Solopreneur to CEO with Shannon Mattern

Posted in Podcast

Have you ever thought to yourself…

Is this it?

Is this what my work life is going to be like every day?

This can’t be all it is!

Well, you are not alone!

Today we’re talking to Shannon Mattern and she described having those same exact thoughts.

That’s because if you are on the trek from Solopreneur to CEO you already know about some of the challenges that go along with that journey.

Shannon is the founder of ShannonMattern.com where she has created a business that teaches women how to create and grow their own web design business.

In today’s episode, we dive into how Shannon has really zeroed in on exactly what it is to be a CEO.

How do I get into the CEO mindset?

How do I hire employees with the right vision and foundation for my company?

Shannon is in the thick of it just like you and shares very transparently what it has been like to go from solopreneur to CEO.

So if you are wondering what it means to elevate yourself to CEO press play on today’s episode!

In today’s episode, we talk about:

The challenges and hard lessons learned while attempting to start a business and shake off the employee mindset.
What it’s like to have a rapid testing phase and how it impacts your growth.
How elevating yourself to CEO means finding freedom, flexibility, and financial independence.

Some of the highlights of this episode include:

Employee to Entrepreneur

Shannon shares her origins story and what it was like working a corporate job and feeling the desire for something more.

Shannon does an amazing job talking about how important it is to get out of the mindset of an employee, thinking your clients are all bosses.

She describes the feelings of burnout and undercharging but over-delivering. Let’s face it, we can probably all relate.

You need to own your value and start thinking through things like an entrepreneur.

Finding Freedom But Feeling Fear

The freedom of quitting the day job is usually quickly followed by the fear of having to deliver and continue to perform at the highest level in order to make it work.

This can lead to fear-driven decisions like constantly testing and trying new strategies and new products.

Of course, with the challenge of rapid strategy changes you can easily lose sight of what is actually working and bringing in revenue.

Fear can do that to us. We can be so obsessed with making it work that we can disregard what can actually bring in revenue for our business.

Instead of letting fear drive your testing seasons, pay attention to what people are telling you, and not what you think they need. Listen to your audience.

The Importance of Hiring Strategically

I love the perspective Shannon shares on how important it is to build your team and that hiring strategically is absolutely vital.

Don’t get stuck in the trap of cloning yourself by hiring freelancers to do things that ultimately don’t need to be done.

You can have the best team in the world, but if you’re not focused on the methods or strategies that work, you’re not going to see the return on your investment.

Finally a CEO

Shannon talks about the pivotal mindset shift that really changed how she viewed herself as CEO.

“You are not your business, you are running your business.”

Once you disentangle yourself from your business and claim your ownership, you can feel the CEO freedom you’ve been searching for!

When you make that shift, now if there are challenges or issues you don’t have to personalize it as some kind of personal failure, but you can approach it analytically and strategically. Like a CEO would!

Finally elevating yourself to CEO means finding freedom, flexibility, and financial independence.