James P Friel

This picture always makes me laugh…⁣⁣
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Russell was in the middle of a HUGE ClickFunnels launch but had nothing to do. We’d been working overtime to make sure every task that needed to be done was systematically removed from his plate and assigned out to his highly capable team.⁣⁣
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It was time for ownership and responsibility of certain things to shift, and even though he could easily still own some of those things he came face to face with a dilemma many entrepreneurs before him have faced…⁣⁣
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Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD.⁣⁣
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Can you imagine what it would feel like to be available but not needed during a launch? ⁣⁣
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Most of the business owners I know are running around managing, fixing, editing, leading, and doing it all (even when they have a team)… ⁣⁣
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During a launch you can multiply that activity by 10!!!⁣⁣
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Sure they may have a team, but they still have their hand in every piece of the business, making sure it’s running smoothly.⁣⁣
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Russell was the same way.⁣⁣
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He had a big team AND a big to-do list.⁣⁣
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That all changed when we sat down together and followed a very simple process.⁣⁣
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We took the time to map out what HE needed to do to keep growing the business, and what could be handed off to get HIM out of the freakin’ weeds…⁣⁣
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The result? ⁣⁣
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Well, he had time to roll out on the floor of his office during a major launch!⁣⁣
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Yes, I walked into his office and he was lying on the floor during a massive launch.⁣⁣
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“Everything is running smoothly dude, the team is operating like they’ve been doing this forever, and I have nothing to do except sit here and watch my vision come to life.”⁣⁣
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I snapped the photo. ⁣⁣
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“This is how it’s supposed to be man.”⁣⁣
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I’m going to be talking a lot more about how in many situations, business owners become what I like to call an ”Accidental CEO” and how that quickly morphs into wearing every hat, solving every problem, working a million hours and feeling exhausted and somewhat defeated.⁣⁣
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I want you to have moments like the one we helped create for Russell, where you get to sit back, watch your vision unfold and take it all in.⁣⁣
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What do you say? You in? ⁣⁣

Consistent revenue growth is an exciting proposition for most business owners…but scaling comes with an onslaught of new challenges.⁣
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From acquiring new customers, to streamlining fulfillment, to optimizing operations. Growing your team, making sure they have what they need to be successful and efficient… and in the spirit of transparency…⁣
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None of it is for the fainthearted.⁣
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It’s not always a smooth ride. ⁣
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It’s not always a clear path.⁣
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And we know it definitely isn’t easy.⁣
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Add to it concerns about what’s going on in the market, cost fluctuations of your marketing, the responsibility of keeping up with your audience and promo calendar, and making sure the business is running efficiently…it can feel never ending and like no matter what you do you just can’t keep up.⁣
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That’s why planning, and identifying the things that need to be addressed and optimized (and in what order) is the first step.⁣
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The challenges that you’re facing and the way you handle them plays a huge role in whether or not your business is—and continues to be—successful.⁣
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What if you had the tools to ensure you knew what to do, when to do it, and a playbook for how to handle the levels of growth along with their respective challenges?⁣
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What if you had the tools to make big profits, running a small and mighty team so that the money in your stripe account actually makes it to and stays in your personal bank account…⁣
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Well, we’ve been working on something that could explain it all…⁣
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And we’re just about ready to tell you all about it!⁣
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In the meantime, join us in our (newish) Facebook group because that’s where we’re hosting it all.⁣
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That’s where we’re going to give all the updates, all the info, all the videos and all the advice we have coming your way.⁣
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Can I send you the link to join?⁣
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Just type “Group” in the comments and my team will send it over!⁣

But what if THIS is “the thing”?

I wonder how many of you can relate to this…🤔

You’re working on something in your business and you find it…BAM!

The newest, shiniest, next best thing that seems like it could work for you

It sounds exciting and seems like it could finally be the thing that puts you where you want to be…but you also get this gut feeling that it’s also not really where your focus should be just yet.

YET.

