Hustle with Heels Podcast

Ep15. Shift Your Mindset from an Employee to an Entrepreneur

• Cindy Excell

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Making the leap from employee to entrepreneur requires more than just a business idea - it’s about transforming the way you think and step in and act as the CEO of your business.

In this episode, we’re talking about the mindset shift that’s essential for building a successful side hustle while still working in corporate.

We explore how the employee mindset, with its focus on structure and safety, can hold you back when stepping into entrepreneurship.

Shifting to an entrepreneurial mindset means taking ownership, embracing failure as feedback and information, and building habits that align with your long-term vision.

This shift doesn’t happen overnight, but small, intentional steps can create big momentum.

Whether it’s learning to take risks, reconnecting with your “why,” or seeing every challenge as a chance to grow, this episode will give you the tools to start thinking as a CEO of your own business.

If you’re ready to take the first step and create a business that’s truly yours, I’ve got a little surprise for you at the end of this episode.


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 Welcome to the Hustle with Heels podcast. I'm your host, Cindy Excell, a corporate girl, start hustler, wife, and a mom of two. In 2020, I started my first start hustle as an online fitness coach while working in my corporate job as a private wealth manager. Over the years, I have been living proof that a corporate career And a side hustle can absolutely co exist in harmony.

Today, I'm helping corporate women and early stage entrepreneurs create wealth beyond that nine to five jobs and build an online business on their terms. On this podcast, I'll share my knowledge, strategies, and the stories that will help you start and grow your side hustle. Whether you are ready to diversify your income streams or are looking to build a start business that aligns with your goals, I'm here to support you every step of the way.

Now let's get started.  Hey friend, welcome back to the Hustle with Heels podcast, your go to show for corporate professionals ready to build a start hustle online coaching business while still working in corporate. Today, I want to talk about maybe one of the most critical shifts that you need to make if you want to succeed as a business owner, especially when you are still working in a corporate environment, which is shifting from an employee mindset to an entrepreneur mindset.

Mindset is the cornerstone of success in entrepreneurship.  It is what keeps you moving forward when things get tough. It is what allows you to take risks and move through challenges with confidence as well. So this mindset shift is often the hardest part in my view of transitioning from a nine to five world to building your own online business.

Now, when you are working in the corporate job, there are systems, structures, job or position descriptions. And you also have managers, for example, who can guide you and teams that you can get a support from. And also you will have. You know, a business unit that can provide the trainings to you in order for you to do your job.

In addition, you also have a manager setting expectations, KPIs, and colleagues to collaborate with and a clear framework to work within. In this kind of environment, your success is often defined by how well you follow these rules and perform within that framework, as well as how much of your KPI you have met, et cetera.

If you have been in the corporate world like me for a while, some of these might feel familiar. For example, dependence on external structure, meaning you rely on the manager or your organization to set goals, deadlines, and priorities. And you may also prefer security over taking risks when you are in a corporate world because you are used to a steady, regular income coming through every fortnight or every month.

And usually your focus as an employee is on completing tasks assigned to you rather than driving a larger vision. Well, actually there is an exception here. Like CEOs of a company often requires a mixture of entrepreneur and employee mindsets. They think strategically and creatively like an entrepreneur, while they are also responsible for interpreting, refining, and operationalizing  the vision and the strategic directions that were set by the board of the directors.

And as an employee, most of us also have this fear of failure because we don't really want to make mistakes as employees. Mistakes are often seen as something to avoid because they can lead to poor performance review or maybe cause some, you know, detrimental consequences for your job. And let me be very clear, none of this is bad or wrong.

The employee mindset is worth rewarded in a corporate environment. But if you bring this mindset into your side hustle or your business, it can hold you back. For example, you might hesitate to take bold actions because you are afraid of getting it wrong. Or you might wait for someone else to tell you what to do instead of initiative, which leads to You will never get started, or you will never take the next step.

But, as an entrepreneur, all these rules go out of the window. You are the boss. You are the one setting the vision and the direction of your own business. You make the decisions and solve all the problems. There is no one telling you what to do or how to do it. So that freedom can be exciting, but it is also overwhelming.

It's like all of the sudden you have all these directions that you can take, or all these different projects that you love to work on. The possibilities become unlimited. There are a few key traits of entrepreneurial mindset, such as you need to take full responsibility for your results, whether it's good or bad.

If something doesn't work, you actually need to analyze, learn, and adjust, and you also need to be willing to take a calculated risk because you understand that growth often comes from stepping outside your comfort zone, and you're focused on the bigger picture and long-term goals, not just those immediate tasks.

And in the entrepreneurial world, failure does not derail you, instead it actually becomes a stepping stone to success. And you also need to look for opportunities, finding solutions, and innovate. Good news is that these traits can actually be learned and developed. No one is born with an entrepreneurial mindset, at least most of us are not.

