Season 4 | Episode 1 | The CEO Shift: From Operator to Leader

Season 4 of Fempire Rising begins with a conversation every business owner needs to hear.

In this special panel episode, Trudy Heins is joined by Laura Connarty-Duncan, Karen Evans, and Dena Piro, three Fempire Certified Business Coaches with decades of combined experience across corporate leadership, business ownership and coaching.

Together, they explore what it really means to make The CEO Shift. That point where working harder is no longer the answer, and stepping into leadership becomes the key to sustainable business growth.

The panel shares personal stories of career pivots, leadership lessons, imposter moments, burnout, confidence, delegation and the realities of building businesses that don't rely on the owner doing everything.

This conversation is practical, honest and full of commercial insight for women who are ready to stop operating in their business and start leading it.

In this episode, Trudy, Laura, Karen and Dena discuss:

•  What The CEO Shift really means and why every business owner eventually reaches it. 
•  The difference between being busy and being commercially effective. 
•  Why so many women underestimate the value of their own experience. 
•  Building confidence through action rather than waiting until you feel ready. 
•  Delegation, systems and why they need to happen earlier than most business owners think. 
•  The mindset shifts required to move from operator to leader. 
•  The importance of boundaries, resilience and building a business that supports your life. 
•  Practical advice for women who are ready to lead with more confidence and commercial clarity. 

Episode Highlights

00:00 Welcome to Season 4: The CEO Shift

02:49 Meet the panel: Laura Connarty-Duncan, Karen Evans & Dena Piro

09:45 The first signs you've become the bottleneck

17:36 Why the CEO Shift starts with mindset

23:08 Delegation, outsourcing and letting go

28:38 Systems: Why you need them earlier than you think

34:33 Getting out of the day-to-day and leading strategically

39:53 Redefining success as a business owner

42:12 The one thing every CEO needs to stop doing

47:08 Turning decades of experience into a coaching business

53:12 Final advice for women making the CEO Shift

Connect with our panel

Laura Connarty-Duncan
Founder & CEO Champion Women

Karen Evans
Founder & CEO Business By Design Coach

Dena Piro
Founder & CEO DP Business Coaching


Find all of our Certified Business Coaches here

Become a Fempire Certified Business Coach:
If you're an experienced businesswoman ready to turn your knowledge into a profitable coaching business, learn more here

Join the FEMPIRE Academy:
Access practical business resources, masterclasses, templates and a community of women building commercially strong businesses here

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Fempire Rising, her future, her voice. I'm Trudy Hines and I'm the CEO of Fempire, a strategic business consultant and your host. If you joined us for season three, you'll know we spent the season exploring the foundations of building a successful business. But eventually, every business owner reaches a point where working harder is no longer the answer nor the option. The very skills that helped her start the business can become the things that hold her back. And that's where season four begins. Welcome to the CEO Shift. This season we're talking about what it really takes to move from operator to CEO of your business. To stop doing everything yourself, to build stronger systems, make better decisions, lead with confidence, and create a business that does not rely on you for every single thing. I'll be speaking with women from Australia, New Zealand and around the world who have made that shift and have the lessons to prove it. Because the goal isn't to do more, the goal is to lead better. This is Vampire Rising. Today's episode is a special one because it officially opens season four of Vampire Rising. This season is all about the CEO shift, the moment a woman in business realizes she can no longer keep doing everything herself and has to start leading differently. And I could not think of a better way to begin than with a panel conversation featuring three of our fabulous Vampire certified coaches, Laura, Karen, and Dina. All these coaches are at a very different stage in their coaching career. However, all have come from a background of experience and knowledge that they certainly are happy and eager to share. Together we explore what it really means to move from being the operator in your business to the CEO of your business, how to recognize when you have become the bottleneck in your own business, how to get out of your own way, why outsourcing and systems matter earlier than most women think, and how to build a business that supports your life, not just your revenue. We also talk about the coaching journey itself and why women with years of business experience often underestimate just how valuable their knowledge really is. This is a practical, honest, and powerful conversation to open up our season. So let's dive in. Ladies, welcome to Fempire Rising. I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you for having me. Pleasure. Thank you. So to begin with, I'd love each of you to share what inspired you to become a coach and support women in business. So Laura, I'd like to start with you. Your extensive leadership experience and your passion for helping women build confidence and lead without burnout. What encourage you to become a coach and support women in business?

SPEAKER_04 2:49

Yeah, thanks, Trudy. Um, so I found myself becoming a general manager at 27 years old. I was actually found out I was pregnant when I was offered this maternity. Oh wow. I know. And I had high perempus gravidarum, so I ended up very, very sick. But the reason that I got there was I had an amazing boss. She was a female who let me do everything for six years. She trained me up, she built me up, she gave me confidence, allowed me to do everything. And then throughout that 20-year journey, it wasn't um strategic, it wasn't deliberate, it was just one opportunity after another opportunity. Lessons and mistakes and managing people and managing businesses, um, and those businesses got bigger and the responsibility got bigger. And I found myself in a male-dominated role in three national associations, and I was the only woman who'd ever done this role in the 40-year history. The only woman who was an executive, you know, the only woman in three boardrooms, um, doing national conventions, supporting big industry and business. And they said to me, Oh, you could be the champion for women. We've got this women's development program that had a little bit less enthusiasm or support or advocacy. Let's say how unusual for that to happen. Than the young, the young professionals development programme, for example. And I just really took that and it became an absolute burning passion. But I think it's also because my mother is a role model, she was an executive, and in her time that was even more rare. And I think just being under her wing, she took me to feminist meetings when I was younger. So I really am a feminist and I've completely embraced that. But also having two children living on the other side of the world without a support network, I realized when I really got involved in designing and and and doing the women's development programmes that I'd actually burnt out a few times myself, and I was recognising as I was supporting other women lots of common mistakes. So I was just completely drawn to um helping women and I just started to search around and the universal line, and I've heard other people say this, but Fempire popped up on the that happened for me, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

So I 100% know where you're coming from.

