The CEO Sidecar: Why Your Business Needs the Right Ingredients

If your business were a cocktail, what would be in it?

If you're a small business owner, you’ve probably felt the pressure to have it all figured out—fast. Between the Instagram-perfect hustle and the never-ending to-do list, it can feel like the only way to succeed is to sacrifice your sanity.

But what if the real secret to success isn’t doing more…
It’s mixing better?

Because for a lot of small business owners I talk to, the mix isn’t exactly refreshing.

It’s more like this:

• 2 oz. exhaustion

• 1 oz. chaos

• A splash of “doing everything myself”

• Garnished with a late-night anxiety scroll

• Served lukewarm with a side of burnout

Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing: most business owners don’t realize they get to choose what goes into the glass. They don’t have to keep sipping on stress and calling it success.

Just like a good cocktail, a sustainable and scalable business has a recipe—and when the ingredients are off, it doesn’t matter how pretty the glass is. It’s not going to taste right, and it’s definitely not going to make you feel good the next day.

Let me introduce you to my favorite recipe:

The CEO Sidecar

This one’s shaken with bold strategy, served with a twist of sass, and designed for business owners who are ready to stop spinning and start scaling.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. systems

• 1 oz. leadership

• A dash of delegation

• A splash of experience (from someone who’s run and sold two profitable businesses)

Flavor profile:
Empowering. No-BS. Refreshingly real.

Served to:
Overwhelmed small business owners craving time, clarity, and a business that finally works for them.

Why the Right Ingredients Matter

You can’t build a scalable, freedom-filled business on hustle alone. I know because I tried.

When I started my first retail business, I thought the answer was more effort. More hours. More doing. But effort without strategy just leads to burnout. I had to learn (the hard way) that you can’t build a CEO-level business with an employee-level mindset.

The truth? Most small business owners are drinking a recipe they never chose. It’s usually a hand-me-down—based on what they think they should be doing or what they saw someone else do on Instagram.

But your business cocktail needs to be crafted for you—your vision, your strengths, your lifestyle goals.

Let’s break down what actually belongs in that glass if you want to scale without losing your mind.

1. Systems: The Base Spirit

Just like every cocktail has a base (vodka, gin, etc.), your business needs a strong foundation. That’s your systems.

Think:

• How your sales process runs

• How new clients or customers are onboarded

• How your team communicates

• How you track and measure success

Without systems, you’re building your business on vibes—and vibes don’t scale.

If your business still runs on sticky notes, scattered spreadsheets, and “I’ll remember,” this is your sign to get your backend in order. Your systems don’t have to be fancy—they just need to be consistent and replicable.

If you're a small business owner wondering how to scale your business without working more, this is the first place to look.

2. Leadership: The Citrus

A good cocktail needs balance, and in business, leadership is what cuts through the sweet and keeps things sharp.

You can’t stay stuck in operator mode if you want to grow.
You have to start thinking like the CEO—even if you’re still wearing all the hats.

That means:

• Setting the vision

• Making decisions with the future in mind

• Prioritizing profit and sustainability over busyness

• Building a team culture that doesn’t require you to babysit

Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room—it’s about clarity, boundaries, and alignment.

3. Delegation: The Dash That Changes Everything

The difference between a good cocktail and a great one? The dash of something unexpected. In business, that’s delegation.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if you’re doing everything yourself, you’re the bottleneck.

You can’t grow if you don’t let go.

Delegation isn’t about giving tasks away at random—it’s about:

• Identifying your high-value work

• Outsourcing the tasks that drain you or don’t require your zone of genius

• Trusting your team (with systems in place to support them)

You’re not a better business owner for doing everything. You’re just a busier one.

4. Experience: The Splash of Depth

The best cocktails are layered. Complex. Intentional. And your business should be the same.

Whether it’s your own lived experience, lessons from mentors, or investing in coaching or programs that fast-track your learning—experience adds depth. It gives your business staying power.

I built and sold two successful businesses because I stopped guessing and started designing. I got support. I implemented what worked. I created structure that supported the life I wanted—not the other way around.

And that’s what I teach now.

What Are You Mixing?

Here’s your moment to check in with yourself.

What are the current ingredients in your business cocktail?

Are you running on:

• Hustle and hope?

• Guilt and burnout?

Or are you starting to mix in:

• Boundaries

• Clarity

• Support

• Systems that free up your time and energy?

You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight.

But you do need to decide: are you going to keep drinking what you’ve been served, or are you going to start mixing something that actually supports the life you want?

Final Sip: You’re the Bartender

You didn’t start your business to feel trapped by it. You started it for freedom, flexibility, fulfillment—and maybe a Friday afternoon off once in a while.

So if what you’re drinking now is leaving a bitter aftertaste?
Good news: you’re the bartender. You can change the recipe at any time.

Start small.
Swap one ingredient.
Add one boundary.
Mix in one system.

Because you get to choose what your business feels like.
You get to set the pace.
You get to decide what ingredients belong—and which ones you’re ready to ditch.

So the next time your calendar’s overflowing or you’re stuck in another admin loop, ask yourself:

Is this part of the cocktail I want to keep drinking?

If not—start mixing something better.

Ready to remix your business cocktail?

Start with my free 5-Day Time Freedom Challenge. It’s like a splash of clarity for your week—and the first step to reclaiming hours of your life.
👉 [Grab it here.]

I’m not taking on new clients until September, but applications are open now for the Chaos to Clarity—and spots are limited. If you’re already thinking ahead and want to create a business that actually works without you, this is your next step. Because your next chapter should be bold, balanced, and built on purpose. Apply here!