overall growth and it's going to help me get back my time, which is. Super valuable to me. Then I look at it, not as an expense, but as an investment opportunity. And I actually tend to be really excited to invest in something because I know that it's going to allow me to grow. It's going to allow me to expand in various ways. And it's going to help me buy back some of my time. Plus, I also know that if I'm in a position where it might be a little bit tight to afford it, But I know like I am confident that that's going to be a huge benefit, that investment, then I'm going to figure out how can I go out there and make that additional money? So when you are really starting to think like a CEO, you are going to understand that, you know, running a business and serving clients does indeed cost money. If it doesn't, then it's costing you your time and your energy. And so at some point you do have to just think through and decide like, which asset is more important to you. Is it money or is it time? And then you're going to make your decisions based on that.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

And I think it also ties into the evidence based mindset because as you're Evaluating these different investments You do want to look at the pros and cons of spending your money versus your time and based on whatever situation you're in the decision May be different and some things may not actually be a great investment Like sometimes when I think about acquiring rental pieces, for example I have to really carefully think about like if Is it likely this rental is going to be used again from someone else? If it's like a fairly neutral color, like if I'm making like a set of rental table numbers, and they're fairly neutral then yes, chances are, it's probably going to be rented out more than once. But if it's themed or it's pretty. pretty specific like color wise or anything like that, it's going to be much, much harder. So I think this also ties into like, when you're making these kinds of investments, make sure you also are evaluating from an evidence based mindset. And honestly, I find this one so hard to implement in terms of like making decisions as my future self as well sometimes. And if you listen to episode 20 with Aaron, Who is a money management and mindset coach. You actually heard me ask her this question about how do I implement this advice when my bank account belongs to present me and not future me, but I hope to be one day. And I just really loved her answer. And I wanted to share it again here. She talked all about habit building basically. So she gave the example of like, yeah, maybe right now you can't afford the 20, 000 mastermind that you hope future you can afford, but you can still pay for a course that's going to accelerate your learning and knowledge, maybe in the same direction or in the same vein. And maybe you can't pay yourself thousands of dollars a month in salary today from your business, but you can maybe still pay yourself. 50 a month, 100 a month, whatever kind of that sustainable amount is to start building that habit. Maybe you want to buy a really nice printer and you can't make that level of investment right now, but you could get yourself a slightly cheaper model that still gives you like at home printing capabilities that will pay itself off because you're using it for client work, right? So there's like so many ways that you can start to build that habit of thinking like the future you without necessarily have new life. Break the bank. So yeah, really use that kind of evidence based mindset to help you make those decisions.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yep, exactly. Yeah. It's like even thinking through like this honey book example and all of that, it's like, okay, maybe. You know, you right now are drowning in admin work and you know you need to be removed from that because it's costing you so much time. It's keeping you stuck. It's keeping you from taking on more clients, growing your business, et cetera. And you're like, Oh, I need to hire a VA, but I don't have the funds to hire a VA. It's like, okay, maybe. You can't hire, you know, the VA that's going to cost you a thousand dollars a month, but maybe you can pay for the honey book subscription. That's going to cost you. I don't know what their new pricing tier is. So I'm just going to say 75 a month, but that is not their pricing. I don't know what their new pricing is guys. So don't quote me on that, but it's like thinking through those types of things. And it's like, maybe you actually don't even need to be investing in the 20 K mastermind or the thousand dollar VA. Like maybe there are other solutions that are a better fit to just help you. Pull yourself out from where you are right now and help move you to that next level And then you can revisit those things. But yeah, the exercises and the examples that Aaron walked us through were really so powerful So, you know definitely go back and listen to episode 20 if you haven't yet