SPEAKER_04 4:58

I didn't know what coaching was two and a half years ago. Even though I was even though I was doing it and I trained to mentor and mentor mentor and do I just I hadn't heard of it. So this, yeah, two years later, absolutely love it. Very, very passionate about helping women, and seeing more women in the boardroom in positions that are underrepresented, CEOs. For example, we only have 20% of women in the gym.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

There's so much work to be done, but I think that conversation around burnout is such an important one because so many women have spent years carrying businesses, teams, and families and the emotional loads. So that is certainly something that is great to bring to the forefront. And the other thing that you mentioned is just sometimes it is not a pre-planned destiny. Many of our coaches arrive here through a pathway that is definitely not designed, but I love the fact that there are so many women out there these days that will actually just take advantage of opportunities when they're presented to them, embrace them and run with them with you know some trepidation, but you know, opportunities don't come your way for no reason at all. So, you know, there's clearly people out there that believe in what you're doing, and sometimes, as I said, we need to get out of our own way and trust that others know us better than sometimes we do. So thank you for sharing that. That's all right. Dina, I'd like to ask you next: after building a successful cheer and dance academy while balancing business and family, what inspired you to turn your experience into a coaching business that helps other women create both business success and life balance? Thank you, Trudy.

SPEAKER_03 6:35

So I actually started my business by accident. So I went in not knowing anything about business, so I learned along the way. So where I'm coming from is that I do want to help women overcome the same challenges that I did when I first started and what I went through, so they know there are support systems out there for them. So I would want to be that support system for them, a sounding board, or even sometimes just a voice of reason. I found when I started that I didn't have that and I didn't know where to look. And as women, we do tend to take on everything and we believe that we can do it all and all ourselves, but we can probably do that, but we don't have to. So I really want to put myself out there to help women start their businesses and be that support system for them. It can be isolating, it can be isolating as well in business, and especially when you've been working a hundred plus hours a week, then all of a sudden a new baby comes along, and now you've got the pressures of family, baby, work, and you can't work under a lot.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

So many others have an opinion on what you should be doing, don't they? And I think sometimes the pressure of other people's opinions on where you should spend your time competing with when you feel you want to can often be such a huge thing to overcome.

SPEAKER_03 7:51

Yes, that's actually a really big point, Trudy. And one person's what they want to do after having a baby and going back to work or going back to your business can be completely different to somebody else.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Absolutely. Everybody's definition of success or you know what their journey needs to look like is their own, and I think that's one thing that a coach will help you with is help you actually distill down what your definition of success is so that you can strive towards that because what your partner, your children, your accountant, your your whoever, it has to be what works for you. And I think for so many women listening, they will relate to that because the reality is that many women are building businesses while trying to hold everything else together behind the scenes as well. You sit in a wonderful area of support, particularly for women that need that.

SPEAKER_03 8:44

And I also feel like there's a lot of women out there who want to start or want to do something, they are really passionate about something, and they want that can be your life, like that can be your business. You can build that business around your family, around other commitments. And I think it's important that women know that that's okay. You don't have to fit the mold and go back to work and do your night.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

And you can design your business. Yeah, you can design your business to serve you, not the other way around. So that's right. So now I want to move on to Karen. Now, Karen is our newest coach for the panel, and excitingly, the day that this episode drops, Karen will also launch her coaching business. So that is super exciting for FemPyre and for me, and I'm sure for Karen. So, Karen, you come from an accounting and a financial background. So, with your expertise and your passion for helping business owners better understand their numbers, what motivated you to become a coach and help women build stronger, more profitable businesses?

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Thanks, Trudy. Um, yes, it feels like it's been a long time coming, but I'm very excited to launch from the first of July. Uh so yes, very much looking forward to that. But uh, with with uh my background as um a co-owner and accounting practice, and then later as a CFO for businesses, I've I've seen a lot of businesses, small, medium, large businesses, all the different complexities with that. And you see how the success or lack of success affects everybody's life as well. One of my main motivations for becoming a coach has was the gap I kept seeing this between financial success and or lack of it and personal fulfillment. So many women they start their business because they're passionate about what they do, they believe it will create more freedom, people freedom with time, money, purpose, and how they want to live their lives. And what I kept seeing was that over time the business just became another source of pressure or responsibility with everything else that they're carrying in their life, alongside with work, family, relationships, etc. And it wasn't a lack of capability. It was I kept seeing two recurring patents with with it. It was financial clarity and confidence was would be the first one I'd say. Many women, they're incredibly hardworking and but they don't always fully understand their numbers.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

No, and that financial literacy is a huge, a huge point. And you know, my background as well, coming from that financial side, is that if you don't understand your numbers in your business, you are behind the eight ball right from the way.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Yeah, and sometimes there's a barrier around that. And I think it's just breaking through that barrier. Often hear, oh, I'm not good with maths or don't like numbers, that sort of thing. That uh honestly, is and it's got nothing to do with it, or it does have a lot to do with accounting, but it's not about understanding accounting, it's about just understanding the story of your numbers, yes, and the and the clarity that that's and the flow of your money. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

I think totally ownership of the flow of your money, because the reality of it is is that yes, there's lots of different terminology for it, but it's money in, money out. Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

And if if that's not clear, everything really revolves around your money. There's a lot to a business, but everything comes back to the money. So that's what I one of the first gaps is the financial understanding and the clarity around that. And then alignment is a big thing as well, is many were trying to build businesses, I would say, in like a traditional sense where it's about growth and it's about output and you know we hear the word hustle all the time. That that sort of thing without considering how women really live their lives. So that's the gap that I've I became passionate about closing. Yeah. So helping women build businesses where profit profitability and strategy still deeply matter, extremely important, but where success is also aligned with their life, with their energy, and actually how they want to live.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

And I think you know that that to me, you know, with with all three of you, and you all specialize in very different areas, and obviously that's one of the things that we are so passionate about with our Femai coaches, is that you know, we're not creating clones of each other. We want to be able to offer lots of different points of view. But I guess to bring that down and really get that nugget of gold in there is actually being able to say, if you are a woman in business, you can build a business that serves you, however, that serves you. And it's not up to anybody else to tell you that you must scale, you must do this, you must do that. It's actually working with a coach to uncover what you need, what your goals are, and to be able to design your process and your progress from that. So, you know, again, that that common thread has gone through everything that you've all just said. So thank you for that. Now, Karen, I'm I'm going to ask you the first question. And ladies, please feel free to jump in should you wish. But based on your experience working with business owners and their numbers, what are some of the early signs that a business owner has come to a bottleneck in their business?

