From Solopreneur to CEO: I Want It, I Like It, And I'm Going to Have It

My Grandma Ada was an almost six-foot-tall powerhouse of a woman. Together with her husband, shortly after they were married, they built a house. Everybody pitched in and helped; because of that, they called the house “Friendship.”

It was the perfect name. The milkman would come over and have coffee at their table during his morning rounds. Every time I visited, there would be the window cleaner, the postman, or a local farmer sitting at the table with a cup of tea. Everybody was welcome. It truly was a house full of friendship.

After my grandfather passed away, my grandma moved into a flat close to my mum in a small village building. She remained sociable, easily managing the stairs daily. With a superintendent on the same floor, my mum felt reassured.

So in her early eighties, Grandma Ada enjoyed her new life until she broke her hip. Despite a successful surgery and recovery, she felt isolated and missed her freedom. She noticed some nearby single-story bungalows with no stairs and cute gardens.

A few days later, she picked up the phone and called Mum and said, “I want you to do something with me today. I want you to come and look at that bungalow with me.” My mum told her, “Well, okay, but you know, I really don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Later that day, they both went to the bungalow. After they looked around, my grandma and my mum stood in the kitchen.

My grandma had the palm of her hand resting firmly, flat on the countertop.

She looked at my mum and she said, “Well, what do you think?” My mum repeated her concerns: “I don’t know. In your flat, you know where everything is. Moving could be confusing. And where you are, people are watching over you. I’m just not sure it’s a good idea.”

My grandma looked my mum dead in the eye.

With her hand flat on the kitchen counter, she pounded down three times like a strong drum beat as she said emphatically, “I want it. I like it. And I am going to have it!”

There was so much clarity, power, and strength in Grandma Ada in that moment that my mum couldn’t say no.

And so, my grandma got exactly what she wanted. By the next month, she had moved into her bungalow with a little garden that brought her so much joy. Yes, she got confused and yes, she did have dementia, but she lived there happily for two years until she really couldn’t be on her own anymore.

When we are clear about what we want, whether we are 42 or 82, just like Grandma Ada, we can do things that maybe we thought we couldn’t. Once we have that kind of clarity and we’ve lined up what we want with a strong belief, we can have it, we are unstoppable.

Grandma Ada's story is a powerful reminder that clarity and unwavering belief can propel us towards our goals, regardless of age or circumstances. So, I invite you to reflect on your own aspirations. What is it that you truly want for your business? What excites you? What are you willing to fight for? How strong is your "I want it. I like it. And I am going to have it!"?

Just as Grandma Ada was determined to create a life she loved, as women in business, we must be equally passionate about the steps we need to take to implement the vision of our businesses.

This might mean spending hours doing research and interviews and getting crystal clear on who our ideal customers are, consistently engaging in daily money-making activities even when no one seems to want to pick up the phone, or taking the time to craft a solid 90-Day Power Plan to move a few steps further towards our next business milestone.

The fuel that will help us to follow through on all of these seemingly mundane actions is our unstoppable nature. When we tap into our inner strength and unwavering belief, we become capable of achieving remarkable things. Remember, the path from solopreneur to CEO is paved with challenges, but with clarity, focus, and an unstoppable spirit, you can overcome any obstacle and build the business you dreamed of.

The journey from solopreneur to CEO is not without its challenges. It requires dedication, perseverance, and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. It demands you to unleash your unstoppable nature. 

What will it take for you to make the shift? What do you need to figure out next, and are you prepared to unleash your unstoppableness and fight for it?