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

All right. So the last kind of mindset tip we want to share here is that remember everything is figure out a ball. And I think this is the most important piece of the CEO mindset. Because you want to approach every problem or challenge with this gritty resourcefulness, this idea that like,, I don't know the answer, but I can figure it out. I mean, truly, when we think about how vast the internet is, and not only that, but like our friend AI assistants, like chatbots, all of those things, like, Like, There's so much stuff that we can figure out on our own these days, right? Because the thing is, as a business owner, we are constantly faced with things that we've never done before that could be like, A new type of client project. It could be launching a brand new service. And so going in with this like optimistic mindset is really going to help you keep pushing for the answers and the options that you have, even when, or if you think you are hitting a dead end. I feel like this um, advice comes with a little bit of a caveat too. Like, I feel like there are still some limits within reason, right? Like let's go back to the evidence based mindset thing. Like. Don't take on a rush job to build a big install wall. If you've never done that before, right? Like, yeah, you could probably figure it out. You probably would hire someone to build the wall for you or maybe pay a little bit more for something like that. But I think it's also, Better if you're taking on a brand new challenge, if it's possible to give yourself a little bit of extra time, extra space so that, you know, that you can do it, you know, you have that confidence that if you can put your mind to it, then you can probably do it.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yeah. I feel like what you just said, like use evidence based mindset too. I just want to point out here, like we're definitely sharing these, you know, for mindset. Pieces of thinking like a CEO, but I also hope that people are seeing like how they all intertwine together. And like, you're using a little bit of each one whenever it comes to actual decision making, which, you know, again, we'll go into strategy and action in our next two parts. But just to piggyback off of that, I do feel like it's kind of just human nature to run away from challenges. I mean, I feel like we hear this all the time. Our brains want to protect us, right? Like we are very. Naturally risk averse survival mode. Like we want to run away from anything that feels like a threat and challenges can definitely feel like a threat. We just want things to be easy too. Like we want clients and bookings to just flow and effortlessly, and we want our businesses to just grow without too much blood, sweat, and tears. Like that would be so nice. Wouldn't it? But I also always remind myself that the reality is that. If it wasn't hard, the reward wouldn't be as sweet. Like it wouldn't be as worth it. Right. And two, I always tried to remind myself that challenges are always opportunities for growth. So, you know, as you're thinking like everything is figure out a ball, also be reminding yourself that if you are faced with a challenge, like this could be a really nice potential for growing. Because I know we've talked about this a lot on here too, that, you do come up against a challenge or a struggle. I feel like you're just kind of being pushed by the universe into that next version and that next level of yourself. I've definitely personally experienced this countless times throughout my years of running a business. If I didn't, then I feel like I wouldn't be where I am today. But one example that always comes to mind for me, just to give you something like tangible here is In the summer of 2022, I was restructuring my services. I raised my minimum investment fee. I raised my prices and I like reformatted the way that I presented proposals to clients. I personally felt so good about all of this. I was like, this is great. This is going to help me reach my goals. Everything's looking so shiny and new. I had like 10 consult calls in the span of like just a few weeks. It was very like back to back. And I had two people out of 10 sign and everybody else either said that I was out of their budget. Or they just straight up ghosted me. So to say that I was feeling defeated is quite the understatement. I was crying every day. I was feeling like I was a failure that my work wasn't worth it. That there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to grow my business because people weren't willing to be paying the prices that I was trying to. You know, command. Based on my work, my experience, demand, et cetera. And I was just like, Oh my gosh, I'm going to have to throw in the towel because I just can't keep taking on like such a large volume of clients in order to meet my actual like income needs. So basically all of that to say, I could have very easily just given up. I could have just said like, this is too hard. Nobody's booking. I'm done. And I'm going to just go back to a corporate job or whatever the case may be. But I didn't do that instead. I started to really listen to what my clients were saying in their inquiries and on calls with me. I did some research on market rates. near me. I looked at people who were booking at the prices that I was looking to charge and like, what were some of the common trends among them? And I basically just went back to the drawing board, revamped everything. And then wouldn't, you know, after a few of these little tweaks here and there, I went back to booking people at the rates that I was. Looking to book them at. So it's also just a reminder that like literally everything in your business is going to be an experiment and just like you said, it's all figure out double as long as you're willing to keep pushing through the challenges and the hard times that You are going to face.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