SPEAKER_01 13:59

The major warning sign is that a business can't function without the owner's input. So basically, if everything revolves around the owner, you don't have a business, you've just got a job with equity steps. That's right, exactly. So we would typically see every decision needs their input, but things slow down when they step away and nothing is documented or or repeatable. Um and if they're operating that way, then decisions just become urgent and sort of operating on exhaustion sometimes as well. Absolutely not carefully thought out. That's right, that's right. And I think growth can expose the weaknesses in a business very quickly if that's the situation.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Absolutely. And Dina, I'd love your perspective on this from a balance and an operational perspective. What are your thoughts there?

SPEAKER_03 14:46

Yeah, I think it's definitely like the owner wants to take on everything. Things that I've seen is that staff start to not show any initiative anymore. They're not getting that growth that they want or that fulfillment that they want. So they either leave or they're not taking on any extra roles, they're showing up to work, working.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

They're feeling they're being directed all the time and and not valued for their own thought process.

SPEAKER_03 15:11

Yes, exactly. So it's also important as the owner to realize that you need to sort of step away to allow if you want growth, you need to allow for other people to be able to step up and have that fulfillment as well. And in the long run, it all works out.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Yeah. And Laura, what do you tend to notice from a leadership perspective in that situation?

SPEAKER_04 15:31

Yeah, well, we we do know the facts are there and the research is there that employees' satisfaction is about that autonomy, right? This is one of the biggest things. It's not the money, and if you don't give them autonomy, and it is a mistake that a lot of leaders make, and I can definitely relate to that. And I speak to lots of the clients about the control element, you know, which can be that female CEO who's very competent, and but but you then you want to do everything and know how to do everything, but you have to kind of give that autonomy um to other people. And if you're going to grow a business, you're growing a team and you're all going together and you're all in tune with what the final goal is and which value each person's part in that. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

And I think the thing, you know, that that is really important is if you have a member on your team that you can't trust to do that, then you probably need to look at that. Ultimately, if there's not a level of trust there, you need to probably unpack why and potentially address that situation. If your staff members are not competent for what you need, then you know that can be a training gap. And that I think as an employer is up to you to provide the training, or maybe they're not the right fit for your business, and that's okay as well. Really casting a critical eye over is it a you problem that you can't lose the control, or is it a team problem that you don't have the confidence and the trust?

SPEAKER_04 16:51

So yeah, and that's that's where the coaching comes in. Absolutely. Easier said than done. I've been brought up organizational reviews and large organizations, you know, hundreds of staff, and it's very hard to change that. So I think that's the kind of coaching that I do is actually you're expected to have all the answers as the CEO and the leader. So who's supporting you?

SPEAKER_00 17:11

And this is not easy. This is common. No, no, and nobody likes to be the person that makes that. Well, many don't like to be that person that makes a decision. So having, you're right, a good sounding board that is a coach who can draw you to natural conclusions by asking you the right questions and potentially challenging you is critical. Yeah, and the strength and the barking to do those difficult things as well. Yep, correct.

SPEAKER_05 17:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

So I think a lot of women were being needed as a badge of honor until they realise the business cannot grow without them stepping back from every single task. And you in your each of your own ways has just reinforced that very much. So, Laura, what do you see in women struggling with most when it comes to stepping into their CEO role?

SPEAKER_04 17:57

It's a lot of it's mindset. That mindset shift and helping them get there on their own without telling them what but you know, asking those inquisitive questions about what do we truly want. And a lot of people will say they do want to grow a business where they're not working 24-7 and they're not sure that's sustainable for them. So yeah, I I find that's the biggest thing is just having that clarity and perspective and a bit of strategy around it so it's kind of sustainable and they can step into that CEO position um and see the structure that they need to put in place so that they can have that balance. And the things outside business I talk about is what really drives you. Do you want a holiday? Do you want more time with your children? We've got to have good health. Let's think about the long term and the whole holistic human. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Because you cannot continue to run if you're burning the candle at both ends, can you? All things to all people.

SPEAKER_04 18:49

So mindset normally if people's confidence or or their kind of value system or their beliefs that they've inherited from other people and a question, what who are you listening to? Is it your actually what your parents expect? What society are we doing this? Truly alight.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Conditioning is critical. And sometimes it is really that deconditioning, right? Absolutely. And Karen, how do you see this showing up financially or commercially within businesses as well?

SPEAKER_01 19:14

I I I agree there with uh Laura, it's a mindset shift and like an identity shift. But as far as the financial side, I would say there's probably I mentioned it before, financial avoidance is a problem when you're stepping into that CEO because you you ultimately have to have an understanding of your numbers well enough that you're not guessing anymore. You know what's working, what's not, where the business is actually being driven from, and more importantly, you can see the opportunities or where the areas that need pulling back. So if you don't have that visibility, it's very hard to make those strategic decisions. And I guess a simple way to think about that is visibility creates clarity. Clarity creates confidence, and it's confidence that you need to make those strategic decisions.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Absolutely. The numbers are so critical because it helps you understand, particularly when you are scaling, what offers to take along, what to expand out, what's making a profit, what's costing you money. And as you said right at the outset, are you just buying yourself a job or are you actually running a business and earning risk return reward for having a business? Because this is the one thing I see time and time again with women is that they're not, they they are essentially pricing themselves way too low in certain, particularly in personal services businesses, where by the time you look at the costs and they are earning less than if they went and worked nine to five. Absolutely. I think you've got this whole layer of risk that you're not covering.

