Your Business May Be Missing A CEO - And It’s You
Ask any solopreneur what they do, and they’ll rattle off a list of 30 different jobs. You’re the CEO, customer service rep, accountant, legal advisor, social media manager, lead magnet creator—and, oh yeah, the expert in whatever business you’re actually running.
The biggest mistake solopreneurs and small business owners make? They spend almost no time as the CEO and almost all their time as the employee. Instead of building a business that works for them, they work for their business.
The Cycle That Keeps Entrepreneurs Stuck
Many solopreneurs I work with come to me feeling stuck and frustrated. Ironically, they already have the tools they need—they’ve read all the business books, taken the courses, and could probably teach a masterclass themselves.
Their problem isn’t knowledge. It’s execution.
They start strong, following their strategy step by step—until life happens. A crisis at home. A demanding client. A backlog of tasks that suddenly feels overwhelming. Before they know it, the plan gets shoved to the bottom of the to-do list, and they’re back to scrambling just to keep up.
The CEO-Employee Exercise That Changes Everything
When I work with clients, I have them put on their CEO hat and talk directly to their "employee self." They say whatever they need to say. Then, they switch roles—putting on their employee hat and responding to the CEO. Finally, they step into the role of a neutral observer, reflecting on what they just heard.
What comes out of this exercise is often transformational. They realize:
As employees, they’re not using their time wisely.
As CEOs, they’re not structuring the workflow effectively.
You Need a CEO—Even If You Work Alone
Maybe you’re reading this thinking, I’m not a solopreneur—I just write for Substack, create content, or sell online courses.
Guess what? You are a solopreneur. And chances are, you haven’t hired your CEO yet. That means your company is running without anyone actually in charge.
How to Step Into Your CEO Role
End each day by writing two journal entries:
One from the employee perspective—What went well? What felt overwhelming? What do you need from leadership?
One from the CEO perspective—What’s the big-picture vision? What needs to change to make this business run better?
And one more thing: If your employee self is begging for a Saturday off to spend with family, give it to them. You wouldn’t demand a stranger work 24/7—so don’t do it to yourself.
