Promote Yourself to CEO | Small Business Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs

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Most Q2 plans are built for a version of you that doesn't exist. The version with unlimited energy, zero personal obligations, and no curveballs. And then April hits, and you're already behind, already overwhelmed, already wondering what went wrong.
Before you open a planning doc or write a single goal for the next quarter, there's one question worth sitting with first: What do I actually have the capacity to sustain right now?
This episode is a bridge into Q2 — and it starts with the two questions I ask every CEO at the beginning of every retreat before we look at a single number. These aren't warmup questions. They're some of the most strategic questions you can ask yourself as a business owner.
I'm also sharing what this looked like for me personally — including the caregiving season I walked through in 2024 and 2025 and how I kept my business running without it depending on me being at 100%. Because the goal isn't a business that works when everything is perfect. It's a business that keeps working when life is life.
If you're stepping into Q2 with a plan in hand, this episode is what goes underneath it.
In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
Why the question isn't "what should I do more of?" — and what to ask instead before you finalize any Q2 plan
The two questions I ask at every CEO Retreat before touching a single goal or revenue number
What "CEO you in this season" actually means — and why it's different from CEO you on your best day
The three dimensions of capacity that never show up on your calendar (and why ignoring them is magical thinking, not ambition)
How my business kept running through an intensive caregiving season — and the specific support structures that made that possible
Why planning without accounting for your real capacity isn't ambitious — it's how you end up behind and burned out by May
The reflection questions to sit with before you turn the page into April
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @racheal.cook
TikTok: @rachealcookmba
LinkedIn: @rachealcook
YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
Website: The CEO Collective
Subscribe & Review:
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

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If you set big goals in January and you're already feeling behind, I want to be honest with you: the problem is not your discipline. It's not your motivation. It's not your mindset or your willpower. It's that the goal-setting approach most of us were taught was never designed for the stage of business you're actually in right now.
In this episode, I'm breaking down the real reason so many service-based business owners end up in a cycle of setting goals, falling behind, and starting over. It comes down to one critical shift: moving away from project-based goals and into systems-based goals. Once you understand the difference, the way you plan, prioritize, and measure progress changes completely.
I also walk through how to figure out what's actually driving results in your business right now, and why that answer is more grounding than any new strategy you could add to your plate. If you've been feeling like you need a whole new plan, there's a good chance you don't. You may just need to stop abandoning what's already working.
This episode is for you if you're done with the start-over cycle and ready to build something that actually compounds.
In This Episode:
Why mid-March is when most business owners start blaming themselves, and why that self-diagnosis is wrong
The difference between project-based goals and systems-based goals, and which one actually builds momentum over time
The three stages every new project goes through before it pays off (and the stage most people quit in)
How shiny objects and instant gratification keep you stuck in startup mode, even after you've outgrown it
The one question I ask clients to help them identify what's actually driving results in their business
Why the 90-day planning rhythm works when annual goal-setting doesn't, especially when life gets in the way
How to build a Q2 plan that tells you what to focus on each week, with built-in space for when things inevitably come up
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @racheal.cook
TikTok: @rachealcookmba
LinkedIn: @rachealcook
YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
Website: The CEO Collective
Subscribe & Review:
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Send us Fan Mail
If you've opened the news lately and felt your stomach drop, you already know how hard it is to justify sitting down to work on your business. The guilt is real. The distraction is real. And if you've been quietly wondering whether it's okay to keep going, this episode gives you a completely different way to think about it.
This is not an episode about ignoring what's happening. What I'm making the case for today is that what we are watching unfold is the death throes of a system that was never built for most of us to begin with. And what gets built on the other side? That's on us. Right now. In our businesses.
In this episode:
Why going quiet right now is one of the most costly things you can do
The difference between the old model of "power over people" and what a values-driven business actually looks like structurally
What matriarchy in business really means
How I personally stay grounded when the world is loud
Why your plan is not a cage, it's a compass
How to join me at the live CEO Retreat on March 27th to build your Q2 plan together
Show Links:
Q2 CEO Retreat on March 27th
On Demand CEO Retreat
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @racheal.cook
TikTok: @rachealcookmba
LinkedIn: @rachealcook
YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
Website: The CEO Collective
Subscribe & Review:
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Send us Fan Mail
Most business advice assumes you're operating at full capacity. But what happens when life doesn't cooperate — not for a week, not for a month, but for the better part of an entire year?
In 2025, I went from working 25 hours a week to about five. My parents needed more care than they could safely manage at home. My mom moved into memory care. There were hospital stays, doctor visits, Social Security calls, house sales — and ultimately, her passing in December. It was, without question, the hardest year of my life.
And yet, my business stayed intact. We kept our clients. We kept our revenue. I didn't have to walk away from the livelihood that supports my whole family.
That didn't happen by accident. It happened because I had a system — the Client Growth Engine — that was built to keep running even when I couldn't. In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes into the exact decisions my team and I made so the business could work around my life instead of the other way around. If you've ever wondered what your business would look like if you had to step back for a long stretch, this one is worth your time.
In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:
Why making strategic decisions before a crisis hits is the difference between steady revenue and panic mode — and how I did that when I saw what 2025 was going to require
A breakdown of the Client Growth Engine framework (attract → engage → nurture → invite → delight) and why designing it around your life matters just as much as designing it around your clients
How 10+ years of one core attract strategy meant I had systems in place that could absorb my stepping back — and what I swapped in when I couldn't keep it up
The surprisingly simple marketing shift that kept things moving without requiring much from me at all
Why I stopped creating new sales assets and just repurposed what already worked — and how that made launches actually manageable
The new direction I'm taking with on-demand offers — what prompted the shift and what it means for how you can access this work
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @racheal.cook
TikTok: @rachealcookmba
LinkedIn: @rachealcook
YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
Website: The CEO Collective
Subscribe & Review:
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!

Send us Fan Mail
From hiding behind NDAs to leading a thriving book writing business, Amanda Edgar's journey proves that embracing visibility can transform your entrepreneurial path. In this candid conversation, the ex-professor shares how she escaped the constraints of third-party platforms, built a strong team, and developed a unique framework for helping others write books. Her story demonstrates how the right business systems and community support can help you scale while staying true to your values. Amanda's evolution from reluctant expert to confident CEO offers a refreshing perspective on building a business that thrives even through personal challenges.
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @racheal.cook
TikTok: @rachealcookmba
LinkedIn: @rachealcook
YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
Website: The CEO Collective
Subscribe & Review:
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
🎤 Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week!