SPEAKER_01 20:42

And there's so much about pricing. We could that's a whole other podcast, right? We could go into. But yeah, like just even just not knowing what levers to pull in the business, when and where and how and what an impact those levers can actually make. That's a really important change you need to make when you're stepping into that CEO role.

SPEAKER_04 21:00

Absolutely. I just wanted to add about I do a lot of work around that forecasting piece. Is let's let's talk about what it is strategically or value aligned, but then let's map it out and see what it looks like. Let's really look at the real numbers. And that's also where I think the most rewarding work is where I get women to realise their own worth. Absolutely. And what you know, what you can charge and what you can make.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

Yeah. Um, no, that's absolutely critical. Dina, what does this look like from your experience about balancing both business and family life when it comes to stepping into that CEO role?

SPEAKER_03 21:33

I know uh we set boundaries, especially when we step into this CEO role, but we have to stick to it. And we can't be guilty about setting our boundaries. That is a big thing. Like we all have boundaries. Women's guilt. It's a whole, again, a whole other podcast, right? I know this because I've done it, but we can't feel guilty about setting our own boundaries. If we don't want to work past 10 o'clock, you don't work past 10 o'clock, or even if that's five o'clock or 3 p.m. We can't feel guilty about that. We can't do everything. If we are overgiving, overcompensating, doing everything in business, that's gonna look like we're underpricing, we're taking on too much because, like you said, we're probably making more money if we were to work that nine to five rather than underpricing ourselves because we're trying to do everything. And don't be guilty about saying no. You you can say no and you can do it tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

I think that is a fabulous tip. And I think you're again, you can't be managing from a point of crisis all the time because ultimately you do that, your business will be in crisis all the time. I yeah. I I think that all of those points, again, all valid, all brings in a lot of things that if you are stepping into your CEO role, listeners, you need to start thinking about and particularly getting the right coach. Okay, my next question is to you, Dina. What would you say to a client who knows it's time to outsource, but is finding it either hard to let go or justify the expense? I feel like you've written this question for me. Um sorry.

SPEAKER_03 23:08

I um when I started, I you know, started on my own. But I think what we need to look at is that word letting go. I think it's really important if we need to look at that word differently. We're not letting go. We're letting somebody else in, we're sharing our business, we're outsourcing, we're freeing up our time to do the things that other people cannot. Some people may not have that strategic planning brain that can move the business forward, but we can. It's it's your values, what you've made, only you know that, and only you know where it needs to go. So you need to let go of those other things that somebody else can do. And I my advice is just do it. Like just let it go. Let give it to somebody else.

SPEAKER_00 23:47

It frees you up to work on your business, not in your business. And we hear that time and time again, don't we? Developing that strategy out is the only way that you're going to be able to keep ahead of the curve, keep ahead of your competitors and scale it too. Or, you know, maybe not scale it, de-scale. If you want to de-scale your business but make it more profitable, that's okay too. It's only the strategy that you can do because only you know what you want to achieve.

SPEAKER_03 24:15

That's right. And you only think of this stuff when you know it's time. If you thought about it six months ago, you're not overthinking it. It's something you know that you need to do. And I think just try it, just outsource three hours a week. Trust your insource. See how that goes.

unknown 24:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

Yeah. Trust your intuition, your intuition. Yep, I love that. So, Karen, financially, when do you think outsourcing becomes necessary rather than optimal?

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Well, outsourcing I think is your best friend. And it's it's it's creating capacity, but I understand there's fear around quality control and and and that identity shift that we spoke about. But I think my suggestion would be to start small, to just identify the the core things within your role that are not specifically an expertise only you have. So start small not by handing over the whole role initially, and then turn that into a simple process which can be just a checklist to start with. Something that someone else can just know what is done well in your in your style. In your style, exactly. And then when that feels comfortable, start to build from there, start building more systems, and then until you become very comfortable. And as I said, then you'll understand that outsourcing is your best friend because you've just created capacity for yourself to work on your business, to live your life, whatever you need to do.

SPEAKER_00 25:41

And I love that because it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing thing, it can be a slow transition that you start to feel comfortable with. And that you have to think comfort is a big thing with that. Yeah, that's great advice. Laura, I imagine confidence and trust has a big role to play in this. So your thoughts around that. Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 26:02

Uh I mean confidence is a huge part in a lot of to be brave enough and back yourself enough to make these decisions if you're going to grow and you're going to bring people on. It does go back to that leadership point though as well. So I when I think from that point of view, when you want to grow out of the team, yes, the procedural and yes, making sure you budget in line items of your actual time. Because I get people to sit and say, How much of your time are you actually spending? Let's put that in the budget. But it comes from what kind of leader do you want to be? What does that onboarding look like? What culture are you building? Are you, you know, for years and years I recruited people, but I didn't do it from a value place. And I learned about values through FemPyre. And now I'm like, oh my God, this would have been a great thing and hired all these people based on value. So, yeah, what kind of leader, what kind of culture as you're growing, as you bring people in, um, and that takes that confidence and kind of to butt back yourself and trust. There is some technicalities behind hiring and doing it the right way. Of course. You know, and then obviously that's why you work with coaches about all the mistakes you don't make, you know, from 20 years.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

No, not hiring in your image, you know, all of those sorts of things that are critical to know, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_04 27:05

Yeah, and you can only that's you know, that's 20 years of getting it right and making mistakes that you can kind of tell people about all of these scenarios. Correct. And and then building that trust with someone that if you are going to build a team, team is so important, culture is so important. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:21