Yeah. Like that's such a great example because like you said, you could have looked at what the data was telling you and come to the conclusion of like, Yeah, this isn't working that like you're a failure or whatever. But instead you were like, well, this isn't working, but there's something else that I could probably change based on what I'm hearing from my clients. Right. And like using that to guide your next steps. We talk about being the scientist in your business and experimenting all the time. And I think that kind of plays in here too. but a related mantra I also like in this scenario is I can do hard things. And I remind myself of all the times throughout my life, not just in my business or in my work necessarily that I've done hard things. Sometimes those things might be related to work. When I gave a talk at a conference or it could be like more personal when I recovered from an injury or when I gave birth, like, I mean, honestly, that was like one of the, one of the things I was like the most nervous about in my life. Right. Cause I never done it before. We have all done hard things in our lives. It's nice to remind ourselves of those times and be like, Hey, I did this thing. So I can do whatever this next thing is that I'm this next challenge that's in front of me. And I think it's that resilience, that persistence, that's like going to allow you to keep going, even when you're in the thick of it right now.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yeah, absolutely. It's like being a mom is hard. Being a business owner is hard being the daughter or a sister or a friend or just like living life is hard, but it's like, you're still here and you're still showing up and you figured out what you want to do. So you're going to figure out today,

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

Yeah, totally. And then just remember, like, whenever you start something that's new or that you haven't done before, it's just naturally going to feel scary. So I want you to, like, rest assured that is a universal human experience. Like, everybody gets nervous and scared of things that they, the fear of the unknown, right? But also just, like, if you take that lens that everything is figureoutable, that Excitement of the new will start to outweigh the fear of not knowing, you know, what's coming and I love this. I think it's a roomy quote where it's like, once you start on the path, the path will reveal itself. I feel like I'm probably butchering that. I'll have to look that up after the recording.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

we'll fact check that for you.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

But I think that, you know, the way I interpret it anyway is also just that, once you actually start going down the path, the cloud of uncertainty that you're in starts to dissipate, too, because you're learning as you're going. So just, like, start down the path, even if it feels hard, even if it feels scary.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

Yep. I love that. That's such a great way to kind of end this whole episode. Okay. So just to kind of wrap up and recap really quick, our four mindsets of a CEO were number one, define your why and revisit it. Number two, adopt an evidence based mindset. Number three, make decisions like your future self. And number four, remember that everything is figureoutable. So, you know, again, like thinking like a CEO is essential for growing a sustainable and a profitable business. So being able to adopt these various mindsets that we've. Talked about, we truly feel like they are what allow you to make more informed decisions. They help you prioritize what really matters. And they just help you position your business for long term success. And that's really what we want for you, right? Like we want to see your business thriving and flourishing for as long as you want it to be around for. So in our next episode, we are going to be diving into CEO strategy. So that way you can start to. Create actionable plans and strategies to start to actually bring your CEO mindset to life and achieve your goals.

shaochen_1_12-18-2024_141240:

Before I wrap up, I also want to mention that I have a mentoring program called your CEO partner. And it's literally all about me helping you to step into your role as a CEO and think like a CEO and plan like a CEO and take action like a CEO. And it's 12 weeks of me helping you like work on your business, And sometimes in your business, cause there's those seasons too. We don't want to like, we don't ignore those seasons. But really if you're feeling like you are constantly in your business and having a hard time kind of like pulling yourself up to that higher level, this is like a perfect program for you. And I should be having some openings in that program soon. So I'm going to link the wait list for that in the show notes. If that's something that you want to find out more information on. and then finally, we would love to hear from you after this episode, please send us a DM. Let us know which of these mindset tips resonates with you the most. We would love to For you to think of one area in your business where you can start implementing the CEO mindset tips that we talked about. And if you enjoyed this episode and you're excited for the rest of our series, help us fuel the next few episodes by buying us a coffee and the link will be in the show notes for that as well.

alane_1_12-18-2024_161240:

So we are going to have one episode, a guest episode, which we're really excited about in between this mindset episode and then the next CEO strategy. So January is going to be mindset and then we're going to have a guest episode and then February will be our next two CEO episodes on strategy and action. So stay tuned for those.

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Alane Gianetti

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Shaochen Wu

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