When chasing your dream becomes a nightmare
CEO Chronicles
Welcome in, everyone! It’s your hosts Michele and Karamel here to talk all about what it means to chase your dream and what it means when that dream can become a nightmare. While we do acknowledge that there are lists out there that help you determine how you know that your dream is becoming a nightmare, we point out several different ways to tell, starting with assessing whether or not your personal life and/or business is/are suffering. Your dream can also, of course, become a nightmare when you’re not making enough to cover your costs, obviously a big one. We discuss the problems that...
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Is It Still the New Year...Let's Catch Up!
CEO Chronicles
We are back for a new season, everyone, and we are starting off by catching up on our entrepreneurial journeys, sharing insights, challenges, and triumphs. As brick-and-mortar and e-commerce business owners, we've navigated the ever-changing landscape of entrepreneurship for years, adapting to market shifts and personal growth along the way. From managing brick-and-mortar insurance agencies to e-commerce ventures and luxury travel experiences, our diverse businesses keep us on our toes, and we discuss the daily grind of entrepreneurship, the constant pursuit of growth, and the importance of...
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Do You Make the Cake? Working On or In Your Business
CEO Chronicles
We hope that you will join us today as we discuss the challenges and triumphs of small business ownership! As the year comes to a close, we reflect on our experiences, sharing insights on working in vs. working on the business. Michele discusses her shift from working IN the business rather than ON the business due to rising costs and the need to cut expenses. With a strategic approach, she streamlined operations, making tough decisions like letting go of certain expenses, including a beloved billboard. Embracing an abundance mindset rather than a scarcity mindset, she emphasizes the...
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Defining Employee Roles
CEO Chronicles
In this thought-provoking episode of the show, we hope that you'll join us as we discuss the intricate process of defining employee roles within our businesses! As we gear up for the upcoming year, we find ourselves at a crossroads, facing challenges in hiring the right candidates and clearly outlining their responsibilities, so we explore the delicate balance between employee expectations and employer needs, discussing the importance of effective communication and setting realistic goals. Through candid anecdotes and valuable insights, we share our personal experiences of managing teams,...
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Season 2, Episode 28
CEO Chronicles
In this episode of CEO Chronicles, we take a deep dive into the blurred lines between a hustle and a business. We grapple with the challenges of expanding our income streams, sharing personal experiences and candid insights. The conversation revolves around the critical decision-making process, exploring when a venture evolves from a mere hustle to a fully-fledged business. Discussing the importance of strategic investments, we emphasize the need for experts' guidance and how hiring specialists can elevate a side hustle into a thriving enterprise. We reflect on our own approaches, Karamel's...
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Bottom Line Up Front - BLUF
CEO Chronicles
Welcome back to another exciting episode of CEO Chronicles in which we dive deep into the essence of effective communication and time management, both incredibly important when it comes to being CEOs! We share our no-nonsense approach to business dealings, emphasizing the importance of getting straight to the point. Karamel discusses her frustration with unnecessary details and the need for clear, concise information in business interactions, and we both stress the significance of the "bottom line up front" mentality, focusing on what truly matters and making decisions swiftly. We also explore...
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Coming into your Bossdom!
CEO Chronicles
Join us this week on CEO Chronicles as we provide insights into both of our journeys as CEOs! In this candid conversation, we discuss the challenges and responsibilities that come with leading a business, and Michele reflects on her background in radio and sales, emphasizing the importance of never missing work and always achieving goals. Karamel, on the other hand, coming from a startup background, shares her experience of building something out of nothing and navigating the complexities of running a business. We both touch on our interactions with vendors and the need for clear communication...
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Career Considerations…Do We Have To?
CEO Chronicles
Join us today as we get talking about whether employers should consider things like commute times. We believe that you need to set clear expectations up front. We discuss how we are both upfront with our employees - the work needs to get done, even if it means staying late some nights. We do also talk about how we understand that people's lives change and how showing a little flexibility can build loyalty, but we also do not believe in showing favoritism. Listen in as we also get into how we each manage teams and how our styles are both similar and different. We like to consider their needs,...
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Entrepreneur Arrogance, Competence or Confidence
CEO Chronicles
Join us today on a thought-provoking episode of CEO Chronicles as we delve into the complex interplay between confidence, competence, and arrogance in the world of entrepreneurship! While we acknowledge that as business owners, we certainly exude confidence and certainty, we also explore the distinction between arrogance and competence. Reflecting on our roles as confident leaders with a clear vision, we emphasize the value of humility and the importance of balancing confidence with approachability. We also discuss the challenges of decision-making, the nuances of leadership, and the...
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Who is the Keeper of Your Institutional Knowledge?
CEO Chronicles
We are talking all about institutional knowledge today, and some of you may be wondering, what is institutional knowledge? Well, listen in today as we talk about what institutional knowledge is and why it’s important, offering personal examples along the way such as something that happened on Karamel’s recent trip to St. Lucia (not Croatia)! As we explain on the show, institutional knowledge is the sum of information a company and its employees possess, including but not limited to techniques, expertise, policies, data, skill sets, processes, and experiences. We also explain that there is...
info_outlineWe hope that you will join us today as we discuss the challenges and triumphs of small business ownership! As the year comes to a close, we reflect on our experiences, sharing insights on working in vs. working on the business. Michele discusses her shift from working IN the business rather than ON the business due to rising costs and the need to cut expenses. With a strategic approach, she streamlined operations, making tough decisions like letting go of certain expenses, including a beloved billboard. Embracing an abundance mindset rather than a scarcity mindset, she emphasizes the importance of adapting to business changes and staying vigilant.
Karamel shares her perspective on balancing hands-on involvement and strategic planning, acknowledging the need for energy management and considering an exit strategy. We explore the complexities of leadership, emphasizing the significance of effective communication, building a supportive network, and appreciating the efforts of the team!
Again, we hope that you will tune in to gain valuable insights into managing a successful business while nurturing meaningful relationships within the entrepreneurial journey! If you enjoy this episode, reach out to us with your thoughts because we would love to hear from you! Please also consider subscribing to the podcast if you aren’t subscribed already so that you never miss a new episode when it drops, and don’t forget that we are now on YouTube, so please feel free to follow our YouTube channel if you want to both hear us and see us!
Time Stamps
[1:23] - Michele says that this has been a very hard year for business.
[1:58] - Why has Michele been working IN the business this year vs. ON the business?
[3:06] - Michele touches upon why she had to cut expenses.
[3:46] - Michele has to let her beloved billboard go next year.
[4:42] - This year has been a year of growth for Karamel.
[5:54] - What does the phrase “making cake” mean to Michele and Karamel?
[7:30] - Karamel argues that you can afford what you make room for.
[9:11] - You have to pay attention; you cannot put your head in the sand!
[9:35] - It’s important to have an abundance mindset, not a scarcity mindset.
[11:23] - It’s so important to not break your own rules.
[14:21] - Business owners might be removed, and not all employers will know you.
[16:43] - Karamel pays experts for help because she acknowledges not knowing everything.
[19:08] - It requires a lot of energy to engage with people on a substantial level.
[21:32] - It’s important for people in your business to feel valued and loved.
[23:57] - Michele gives an example of why she wants to work ON her business rather than IN it.
[26:43] - It can be very hard for some people to step away from making the cake.
Resources
My CEO Chronicles - YouTube Channel
Email CEO Chronicles: [email protected]
Email Michele: [email protected]
Email Karamel: [email protected]