It is the only way that is going to, you know, if if you are looking to release some of your time, it is the only way that you're going to be doing that. So you need to reach a point where I guess it's that am I going to stay as a sole operator? Then ultimately I put a cap on my income, I put a cap on my business. So if that's what you want to do, that's fine. We're not here to say that it's not something that you can't do. I often say, too, one of the things that is good to think about when you're looking at outsourcing is the things that you don't do well or the things that you don't like. Because the reality of it is that if you don't like doing something, you're probably not going to do it well. If you can find somebody that actually enjoys it, and as I said, it's the yin to your yang, for instance. Um, I'm big picture, strategic, Lou, my AEA, very detail driven. We really blend well together. So it's all of those things that with experience and coaching, you do learn. So, yes, absolutely. Delegation sounds simple in theory, but emotionally it can feel really uncomfortable because so many women tie their identity and their value to being the one that does everything. Karen, at what point would you start to advise a client to start putting their system and processes in place?

SPEAKER_01 28:38

Well, earlier than they think. Whenever something is repeatable, a system is repeatable, I would say start there. That's and so that's very early on. Great.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

Laura, where do you see systems helping reduce burnout and overwhelm?

SPEAKER_04 28:52

Yeah, I love this. Listen, as a general manager and an ops manager, I I've got this really geeky, organized kind of procedural side to me that I really love the administration. So I think it's a real strength and straight away from the beginning and now with technology, you know, building all those processes, you can then scale, you can bring people on board, you can sell your business with all of that kind of IP and all the information. But if you try and do it all, you can't, you just simply can't.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

No, that's exactly right. I just think that the other thing that I would like to mention, and I'm sure you will support this, is that it's not a set and forget. Because you clearly, as things evolve, and particularly with scale, the process that you used when it was two people in the office versus the process that you use when it's 10, it's it's different.

SPEAKER_04 29:39

So you keep doing that when you grow up. It's not a big task. This is what I try and tell people like, oh my gosh, it's so overwhelming. And I'm like, just start everything that you do. And now with things like technology like Skype, you can just turn it on, it records everything that you do, and then you just put it in the that constant review, so it's not a huge this No, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 29:57

And if you do go to sell your business, then all of a sudden you've got an operational manual that's and your SOPs that are fully built out. Yeah, it's not, oh my goodness, now we have to do that. Dina, what systems have had the biggest impact for you personally in business?

SPEAKER_03 30:11

I just think the general day to day. So what for my business, opening up and closing up, like you could open up in the morning at 10am, close up at 10 pm. So realistically, being there 12 hours is probably not viable, even though we've all been there try to do that. I just think that just the general day-to-day, like you said, Karen, anything that can be repeated, for example, opening the door, turning the light on, starting up the computer, that's a process that we would automatically do. Our new staff member, this 18-year-old, may not know that. I know we also feel like we are time poor, but we all have iPhones now, so just record yourself doing it. So if for some reason you can't be there that day, someone's got a video of what to do.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

It's taken no extra time. Yeah, and with things like WhatsApp and your keystroke and all of those sorts of things, there is no reason if you are doing it, it can't be recorded somewhere. So perfect. Before we get back to the conversation, I've got a quick question. Are you still running your business? Or honestly, are you leading it? If you'll realize that you're carrying too much, making every decision, or feeling stuck in the day-to-day weeds, it might be time for some support. At Fampire, our certified business coaches help women make the shift from operator to CEO through practical guidance, accountability, and real-world business experience. Whether you need support with leadership, strategy, systems, marketing, finance, or growth, there's a coach who can help you. To learn more about working with a FemPyre certified coach, visit fempire.com.au. Now let's get back to the conversation. Okay, so Laura, what does working on the business actually look like from your perspective?

SPEAKER_04 31:54

Yes, and so this is kind of goes back to elevating yourself to a CEO and not doing all of the tasks. So if you're the CEO and you're working, are you working on the business or are you working in the business? Free yourself to be able to have that strategic mindset and guide where you're going, the long-term goals, strategy, pulling everyone together. You can't do that. If you're in, if you're in the weeds and you're in the minute, you can't see clearly. So I think elevating yourself to that position, that you can have that overview and those touch points, whether it be reporting cadence or meeting cadence with people, or we really added a lot of work on your strategy and people's vision and mission, and how does that come through to all the departments? And are we all in line of what the long-term goals are and how everyone plays their part and what their KPIs are and how we're going to stay on track. So um, yeah, I just think it's it's so important and it's something that's really common, and there's nothing wrong with it, it's kind of human nature. We get busy doing and we have to really remind ourselves, and again, that's where coaching kind of pulls me that accountability.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

Absolutely, absolutely, and that's when you do call you know BS on their excuses, right? Yeah, Dina, how has that changed for you over time as far as your thoughts on in versus on?

SPEAKER_03 33:11

I had a light bulb moment once. I was up in my office and the classes had all started for the evening, so we would run anywhere between like you know, four, five, six classes at once. So that's already about eight staff members in the in the building and also another location offsite. And I was up there and we had like a phone system, so people calling me, text messages, whatever. It was about 10 minutes. Another staff member had to come up and talk to me about something, and she was sitting there and she turned around and said to me, Wow, you just sit up here and put out fires, don't you? And I was like, Yes, yes, that's what I'm doing. But that's I was like, I can't keep doing this for 10 hours a day. And that's when I started to block out time for working on and in. Obviously, managing staff, you have to do that unless you hire somebody to do that for you. But I it was that light bulb moment where I thought I need to block out my mornings or afternoons and take days off where I was away from the facility. If I was away from the facility, no one needed my help anymore. No, it's interesting, isn't it? And that really helped me to put in place those systems, procedures to grow the business, to help other, you know, cheerleading and dance coaches how to run their classes. I could review their routines, review their classes, and it made everything better just because I had set aside that time.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Fabulous. I love to hear that. And Karen, what do business owners often neglect when they stay stuck in the business?