But you go ahead and go down the rabbit hole anyway, because what if THIS magic strategy is the one that FINALLY fills your bank account…the thing that you’ve been waiting for?

Fear of missing out is a tough thing to navigate. Even knowing how the tactic works, it can feel tough to know when to say yes and when to say no.

But it doesn’t have to BE tough.

The reason it feels that way to so many business owners is because they aren’t clear on what they want or how to get there.

OR maybe you’re clear but don’t necessarily have the team to support you or the back up you need to fulfill the vision…

Here’s the thing:

If you’re not clear on what you want, you’ll never be clear on how to get there. And if you know what you want but have no clue how to get there or how to have your team support you in getting there…

It starts to feel like a vicious cycle, a roller coaster you can’t seem to get off.

We’re not saying you should never buy another training or explore what’s working now for someone else. We’re BIG fans of continuing education (and engage in it on a regular basis).

We’re also big fans of staying focused on what moves the needle most for YOU right here right NOW.

As far as your shiny new ideas go… the key word in all of the above was YET…
Just because you aren’t in a position to do that thing right now, doesn’t mean it’s lost or that you’ll never do it…

Just make sure you have a plan and know where you’re going before you jump into the next thing, otherwise you’ll find yourself a permanent fixture on the entrepreneurial roller coaster to nowhere… lots of activity with little to no progress 🤢

The hardest part of being an entrepreneur is also the best part…⁣
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One of the hardest parts of being an entrepreneur is also part of what makes most people an entrepreneur…⁣
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Seeing possibilities.⁣
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New entrepreneurs or seasoned entrepreneurs that have a lot of ideas can get stuck jumping from one idea to the next. ⁣
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Problem is they rarely gain traction on anything because they either don’t give it enough time before jumping to the next idea OR they have too many ideas going at once and fail to give them enough time to mature and truly become a success.⁣
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It comes down to the effort and time needed to make sure things work before giving up and bouncing to the next “idea.”⁣
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We get it…the possibilities are endless. There’s SO much you could be doing to become successful…⁣
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But just because you could do something… doesn’t mean you should be doing it…⁣
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Doing “everything” is the fastest way I know to go nowhere— while exhausting yourself and exhausting your resources in the process.⁣
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If you want to move the needle, bring in more revenue, and keep more of what you make, doing “all the things” just isn’t going to cut it.⁣
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What will?⁣
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👉 Get clear on what you want⁣
👉 Focus on what will get you there⁣
👉 Follow through (adapting if/as needed)⁣
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Now, does that mean you’re “stuck” doing one thing for the entire life cycle of your business?⁣
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Absolutely NOT. Businesses have to grow and adapt.⁣
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Part of that is realizing that there’s a big difference between growing and adapting and allowing yourself to chase every “shiny object” you come across. ⁣
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If you can’t seem to get traction in your business, look at what you’re doing and ask yourself: Are you focused on activities that will move the needle here and now, or chasing a shiny new idea because it seems easier and more exciting in the moment?⁣

The #1 reason entrepreneurs get stuck…⁣
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“I feel stuck in my business.” ⁣
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“My business feels like it’s hit a ceiling.”⁣
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We’ve heard comments like these from business owners over and over again—if you’re asking these questions right now, don’t panic!!!⁣
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Typically we respond with one or two questions: ⁣
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What do you WANT from your business? ⁣
What does success look like to you?⁣
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Usually the answer is a blank stare or something along the lines of I’m not really sure ⁣

Seems like most business owners have an idea what they want, but they’re not crystal clear.⁣
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Here’s the challenge you face as a business owner when you lack clarity:⁣
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Imagine going out to your car, getting in, and starting the engine…⁣
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Only to realize you don’t actually have a destination in mind.⁣
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Are you headed to a restaurant? ⁣
To the beach? ⁣
To a party?⁣
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You could drive all over town, but you’ll never make any progress until you get clear on where you’re going.⁣
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It’s the same in your business. ⁣
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You’ve gotta get clear about where you’re going, or you’ll end up feeling like you’re going in circles and wasting time. It’s inevitable.⁣
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If you’re done spinning your wheels, step one is always to get clarity on where you’re going.⁣
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We’ve got a foolproof way to create clarity for you in your business… we like to think of it as a sort of entrepreneurial GPS!⁣ Comment GPS below to hear more about it!⁣

