Did you know that the average entrepreneur spends nearly 68% of their time on daily tasks, and only 32% on strategic growth?

Well, those statistics drastically decrease when it comes to mom photographers, specifically, dozens of the photographer’s that I have talked to and worked with who admit to spending about 90% of their time focusing on employee-level tasks, while only spending 10% of their time on CEO work, and specifically on strategic growth.

What would your business look like if you tipped the scales just a little bit and started focusing more of your time and energy on the strategic growth of your business, increased profitability, less overwhelm, and a more sustainable business structure? Those are all things that you can achieve.

It all starts with setting aside time to work on your business, not just in it.

Also, I am working on developing a new training called The Profit Shift, and if you’d like to check it out, just head to thepurposegathering.com/profitshift to join the waitlist! This masterclass is going to dive in really deeply and specifically into 3 strategies to optimize your limited time and maximize your revenue as a mom photographer.

A recent favorite book I’ve been reading is called Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr. Julie Smith. Check it out here!

Voxer Message Question:

• On a scale of 1-10, how confident do you feel as the leader in your company?

I’d love to hear your answer to this question over on Voxer! (My username is afreehan)

How I Learned to Own My Role as the CEO of My Business

It wasn’t until a several years into my business, around 2019 when I started this coaching side of my business, that I really learned the importance of owning my role as the CEO of my business. When I started specifically focusing on what I wanted the future of my business to look like, I feel like everything changed.

I started to see that having more time wasn’t my issue. It was the way that I was spending my time.

How to Own Your Own Role as CEO

1. Silence the Noise

I want you to choose two to three photography coaches that you’re going to follow. I know that there are so many amazing photography coaches out there. And I’m not saying that you can’t check in with them here and there, but don’t choose 10 coaches to follow and to listen to because we all are going to have different approaches.

I want to warn you that when you have too many voices in your head, it is so easy to get it overwhelmed, and then do nothing.

So, choose 2-3 coaches to follow, and choose the people who are living a similar lifestyle that you are living or want to be living.

Finding those people that you can connect with and that are similar to the life and the values that you want to cultivate for your own family, and your own business is so important.

2. Find Time to Work ON Your Business, Not Just IN It

It is key that you set aside time every week to work on your business, and I call it a weekly CEO date.

This is when you focus on the future of your business. And you forecast, and you plan, and you think big picture.

This is not a time where you set aside to get editing done, or client communication, or anything like that.

Your CEO time is strictly for strategy. It is strictly for future-focused items.

If you want more details on that, go sign up for The Profit Shift masterclass. And be ready to to go deeper on that.

3. Create Your Ideal Week

This helps you make sure that all the important parts of your life and your business are being taken care of.

So this ideal week is mapping out what happens on Mondays, what happens on Tuesdays, and all the way through the week. You are time blocking each section of your day to have a very specific theme of what you’re going to do during that time.

This is not something that is black or white. It’s it’s just a baseline, it gives you somewhere to start, and you have the freedom to be flexible with it when needed.

4. Get Really Clear About Where You’re Going

It’s really important to know what your goals are, and to know financially what you want to bring in and contribute to your family.

It’s also really important that you’re able to manage my tasks. I highly recommend that if you want to step into confidence as the CEO, that you learn how to manage your tasks, this will be an incredible game changer for you.

I map out these things in my weekly CEO date, and make sure I’m super clear on where I want to be headed.

5. Implement Toggl

This program is going to help you reclaim your time. This is a completely free tool to use. You’re going to want to download the app on your phone but also sign up on the desktop version.

You’re going to want to download the Chrome extension that comes with it. Essentially what Toggl is, is it is a time tracker. So you’re able to use the Chrome extension to start the timer and stop the timer.

Essentially what you do is you start this timer and you’re able to type in what you are working on. This helps with productivity because if you are someone who likes to hop from one task to the next, and you call it multitasking, and you think it’s really amazing, it’s not.

Because when our brain has to shift from one thing to another, and then back to the other thing, we are losing focus, and we actually are less productive.

There is scientific research that backs that, multitasking, used to be a thing to be proud of. And now people are realizing that multitasking actually hinders productivity.

And so when you set your intention inside of that description on Toggl, you’re saying ‘this is what I’m working on.’

It is so important that you are intentional about what you’re doing. And if the thing that you’re working on is not worth your full attention, then why are you working on it?

Resources:

1. Book Mention – Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
2. Join the Waitlist for my Free Masterclass, The Profit Shift: 3 Strategies to Optimize Your Limited Time and Maximize Your Revenue as a Mom
3. Message me on Voxer
4. Have a question for me? Or a specific struggle you’re dealing with? I’ll address your question on the podcast. Submit your ‘Ask Ashley’ question here
5. Looking for tips and strategies for making motherhood and business easier? Join Our Free Community – The Organized Mom Photographer
6. Need support managing your time well and creating systems to streamline your Photography Business? Join the Efficient Mom Photographer (12 Week Group Coaching Program
7. Local to Gilbert/Mesa Arizona (For Mom Business Owners) Join our in person membership community
8. Toggl