SPEAKER_01 34:33

Well, when they're stuck in and they're just doing the do and they're just doing or putting out fires as as a lot of people talk about it, Dina was talking about, they're just maintaining the business. They're not growing it, they're not leading it. So if you're stuck in that, the business is going nowhere, it's it's capped. But if you're working on the business, which there's so many things around that, as we all know, about working on the business, you're actually you're leading, you're you're being intentional about what you want from your business, what you want the business to provide to your life as well. And I would suggest, like Dana said, you have to get out of the premises. So maybe even have like a quarterly strategy session or even your coaching sessions are a good way to work on the business too. And if you have even just a quarterly strategy session with yourself and you design and you think about everything, and you just take the time to actually do your wish list and have your grander plans and just take that time to think about everything except the doing the do. That way, then when you go back in the business, you've set your plan, you've set your direction, but you need to trust that CEO version of yourself for the for the rest of the quarter if it's the quarterly session you're talking about. So you've set the intention and then you go back to your business and you implement it. But you've got to trust that person that had that session. That took the time out. Took the time out and then stop questioning everything day to day, I think is a very big thing.

SPEAKER_00 35:48

And I think that's really important. And the other thing is taking the time to actually recalibrate your vision and mission so that you can communicate that to your staff. Because I always say to the women that I coach that have businesses, if you can't really describe the direction and what your vision looks like and what the next 12 months goals are, then how on earth can your staff get on board and follow that? Exactly. It's like getting in the car and going, Oh, I don't really know where I'm going to go, but I'm going to drive around until potentially I get there. That's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:20

And so if you're not clear, how can you expect them to be clear? They don't know what the goal goes are. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 36:26

So that's the chaos that you don't want to be in. Correct, correct. How do you help clients design a business that supports their life goals, not just their revenue goals? Okay.

SPEAKER_03 36:39

So when designing a business or starting or looking at what it is that you want to launch, first, what I look at is what it is that you want to achieve or what success looks like for you. What do you already have in your life that needs to be there? For example, maybe family, maybe once a month you go away with a family, you have to do that. We then design the business around your life goals. Design your ideal life vision. So before even talking about revenue targets, what does a successful life look like to you? How many hours a week do you want to work? What level of flexibility do you need or would you like? And what responsibilities matter outside of work as well? Because you need to keep those. That's what keeps us going, that's what keeps our mind fresh and clear and clarity. And what stresses are you willing to take on? What stresses are you willing not to take on or carry? And I think that's really important. I think a lot of people get into business and you think I've got to work a hundred hours, I need to do everything, I've got to do this. I can't, you know, if you like to play netball, I can't play netball anymore because I've got to do my business. Those things are very important to keep in your life. That's what balance, you know. Absolutely. Balance, yeah. You need that. You need you need to have that fresh outlook as well. Otherwise, you won't, you're you won't work as fast, you won't get as many things done that you need to get done.

SPEAKER_00 37:50

Yeah, no, I love that. And Laura, I know this aligns strongly with the work you do around sustainable leadership as well. Any thoughts there? Yes, that's so important.

SPEAKER_04 38:00

That's kind of the base of that's what I discovered after you know 20 years in leadership was like, what did I need to survive? What would I like? I could have done a lot better and not sacrifice so much of myself. How do we have sustained? How do we have more women in leadership? How do we have more women in business? How do women become more equal financially and in society? And it's about that sustainability. And for me, that's the support. That's why I do what I do, that's why I value coaching so much. Is yeah, you don't think you have to do it all. We do wear that badge of all yeah, I used to do it. I'd be pretty good. You don't have to carry that load alone. You don't, and you can. I mean, you can maybe when you're younger, but it will have effects. I mean, I'll I had a 11 centimeter tumor, and I actually believe it's because I wouldn't stop. Body made me stop. So that's the big, you know, wake up, Colin. I've heard lots of stories from lots of women about it.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

And I think that it's interesting. I had that conversation with Lou this morning. She's not being well and she's not resting. And I said to her, if you do not rest, something will happen to make you rest. So seriously, stop.

SPEAKER_04 39:02

100%. And it is about building that life and that the life and the business that you want. And you can actually have it all. That's what I wanted women to know as well. You we we're kind of conditioned that we have to go to work 9 to 5, we have to work a certain way. So many people accept we have to be unhappy at work, we work in toxic environments, or you can build your own business and build your own life, but let's do it sustainably, let's do it where it's aligned. I also know that when I was at work, I wasn't truly, so it was exhausting. And when you're not truly aligned with you, you come out completely exhausted. You do, you're drowned. And I think that's yeah. For me, I've completely changed my I come first, my priorities are different, my health and my well-being come first. And I tell women all the time if you don't put yourself, your health, fill your bucket first, you know, to get everything else, then the business it won't work with one without the other in isolation.

SPEAKER_00 39:53

So I a hundred percent agree with that. Karen, do you think women are starting to redefine what success actually looks like?

SPEAKER_01 40:01

Absolutely. Speaking of the revenue goals that we were mentioning before, believe it or not, as a as a CFO, I'm not just focused on those revenue goals because you can have a lot of revenue and not be profitable. So Absolutely. So I I agree with uh what Nadina and Laura mentioned about we need to be able to see what success looks like for each person and reverse engineer the business model back from there if you like to create that alignment. For me, two things are really important with this. There's so there is the profitability, also then revenue, and the alignment. So those two pillars, I would say structure and alignment, I call it the profitable alignment zone, because that's the important part. The structure side is the financial side, the cash flow profitability, understanding the levers, all of that sort of thing. But that alone isn't enough because you can have a profitable business and just be completely exhausted and drained. That will not build a long-term sustainable business, will it? It's not sustainable. Yeah. So that's and that's where alignment comes in. It's you know, ideally building the business at the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what pays you well, and what gives you energy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

Well, it's the old adage, you know, if if you love it, it's not a job, right? Exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

Yeah, yeah. So yeah, you want to have a profitable business, a fully aligned business, but you also want to feel fully alive while you're building it.