It is something that you actually cultivate over time. And the more you practice these traits, the stronger they become. And over time, they can even become a habit. This is why mindset matters even more for entrepreneurs, because it's a foundation that allows you to take risks, face uncertainties, and keep going when there is no guaranteed full nightly or monthly income coming through.

Without the right mindset, it is very easy to get stuck in analysis, paralysis, self doubt, or fear of failure, or even fear of success. But with the right mindset, you become unstoppable. By recognizing these differences, you can actually start understanding and pinpointing where you are holding on to an employee mindset and where you can begin adopting and practicing an entrepreneurial approach.

Here are a few practical steps to help you do it. Step number one, take ownership. Ownership means understanding that every result, good or bad, comes down to you. Start taking responsibilities for everything in your business. If something isn't working, ask yourself, what can I do differently? Take a moment to analyze it, Is it your strategy, your execution, or perhaps your mindset holding you back?

When you are taking full ownership, you actually stop blaming external factors and start becoming the problem solver for your business needs. Step number two is to practice taking small risks. Risk taking doesn't mean jumping off the deep end without a plan, that actually means start with a small and manageable risk.

Maybe it's sharing a vulnerable personal story on LinkedIn, or connecting to someone who is your ideal client but you've never spoken to before, or post a video that even if it feels cringe and uncomfortable, well, take this podcast as an example. Listening to my own voice was actually weird, and it makes me cringe as well at the beginning.

Now, few months in, by doing this every week, now I'm feeling more comfortable and natural. Each small risk actually builds your confidence, and it teaches you that the discomfort is where growth happens. Step number three is to focus on your vision. Your vision is your North Star. So take time every week, even just the 10 minutes every Sunday, for example, to reconnect with it.

To go back to your why, why did you start this journey? What impact do you actually want to create with your side business? And what kind of life or career do you desire so much so that you decide to build a business of your own? Write it down and speak it out loud, let that guide your decisions. When you stay connected to your bigger purpose, it is easier to push through daily challenges.

Spend time every week revisiting your goals, your visions, and reminding yourself of your why and the bigger purpose behind your business. Step number four is to build resilience. Resilience is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Start treating any setbacks as opportunities. When something doesn't go as planned, don't ask why me, why again.

Instead, ask, what's the lesson here? What's the information I can gather from this experience? How can I take this and test it in a different way? I truly believe that entrepreneurs who succeed are the ones who keep getting back up, no matter how many times they fall. They just never give up. When you face setbacks, don't give up.

Instead, ask, what can I learn from this and do differently next time? And that's how you build resilience and make the habit as well. Step number five, develop problem solving skills. This is truly essential for entrepreneurs who are creative thinkers and are always looking for solutions, even in the toughest situations.

You can do this by even breaking down the problems into smaller parts. What's the real issue? For example, what resources do you have? What is the one small step you can take today to solve maybe one small part of the bigger problem? Look for solutions instead of getting stuck in the problems. Using the title of Maria Folio's book, Everything is Figureoutable, ask this one question, how can I figure this out?

Or how can I make this work?  Step number six is to create new habits. Habits are the backbones of an entrepreneurial mindset. Starting small, and you can do that by develop with a smaller habits. Maybe it's planning your top three priorities each morning, or dedicating 30 minutes a day to learn a new skill.

The key is to stay consistent. Over time, these small actions compound into massive results. Start building routines as well that can support your entrepreneurial goals, such as daily planning, setting priorities, and reviewing your progress, and reflection at the end of each week, etc. Here's the thing.

Shifting your mindset from an employee to entrepreneur It isn't just about changing how you think, it is actually about changing how you see yourself. It's like to create a new identity and step into this new version of you. The version that takes ownership, faces challenges head on, and creates a career and life that feels truly aligned with your heart.

Imagine every morning you wake up knowing that you are building something that's yours on your terms. Something that speaks your truth, reflects your values, your passion and your vision for your future, for you and for your loved ones. That is the power of this mindset shift. It actually can give you the freedom to design a life and a business on your terms.

And all that takes is to start small. Take one small step today that feels bold but possible. Maybe it's saying yes to a new opportunity. Maybe it's sharing your business ideas with someone you know. Or simply journaling about your big dreams. All these small actions will build the momentum. And the momentum will build confidence.

And if you are ready to go deeper, I'd love to support you. You can book a free 30 minutes side hustle clarity call with me. The link is in the show note below. And let's talk about where you are at, what's holding you back and how we can get you moving towards your entrepreneurial goals. This is your time, your moment to stop waiting for permission and start taking actions.

Thank you so much for tuning in today. I believe in you and your potentials, and I can't wait to see the incredible things you will create. Until next week, keep dreaming big, taking bold steps, and building the career and life you deserve. I will see you next week. Thank you so much for listening to the Hustle with Heels podcast.

I hope this episode has inspired you to take action towards your self hustle dream. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a second to rate and review it. Each review helps me help more corporate women and early stage entrepreneurs just like you. Don't forget to take a screenshot, share it in your Instagram stories or on LinkedIn and tag me at Cindy Excell.

I will see you next week.