243: Why You're Stuck in Survival Mode Instead of CEO Mode (And How to Shift)

From Survival Mode to CEO Energy - Real Talk for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs

Are you running your business or is your business running you? In this conversational episode, Cindy Gordon explores the difference between operating from survival mode versus CEO energy, inspired by wealth mindset principles from thought leaders like Rachel Rodgers.

Learn why you're stuck responding to every "urgent" email, undercharging for your services, and feeling like the emergency response team for your own business - and more importantly, how to shift into strategic CEO thinking even when you're overwhelmed.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The survival mode trap that keeps entrepreneurs small and stressed
• How to reality-check what CEO energy actually means for overwhelmed business owners
• Why women entrepreneurs struggle with money mindset and charging their worth
• Practical ways to shift from reactive to strategic thinking in your business
• The identity shift required to go from firefighter to CEO of your business
• Simple exercises to start operating from abundance instead of scarcity

Perfect for: Female entrepreneurs and small business owners who feel stuck in survival mode, constantly putting out fires instead of building their empire.

Join over 1,500 entrepreneurs getting weekly Reality Checks in Cindy's newsletter and discover why The Growth Collective members are successfully shifting from survival to CEO energy together.

Resources mentioned:

• Weekly Reality Check Newsletter (1,500+ entrepreneurs - JOIN THEM)
• The Growth Collective Membership ($1/day)
• The Reality Check Method Framework

Stop operating from scarcity and start making decisions from CEO energy. Your business transformation starts with this mindset shift.

🎯 You don't have to figure this out alone! The Growth Collective is your $1/day business support community with weekly office hours, strategic frameworks, and entrepreneurs who get it. Less than your coffee, more than a mastermind. Details at https://exclusivelycindy.thrivecart.com/the-growth-collective/

💡 Don't forget to subscribe for more quick productivity tips for overwhelmed business owners and female entrepreneurs!

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Connect with Cindy Gordon - Reality Check Method Coach for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs:

• Website: ExclusivelyCindy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exclusivelycindy/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cindygordon