SPEAKER_00 41:21

Yeah, and I think that's critical because success is no longer about turnover, it's about flexibility, sustainability, peace, and creating a business that actually fits the life that our listeners want.

SPEAKER_01 41:33

Which is going outside the the traditional model of business that we're all used to. This is building it all around.

SPEAKER_00 41:39

And that's why we, that's why Fempire exists and our coaches exist because we do think about things differently and we do believe in a more sustainable and balanced way. And that's why we're out there promoting the fact so that more women understand that there is a different way to do business, not just the traditional way. So, quick fire round. I'd love to do a quick round on this one. What is the thing business owners need to stop doing if they want to grow sustainably? Karen, let's start with you.

SPEAKER_01 42:12

Stop being at the center of everything. You don't have, like we said before, you do not have a business if you're the centre of everything. You just have a job.

SPEAKER_03 42:18

Dina? I was gonna say stop doing everything yourself, which is very there.

SPEAKER_00 42:22

Well, and that is fine because we're just reinforcing.

SPEAKER_04 42:26

Yes, really are. And Laura? Me start believing in yourself and the possibilities. They're endless.

SPEAKER_00 42:34

I love that. Okay, Laura, what advice would you give to the woman listening who knows she has become the bottleneck in her own business? Oh.

SPEAKER_04 42:44

So work with a coach so you can get clear on how you stop that, how you create better habits that creates a more successful, more balanced life and business. I can't think of a more perfect answer than that.

SPEAKER_00 42:56

Dina, what would you add?

SPEAKER_03 42:59

Yeah, I agree with Laura. But also don't feel guilty about it because you've recognized it, you've seen there's a problem, reach out for help. That's okay, and that's what we're here for.

SPEAKER_00 43:09

And Karen, what practical shifts would you encourage first?

SPEAKER_01 43:13

I would say start by identifying what only you should do, and then what can be systemized and what can be delegated. And then the key is to take one step at a time, I would say. Don't do it all at once, it will become overwhelming. And also just if you've already recognized your the bottleneck, that awareness is actually powerful. So I think you're on the right path if you've identified it yourself.

SPEAKER_00 43:35

And I think that awareness piece is important because many women already know that they are getting in their own way. They just haven't yet given themselves permission to lead differently. Karen, what has surprised you the most about stepping into the role of coach and CEO?

SPEAKER_01 43:51

I think the biggest thing is how often the real barrier isn't capability, but it's clarity. I keep coming back to clarity around numbers. clarity around everything in your business. Just yeah. Women have the skills and the experience and the intelligence to build successful businesses. We all know that. But they're often operating without a clear structure for decision making or especially around numbers and and what the numbers are actually telling them. And when that clarity is missing, it just becomes harder to pull the right levers and harder harder to know what actually needs to change. So money blocks are actually quite common too, not in the dramatic sense, but limiting beliefs about they just it just makes it harder to engage with the financial side of the business I think as well.

SPEAKER_00 44:34

And that's where by the side yeah often those are learned behaviours or generational behaviours and sometimes it is actually unpacking some of that and with with a coach and being able to move forward. And often you won't know why you have this perception of something when it comes to your finances or money and actually having somebody that can ask you the right questions and help you have that light bulb moment can be revolutionary for not only your full life but your business life as well.

SPEAKER_01 45:04

Absolutely just gives you that confidence which is what you need to break the block.

SPEAKER_00 45:08

And knowledge is power I think that's critical.

SPEAKER_03 45:11

Dina, what has surprised you most personally personally for myself when I've just been having chats to other people or other women work with their work how many women are actually out there just hustling and just doing what they think is right? And because before when I was obviously working a hundred hours in my business I didn't have time to have these conversations or my mindset or my thinking was different. But now settling into the coaching role my mindset's a bit different. So when I'm talking to people I ask different questions and it's just very surprising how many of us just do what we think we need to do because we need cash flow, we need money coming in and because that's what we think is right. I would really like to help people in that situation to to sort of break that and and get into something that they'd like to break that mindset.

SPEAKER_00 45:57

Yeah. Yeah. And Laura how is the experience compared to what you expected around becoming a coach being oh wow.

SPEAKER_04 46:04

Yeah I don't know what I expected. I just always knew I would run my own business be entrepreneurial I knew I was seeking balance. I felt like I'd earned it 20 years of working hard and I was like by the time I'm 50 I thought I'd be a consultant and then I heard that consultants work a hundred hours and it was just too stressful.

SPEAKER_05 46:21

And I went I don't want to do that.

SPEAKER_04 46:24

I do workshops with with corporates and I do speaking and there's other things that have evolved for me I didn't have any expectations the surprise that I can put me first the surprise that you can have a balanced life the surprise that you can have financial independence empowerment and when you put into yourself I can then give more to my relationships with you know my husband and my family and my children but I simple things like daylight and walking the dog and going to the gym they were all just not an option for me. It was just all work. So yeah it's it's amazing I mean it's been absolutely amazing. I'm so glad again another thing I've stumbled into in life this is where I will land and this is where I will stay look 100% agree with you there.

SPEAKER_00 47:08

What would you say to a woman Laura who has built years of experience but is still questioning whether she is qualified enough to become a coach herself.

SPEAKER_04 47:16

Yeah I hear this all the time I had a coach in Marnie when we came to Fempire as well and and believe it or not she had to tell me you you don't need any more qualifications. You don't need a master's you look at all of the skills and experience you have and sometimes you just do need someone else to build yourself belief tell you what's already there in writing and it is a process and it does take time but helping someone on that journey to realise oh my gosh I've got so much to give someone and all of those years of experience or having your own business or running other businesses that is valuable to someone else and you need to start to to value yourself and say it out loud and proud you know and you're often probably coaching and not being paid for it anyway so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:03

Dina I think so many women underestimate their lived experience what would you say to that woman? Don't underestimate it.

