E76: The Power of CEO Time: How One Day a Month Can Transform Your Business and Life

Feeling stuck in the endless cycle of tasks, deadlines, and to-do lists? You might be running your business but is it really running you? In this episode of Dream Business Dream Life, we explore the transformative concept of “CEO time.” Learn why stepping out of your daily grind to work on your business, not just in it, can unlock clarity, creativity, and the freedom you started your business for.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why so many entrepreneurs get trapped in the “doing” and miss the big picture
• How carving out CEO time can uncover opportunities you’ve been too close to see
• Practical ways to step into your CEO role, even if you’re a solopreneur or running a small team
• The power of shared learning and group strategy sessions to accelerate breakthroughs
• Actionable tips for planning your next CEO day to reconnect with your vision

Key Takeaways:

1. Work on your business, not just in it – Break the cycle of constant doing.
2. Gain clarity and energy – A dedicated day gives you the space to see what really matters.
3. Reconnect with your creativity – Ideas need room to grow; CEO time creates that space.
4. Shared perspective matters – Collaboration and strategy days amplify insights.
5. Actionable next step – Schedule your first CEO day this month and start leading your business toward your dream life.

 Ready to step into your CEO role with support and strategy? Explore my VIP Days and group strategy sessions to fast-track clarity, growth, and breakthroughs. Your dream business and dream life don’t happen by accident...they happen because you lead them there.

https://emmahine.co.uk/strategy-day

https://emmahine.co.uk/vip-day

Want to connect? Find me here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamemmahine

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-hine

Website: https://www.emmahine.co.uk

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaHineStrategy

Transcript

Hello & Welcome to today’s episode of Dream Business Dream Life.

Today, I want to have a heart-to-heart with you about something that might not feel urgent on your to-do list, but it’s absolutely essential if you want to build a business and a life that you truly love. And that is…taking time out of your business, to actually work on your business.

Now, before you roll your eyes and think, “That sounds like something only big corporate CEOs do,” I promise you this is for you too. Whether you’re a solopreneur, growing a small team, or even dreaming about your next level, CEO time is what helps you create the vision, the freedom, and the impact you started your business for in the first place.

I want to start with a little piece of my own story.

When I built my first business…the one that went on to reach 7 figures…I did what so many of us do. I worked harder and harder. I was in delivery mode, ticking off to-do lists, chasing deadlines, looking after customers and stock, managing the team…I was doing all the doing.

And from the outside, it looked incredible. People would say  “Wow, you must be living the dream.” But the reality is the business had completely taken over my life.

I wasn’t giving myself any space to step back, to zoom out, to think about where we were going. I was so busy working in the business that I never worked on the business. And that meant I missed opportunities. I kept recreating the same cycles. And honestly I lost myself in the busyness of it all.

If I had just given myself regular CEO time, I know my journey would have felt very different. More balanced, more joyful, and much less overwhelming. That’s why I’m so passionate about sharing this with you today.

If you pause for a moment and look at your own business right now, where are you operating as the “employee” constantly doing and where are you stepping into the CEO role?

Food for thought there.

 So let’s talk about what it actually means to be the CEO of your business. Because it’s not about having a corner office or a fancy title…it’s about leadership.

It’s about being the person who holds the vision. The one who decides where this business is heading, and how it’s going to get there.

When you carve out CEO time, you give yourself space to ask the important questions:
 Where am I right now?
 Where am I going?
 And what needs to shift for me to get there?

Without this, you end up just firefighting. Reacting to whatever’s in front of you. I was constantly reacting in my ecommerce business and it’s exhausting. And when you’re working like that, the business starts running you instead of you running the business.

 When was the last time you gave yourself a full day just to think about your business…not working in it, not catching up on tasks, but really zooming out to look at the big picture?

The magic that happens when you give yourself permission to step away from the to-do list and take a day to work on your business.

You gain clarity. Suddenly, you can see what actually matters and what’s just noise.
 You notice gaps and opportunities that you’ve been too close to see.
 You reconnect with your creativity because ideas need space to land.
 And you re-energise. You remember why you started this thing in the first place.

I know now, from both experience and hindsight, that if I had done this more often in my 7-figure business, I would have built something that worked for me, not consumed me. That’s why I never compromise on CEO time anymore.
 
 

If you were to block out just one CEO day this month, what’s the very first thing you’d want to focus on? Give it some thought.

 Now, I want to share something else I’ve discovered. Doing this on your own is powerful… but doing it alongside other people? That takes it to another level.

Because sometimes, we can’t see our own blind spots. Sometimes we’re sitting on an idea, and the moment we say it out loud to someone else, it suddenly clicks. And sometimes, we just need another voice saying, “Yes, you’re on the right track,” or “Have you thought about this?”

There’s so much magic in shared learning, in connection, in conversation. You hear what’s working for others, and it sparks ideas for you. You realise you’re not alone in the challenges you’re facing. And having that second set of eyes… that fresh perspective  can shift everything.

And this is exactly why I now host VIP Days and in-person group strategy days. Because I know, deeply, how transformational it is to step out of your normal routine and into a space that’s designed for reflection, for strategy, for breakthroughs.

It’s not about adding more to your plate. It’s about creating the space where clarity, vision, and direction can come through. I never want anyone else to end up with a business that consumes them the way mine once did. I want you to have a business that supports your dream life.

 So, my question to you is simple: when are you going to give yourself your next CEO day? Even if it’s just one day this month  book it in. Step out of the normal routine. Take yourself somewhere different. Take a journal. And ask yourself those big questions:
 Where am I right now?
 Where am I going?
 What needs to shift for me to get there?

Because your dream business, your dream life they don’t happen by accident. They happen because you lead them there.

Make it happen and you know exactly where to find me if you want to explore my VIP Days or my group strategy days so you can do it with others.

I cannot wait to hear about the breakthroughs you create when you give yourself permission to step into your CEO role.

Thank you so much for listening.