What we’ve learned from traveling multiple times per year together…⁣
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In 2023, we took so many trips I couldn’t count them all.⁣
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A lot of those trips were to attend masterminds, but a fair share were to rest, relax, and reconnect with each other and some of the friends we’ve made over the years...⁣
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The entrepreneur community can be very supportive and we’re fortunate to have crossed paths and developed incredible friendships with some truly amazing people.⁣
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We love to learn, and grow both ourselves and our businesses, and a big part of that is taking the time to invest in not only business development activities, but personal development, and our social circle.⁣
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Sometimes that means heading out of town to a mastermind, sometimes it means booking a cruise, other times it’s heading to a conference, and still others hopping a flight to Europe… ⁣
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We do our best to plan things out in advance, but there’s something magical that happens when you create space for spontaneity in your life… you become the friends who say “yes!”⁣
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A lot of people ask us how we manage to be away and on trips so often…⁣
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They ask what happens to the businesses we run while we’re traveling.⁣
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The answer is, they keep running.⁣
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With the right people in the right seats, and a roster full of A-players…you no longer have to micromanage or babysit. Which gives us the flexibility to be present and focus on what we’re learning or teaching at a mastermind, or relax and BE wherever we happen to be with our friends.⁣
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When you have the right systems and processes in place, the team knows exactly what’s needed, what to do and how to deliver without us watching every move they make to ensure it’s done.⁣
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And when you have A-players on the team, they are driven and they’re experts in their space. Meaning, they are motivated to get results, and are capable of doing it!⁣
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My point is, having a business that can support itself…⁣
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Having a team of A-players that can get the job done to the ultimate level, that never have to be micromanaged or babysat…⁣
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Having systems and processes in place that don’t require all of our attention 24/7…⁣
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Gives us the freedom to travel, to grow the business, and to get to where we want to be.⁣
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Is your business set up in a similar way?⁣

Getting some serious work done today with the real CEO of the business…

Yara and I have been all ears lately, and it’s been kind of refreshing to hear what our audience has to say…⁣
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“I love what you teach, James, but I don’t feel like a CEO…”⁣
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“Everything you say makes sense, but the title of “CEO” feels daunting. I wouldn’t really call myself that…”⁣
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“CEO gives corporate vibes and I want to stay as far away from that as possible…”⁣
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“I thought you ONLY worked with seasoned CEOs, I feel like I’m just trying the role on… I had no idea what you teach would meet me where I am NOW…”⁣
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Here’s the thing, who cares what the title is.⁣
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What I’m finding is that my friends, colleagues, and business owners around me are shifting the way they’re thinking…⁣
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They don’t really want the headaches of a massive team…⁣
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They don’t really want the “CEO” title…⁣
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They don’t want the stress associated with the ownership of that title…⁣
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In fact, they just want their business to grow.⁣
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They want the business to be successful.⁣
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And they want to do it in an uncomplicated way...⁣
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The dream for many is to grow to 7 and 8 figures plus with a rock solid team that knows what they’re doing, using simple systems and processes that support the business.⁣
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Flexibility in their life so they can work hard and play even harder. While keeping stress, overwhelm and burn out at bay.⁣
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So let me hear it, is this where you find yourself too?⁣
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Let me know in the comments. What “title” do you feel best describes you because if you’re anything like the people I’ve been talking to, CEO isn’t it…⁣

If you have your own business, I’m curious what you consider yourself…

Business Owner
Entrepreneur
Founder
CEO
All of the above
Something different?

Anyone ever feel like they “accidentally” became a CEO?
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