Transcript

0:00

Alright, friends, let's have a real conversation today. I'm not gonna share a three step method, just you and me talking about something that's been on my mind since I've been diving into Rachel Rogers work about wealth, mindset, and CEO thinking. You know that feeling when you're running your business, but it feels more like your business is running. You. When you're in constant survival mode, putting out fires, responding to every email within seconds, treating every client request like an emergency. Yeah. That's not you being a dedicated business owner. That's you operating from scarcity and instead of CEO energy. Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, a self-made entrepreneur, busy mom and execution coach. I built and sold multiple digital businesses, and let me tell you that the biggest shift happened when I stopped operating from survival mode and started thinking like a CEO, and that's exactly what over 1500 other entrepreneurs in my email community are working on too. We are shifting from reactive to strategic, from survival. To leadership. So here's what I've been thinking about and this really hit me when I was exploring Rachel Rogers concepts about the millionaire mindset. It's not about the money itself, it's about how survival mode thinking keeps us small. When you're in survival mode, everything is urgent. Every client email feels like it needs an immediate response. Every opportunity might feel like it's your last. Every discount request feels like you have to say yes or you're gonna lose the business. Does this sound familiar? I was talking to someone in our Growth Collective membership last week. Oh, and by the way, if you are not in there yet, it's literally a dollar a day. We meet every week to work through these exact kind of mindset shifts. She said something that stuck with me. She said, I feel like I am an emergency response team for my own business. And that's it. Exactly. When we're in survival mode, you're not the CEO of your business. You're literally a firefighter. And firefighters don't build empires. And here's where my reality check method comes in, because you know I can't help myself. But seriously, we do need to reality check what CEO energy actually means for someone who's overwhelmed. CEO energy isn't about having a perfect morning routine or wearing power pants suits. It's not about pretending you have it all together For us, the overwhelmed entrepreneurs, the ones juggling business and family, and the ones who sometimes work from their kitchen table, CEO, energy looks a little bit different. It means making decisions from abundance and not scarcity. It means setting boundaries because you value your expertise, not because you read it in a business book. It means charging what you're worth because you understand the transformation you provide. One thing that resonated from Rachel Rogers approach is the idea that we need to normalize wealth for women, especially women who don't fit the traditional business mold. Like why do we feel guilty about wanting to make good money? Why do we apologize for our prices? And why do we act like wanting financial success makes us greedy? So let me share something personal here. When I started charging premium prices for my coaching, I felt physically uncomfortable. Like who was I to charge this much? But then I reality checked it. I have built and sold multiple businesses. I have the experience. I have the results. The discomfort wasn't about my worth, it was about the old survival mode thinking. So here's what I want you to try this week, and this is something we dig deep into my newsletter every Thursday. Actually, pause right now. Go to the show notes and get on the list if you are not on it. I'm serious. Over 1500 Other entrepreneurs get these reality checks every single week, and they tell me that it is the one email that they actually read. Here's the exercise. Every time you make a business decision this week, I want you to ask yourself, am I making this choice from survival mode or CEO energy? Am I saying yes to this client because I'm afraid I won't get another one that's survival mode. Am I undercharging because I'm worried they'll say no? Yep. Survival mode again. Am I checking email at 10:00 PM because I'm afraid I'm missing something. You guessed it. That's survival mode. Now, I know you might be thinking easy for you to say, Cindy, but I need the money. I just can't start acting like a CEO when I'm barely making ends meet. fair point. And this is where I differ from some of the pure mindset work out there. You just can't manifest CEO energy. You need systems that support it. Start small. Pick one area that you're operating from survival mode and shift it. Maybe it's your email response time instead of immediately. Maybe you respond within 24 hours. Maybe it's your pricing. You add 20% to your next proposal. Maybe it's your schedule. You block off Friday afternoons for strategic thinking and not client work Something Rachel Rogers talks about that I think is crucial is that we need to change our relationship with money, especially as women entrepreneurs. Money isn't evil, wanting money isn't greedy. Money is a tool that lets you create the impact that you want to create. When you have CEO energy around money, you see it differently. You invest in your business, you hire help. You value your time. You stop doing everything because you understand that your time is better spent on CEO activities, strategy, vision, and relationship building. But once again, here's my reality. Check on this and this is why my approach works for overwhelmed entrepreneurs. You don't need to go from zero to millionaire mindset overnight. You just need to inch your way from survival to stability, then from stability to strategy and from strategy to CEO energy, this is perhaps the most important part, and it's something that I see with my clients all the time. The shift from survival mode to CEO energy is really an identity shift. You have to start seeing yourself as a CEO, even if you are the CEO of one, even if your office is a kitchen table, even if you're still figuring things out. CEOs make strategic decisions. They think long term, they invest in growth, they delegate, they eliminate low value tasks. They protect their energy. Charge what they're worth. They build systems. They think in terms of scaling and not just surviving. And here's what I love about the entrepreneurs in my community, both on my email list and especially in the growth collective. We're doing this together. We are normalizing CEO thinking for overwhelmed entrepreneurs, and we're proving that you can build successful businesses without burning out, without the hustle culture and without pretending to be someone that you're not. So here's what I want you to remember from our conversation today. This shift from survival mode to CEO energy isn't about having more money, though that can be the result. It's about changing how you think about your business, your worth, and your decisions. You don't need to be perfect. You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to start making one decision at a time from a place of CEO energy instead of survival mode. If this resonated with you, I want to invite you to two. Things first. Get on my email list link in the show notes every week. I share real practical ways to make the shift with over 1500 other entrepreneurs who get it, and second, consider joining the Growth Collective. It's a dollar a day annual membership, so 365. You get weekly office hours where you work through exactly these kinds of transformations, and we do it together. Lastly, remember, you're not broken, you're not behind, and you're definitely not alone and feeling overwhelmed, but you are a CEO whether you feel like it or not. So it is time to start operating like one. Okay. Until next time, just reminding you that when everything feels urgent, nothing really is. And remember, you've got this

Speaker: 9:09

Thanks for spending these few minutes with me today. Remember, overwhelm isn't permanent. It's simply your brain's way of saying pause and take a little reality check. If this was helpful, you'll love my weekly email tips where I share the systems that keep me and hundreds of other entrepreneurs on Track Link in the show notes. If you got value in today's episode, please share it with another entrepreneur who needs that reminder. If you're loving the show, I'd be so grateful if you could leave me a quick review. It helps other overwhelmed entrepreneurs find us. Make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss your weekly dose of clarity. For more resources and to connect with me, visit exclusively cindy.com. Until next time, remember you've got this.