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I go on CEO dates with myself. Once every month (as well as on a weekly basis), I take some time to check in on my business and ensure I’m continuing the progress toward the goals I’ve set. This is how I create business plans that I follow through on and adapt as circumstances arise. And in this episode, I discuss how you too can build in self-accountability so that your plan isn’t just another document you’ll never open again.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

2:59 - I talk about my monthly CEO date and dive into my check-in process.

7:48 - What kinds of questions can you ask yourself as you look back on the previous month?

11:28 - I reveal another reason why I absolutely love working with The CEO Planner.

14:15 - What are the consequences of not tracking and documenting things in your business on a consistent basis?

20:07 - Your business metrics and revenue help you predict your company’s future. I reveal how I check on mine every month without obsessing over them.

27:20 - What if you discover that you’ve fallen behind (even way behind) on your projected goals? Here’s how I handle it.

32:24 - One of the most crucial things you need to do with your team while setting your top business priorities for the next month.

34:10 - What’s the last thing I do at the end of my monthly CEO date?

• Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge
• The CEO Collective
• The CEO Retreat
• The CEO Planner
• Racheal on Instagram and

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @racheal.cook
• TikTok: @rachealcookmba
• LinkedIn: @rachealcook
• YouTube: @the_ceo_collective
• Website: The CEO Collective

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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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Every new year feels like a new chance to go after the big, audacious goals of your dreams. But as recent years have shown, you need to have adaptable plans for your business so that it can have the flexibility it needs while still getting the results you want. That’s why I love running my quarter through 90-day plans. Today, I talk about how to actually dig in and start creating these plans for your own business.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

3:34 - Why go for 90-day plans? Entrepreneurs love setting big, ambitious goals, but it can be overwhelming.

7:27 - How do you break down big goals into more manageable chunks to fit your time, energy, and resources? You can make your best guess, or do this instead.

11:24 - As an example, I quickly walk through how you can launch a new group program within a year (or sooner).

16:03 - How do you actually create your first 90-day plan? I dig into it and discuss the kind of goals you want to focus on during this process.

19:50 - Start the process by looking over your sales and marketing with this 5-part marketing strategy framework.

27:01 - Most people think of this part of the framework when they think of marketing and can get it confused with the first step. I reveal why it’s different and necessary.

34:08 - What’s next after you have your systems in place? I discuss the difference between process vs. project goals and breaking them down in your 90-day plan.

38:38 - Asking yourself these questions as you work through your plan can really help ensure you avoid major challenges.

• Plan Your Best Year Ever Challenge
• The CEO Collective
• The CEO Retreat
• The CEO Planner
• Get Paid Calculator

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 a text

I need you to meet Michelle Mercurio. She's one of those rare people who refuses to pick a lane—and that's exactly what makes her brilliant. In this conversation, we dig into why the traditional business advice to "niche down" might actually be killing your ability to show up as yourself. Michelle's built a career that spans branding, community building, teaching, and yes, witchy practices—all tied together by two powerful threads: understanding who we are and how we relate to one another.

What I love most about this episode is how Michelle reframes growth itself. We're so conditioned to think growth means up, up, up—more revenue, bigger team, next level. But what if growth is actually a spiral? What if coming back to familiar patterns isn't regression but evolution? We explore how to shed decades of conditioning that taught us to smooth out our edges and fit in, why elevator pitches actually kill connection, and what it really takes to build authentic community (spoiler: it requires showing up even when it's uncomfortable). If you've ever felt like you're supposed to be further along or you're doing it wrong because you don't fit the mold, this one's for you.

In This Episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

• Why Michelle describes growth as a spiral rather than a ladder—and what that means when you feel like you're revisiting the same challenges you thought you'd already overcome

• The real danger of trying to fit in as a small business owner—how smoothing out your edges to belong actually makes you invisible in the marketplace

• What neuroplasticity research reveals about conditioning—and why it takes intentional effort to break free from the patterns that keep us playing small

• How elevator pitches kill connection instead of creating it—Michelle shares her "Ditch the Pitch" approach that uses questions as hooks instead of titles and credentials

• The truth about successful people that nobody talks about—hint: they're just the ones who didn't quit (but Michelle draws an important line about what you should quit)

• Why you can't just show up once and expect community to happen—what it really takes to find your people and build genuine relationships in business

• The one action you can take today to build authentic community—Michelle's practical suggestion for anyone feeling isolated in their business journey

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!