In this episode, host Isabel Alexander explores a tough but crucial question: Are you the bottleneck in your own business? Many entrepreneurs and business owners find themselves stuck in the role of the sole decision-maker, which can limit growth and put the company's future at risk.
Isabel delves into the importance of recognizing when you might be the bottleneck, the consequences it can have on your business's growth and sustainability, and the steps to take to address this issue. She emphasizes the value of building a strong team, articulating your vision, and empowering others to contribute to your company's success.
Listen in to learn how to free yourself from being the bottleneck and create a more dynamic and impactful organization.
To register for a coaching with Isabel
About the Host:
Isabel Alexander
Your Next Business Strategist and Transformation Catalyst
Isabel Alexander's journey from modest beginnings to global recognition epitomizes entrepreneurial resilience and innovation. With over five decades of experience spanning diverse industries, she has become a driving force in shaping economic landscapes worldwide. Noteworthy accomplishments include founding a multimillion-dollar global chemical wholesale business and earning accolades such as Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
As a mentor and advocate, Isabel empowers women entrepreneurs through initiatives like the Lift As You Climb Movement and podcasts, guiding them from startup to maturity. Serving as Chief Encore Officer of The Encore Catalyst, she dedicates herself to coaching and educating emerging entrepreneurs. Her involvement in organizations like RenegadesReinventing.com and Femme on Fire underscores her commitment to leadership and business development.
Additionally, Isabel's advisory roles with government bodies and trade associations, such as Chair of the Canadian Association of Importers & Exporters, highlight her influence in shaping trade policies and fostering international relations.
Driven by her mantra, "Lift As You Climb," Isabel embodies the ethos of mutual growth and empowerment. With dual citizenship in Canada and the United States, she values her extensive family and embraces global connections through travel and professional engagements. Isabel Alexander's narrative serves as a beacon of inspiration, illustrating how visionary leadership and strategic advising can drive global entrepreneurship and economic independence forward.
Founder:
The Encore Catalyst Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/TheEncoreCatalyst )
and
Chief Encore Officer, The Encore Catalyst (www.theencorecatalyst.com) – an accelerator for feminine wisdom, influence, and impact.
also
Author & Speaker ‘Who Am I Now? – Feminine Wisdom Unmasked Uncensored’ https://whoaminowbook.com/
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Transcripts
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Welcome to the Lift As You Climb podcast, where it's all about the
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journey and the joy of discovering who you are now, deciding who you want
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to become, and embracing your genuine identity, influence, and impact.
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In each episode, we'll explore how life's experiences have prepared us for what
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we choose to do next and how to create our Encore, write our own script, and
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star in the next stage of our lives.
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I'm your host, your Encore strategist, and transformation catalyst, Isabel Alexander.
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TruthTime, are you the bottleneck in your company?
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Are you the one that's holding back your business from doing better, growing,
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being more profitable, expanding, innovating, all of those things?
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You know, that's a hard mirror to look in and be very honest
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with yourself as an entrepreneur.
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We started these companies, we molded them,, along the way, but it makes so
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much sense if you can detach yourself emotionally from being the founder and
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the leader of an organization, that it can only grow as big as you are.
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And if you're not growing yourself, then how is it possible for your
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organization to grow in richer, deeper ways that you might not even think about?
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And if you've started off, as I did, as a solopreneur and built an
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organization initially organically, it's understandable, you're so inside the
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dream, inside the vision of creating this business, which is you, that you
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don't see you've got blinders on.
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You've got blinders on, and you don't see that you're the bottleneck.
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You don't know what you don't know, which isn't just a little trite statement.
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It is a very true statement.
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You absolutely cannot be able to know everything about everything.
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And although you, as a woman entrepreneur, are really good at learning on the
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job, learning quickly and doing a lot.
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A, you can't do everything well.
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And B with a capital B.
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You should not be doing everything because that is so limiting.
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Being a bottleneck not only limits the growth of your company and limits
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the possibility of what it might be if you empowered more people to be
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part of that succession, but It's also possibly the breaking point of
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your business, because if you are where the buck stops in all areas.
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If you're the chief asset, the number one face, the only person who can make a
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decision in your organization, if anything should happen to you, if anything should
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happen to you, Your business implodes.
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You know, there's stuff in our lives that we have no control over.
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Shit happens.
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Car accidents, illnesses.
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Maybe you meet the relationship of your dreams and you want to run off to Tahiti.
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Whatever the circumstances, trust me, be smart.
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Be a better business owner and build a team
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. Build a team, communicate very clearly your vision, articulate your vision
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to them, have them be part of looking at that, pulling it apart and saying
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is that right for where we are now, where the world is now, where the
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market is now, where technology is now.
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And where do we build upon that to make a stronger, more sustainable,
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more impactful organization?
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If you pick the right people, if you figure out the whos and not be stuck
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in the hows, as Dan Sullivan and Dr.
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Benjamin Hardy talk about in the book "Who Not How", you're going to have
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a much more dynamic organization.
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And you're gonna achieve what I try to do with all of my clients is help them figure
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out how they get more of what they want.
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More time, more freedom, more flexibility, more financial certainty, and more fun.
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So don't be the bottleneck.
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Look in the mirror.
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Be honest with yourself.
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Has your company outgrown you or could it?
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And when you set it free, will you let it grow and be there to celebrate what
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you created, what you got started, what you launched, but don't hold it back.
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And don't hold yourself back from what else you may do next in your life,
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because this is your Encore, this is your Encore time, and you can choose as
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many of those as you want, and you can have everything that you want, but first
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you've got to let go and make some room.
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Thank you for spending this time with me.
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I hope our conversation added value to your day and expanded your
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vision for your legacy and impact.
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Please join me in increasing my impact and expanding my reach to even more
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people by sharing this episode on social media, with friends, and leaving
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a review on Apple iTunes, Spotify.
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Or channel of choice to catch all the latest from me.
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Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
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Connect with me and others in our community Facebook group, the Lift
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As You Climb Movement, where you can engage, be inspired by and grow
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with a tribe of like-minded people.
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As I evolve as a podcaster and spokeswoman for collaboration and
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economic empowerment, your input and feedback are especially important.
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To me, I welcome your suggestions and questions to hello@theencorecatalyst.com.
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Until we meet again, please remember your success may be the foundation
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for someone else's to together we can raise success ladders around the world.