SPEAKER_03 48:12

Even before I started coaching I thought the same thing. I actually said to Marnie oh I don't don't think I'm experienced enough I don't I don't think I could do it and she's like uh yes yes you can I wouldn't be speaking to you right now if you weren't so I think you do reach out to one of us and have a chat and go from there.

SPEAKER_00 48:30

Absolutely and I think that's important. You know our coaches are certainly happy for our listeners to reach out and have a chat. I'm happy to talk to anybody because often as I said before people can see things in you that you can't see in yourself. And we do not accept just anybody to become a coach with Fempire. We are certainly very protective of our brand and because of the coaches that we have we're very proud of we will tell you very quickly whether we think that you are ready to become a coach and if we tell you that you are understand that that's because we believe that you are Karen how important is confidence in finally making that leap?

SPEAKER_01 49:11

Oh I think confidence is everything and I think you have to understand that you don't need to know everything to lead well and I mean I think we all experience imposter syndrome at some stage and I think the only way to get over that is just to take action because you don't you can't think yourself into readiness. You can only get confidence from taking the action.

SPEAKER_00 49:31

So well you know my my view on that and a lot of decisions that I've made at times when I potentially haven't had the confidence or have had that crisis of confidence that I like to call it is what's the worst that can happen? You might actually stumble into something that is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 49:48

And if you don't really is it all that bad after all you you're building trust in yourself through the whole experience as well.

SPEAKER_00 49:57

Yeah I think that's such an important conversation because women often underestimate the value of their lived experience simply because it feels normal to them. So they don't reflect on the learnings the knowledge the experience that it's just life for them. So okay final forward focused round looking ahead what are you most excited about in your coaching business? Dina, let's start with you.

SPEAKER_03 50:22

I'm really looking forward to helping other women get their passion projects off the ground let's make it happen. Let's build the life you want let's work it around your life and it's going to be sustainable you're going to love it. You're going to enjoy the moment because our life is short. We need to love what we do and do the jobs that we enjoy. Fabulous Karen?

SPEAKER_01 50:43

What I'm most excited about is helping women build businesses that are both profitable and aligned with how they actually want to live and my focus is building a framework around where confidence, clarity and change become the foundation of every business and every business decision. And then helping women understand their numbers and trust their leadership so they don't just build better businesses, they're building better lives for themselves as well. And I think there's a real sparkle that comes back into how they show up when not just in their business but in their life when all that comes together. And that's what I want to keep building profitable aligned businesses that bring women back to their sparkle. So they feel f fully alive. And what really excites me about that though is the ripple effect that that has. So we know that when women build profitable businesses and earn confidently the impact extends far beyond their business itself because when to their family their communities families communities and and I believe future generations as well.

SPEAKER_00 51:44

I agree and and with one you know as a grandmother of of two young granddaughters is very much a passion of mine. And Laura what are you most excited about with your coaching business?

SPEAKER_04 51:57

Yeah I agree a lot with what the ladies have said building a a life in a business you know that you love is something that's achievable and opening other women's mindsets show them how to do that and then being that support system to allow them to do that and sustain leadership in their own business is what's really important to me and it's about gender equality as well you know it's about more women having the freedom having financial independence that I think would really impact themselves and future generations. You know I've met so many women who don't have that and therefore they don't have freedom of choice within their own life. We have one life and we should live it where we love ourselves you know we value ourselves we don't beat ourselves up. We do what we're passionate about spend every day doing things that we want to do rather than what society is someone decided you're too much.

SPEAKER_00 52:44

That's right somebody at that correct we're all built by men for men in a certain way and it's that celebration of women and you know celebrating that we do do things differently and that is just fine. There is no reason to make apologies or excuses for that. And now before we wrap up I would love each of you to share one piece of advice for women listening who are currently in the middle of their own CEO shift. Laura let's start with you.

SPEAKER_04 53:12

Yeah self-belief please watch how you talk to yourself is what I would say please talk to yourself kindly and if you notice yourself being hard and tough we need to just practice that muscle of positive thinking and being kind to ourself and not let that negative muscle grow. Great.

SPEAKER_03 53:31

Dina you can have it all but you can't do it all. So I like that listen to your body listen to yourself and do what you can do and don't push yourself too hard so that you don't want to burn out while you're making those decisions.

SPEAKER_01 53:46

And Karen we'll finish with you. Trust yourself I think everyone has so much more expertise and experience and knowledge than they actually give themselves credit for but I think if you ask their network or their friends they would have a completely different perception of true yeah so I think just trust yourself back yourself you can do it.

SPEAKER_00 54:09

And ask your network if you are floundering or you are feeling that crisis of confidence again ask your network what their perception of you is because sometimes that can be enough for you to actually go oh my goodness I would have never thought that about myself and that's okay. Also women in your network if you can see them you know that they might be floundering give them that feedback unprompted because you could just make their day. Thank you so much Laura Karen and Dina for joining me in the very first episode of season four and thank you everybody for listening. This season is going to be full of honest conversations around leadership, business growth strategy and what it really takes to build a commercially strong business as a woman. So make sure you subscribe and share the podcast. Stay connected with us through Fempire and if any of the coaches that you have heard today you would like to get in touch with them please reach out. We will share their contact details in the show notes but of course we have a wonderful directory of Fampire coaches on our website and they will all be there front and centre ready to take your inquiries. Thank you again and the future really is female. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Fempire Rising. If today's conversation resonated with you share it with another woman in business who needs to hear it. And remember the goal is not to do more the goal is to lead better. If you'd like to learn more about working with a Fempy certified coach visit us at femre.com.au and follow femre on social media and if you'd like to connect with today's guest you'll find all their details in the show notes. Just search for Fempire we're easy to find until next time keep rising