474: The CEO Mindset Shift: How to Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer and Start Thinking Like a Founder

Are you building a business, or did you accidentally create a high-demand job that’s giving you less return than your 9–5 ever did? In this episode, Natalie is breaking down the most important mindset shift you can make as an entrepreneur: thinking like a founder instead of a freelancer. Because even if you're working solo, your business still needs systems, structure, and scalability - otherwise, it’s just a hustle with a new title. If you’re ready to reclaim your time, build something that works for you (not just because of you), and finally stop doing it all alone, this one’s for you. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Are you running a business… or just a really demanding job? 01:10 - Why even solopreneurs need a founder mindset 02:10 - Freelancer vs. founder: what’s the difference, really? 03:51 - How founders design systems that scale their impact 05:12 - The question that reveals if your business is actually free 06:38 - Shift #1: From doing to delegating (even if it’s just 5 hours/week) 07:53 - Shift #2: From selling time to selling outcomes 08:49 - Shift #3: From hustle to systems (and where to start) 10:06 - Shift #4: From income to profit - why revenue is a vanity metric 11:20 - Shift #5: From busyness to leadership 13:42 - What freedom actually looks like when you step into CEO mode 14:38 - How this mindset shift supports ambitious women + mothers 16:03 - What kind of business are you building + is it building you back? RESOURCES + LINKS Get Natalie’s AI-Powered Email Tool For Inbox Delegation Right Here. Join The Société: Build Your Freedom-Based Business™ With Systems, Templates, Coaching + Community. Just $97/Month. Imagine Having Natalie As Your CMO, On Call 24/7 To Help You Make The Right Moves In Your Business. That’s Exactly What You Get With Bossbabe AI The Freedom Engine™: AI-Powered Strategy And Systems That Show You What To Sell, How To Sell It, And How To Scale - Without All The Guesswork. Learn More And Unlock It Here. Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter & Get Insights From Natalie Every Single Week On All Things Strategy, Motherhood, Business Growth + More. Drop Us A Review On The Podcast + Send Us A Screenshot & We’ll Send You Natalie’s 7-Figure Operating System Completely FREE (value $1,997).

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Let's get real for a minute. Are you running a business or did you accidentally just build yourself a really demanding job? I think it's a question every entrepreneur eventually has to ask, especially when those late nights start piling up. The inbox never stops and your freedom just feels like a myth. Here's the truth, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a solo entrepreneur. Some of the most profitable peaceful businesses I know are run by women with no team, no payroll and total autonomy. But if you're going to be a solo entrepreneur, you still have to think like a founder because founders don't just do the work, right? They build ecosystems, they design outcomes, they architect their time, their energy and their income with intention. So today what we're going to do is talk about the CEO mindset shift.

• 0:40Speaker 00

  The mental rewiring that separates the overworked freelancer from the strategic founder. It's not about titles, it's not about the size of team you have, it is about how you think. And ultimately, whether you're building something that depends on you or something that works because of you. Because there's a really, really big difference. So if you're ready, let's dive straight in.

• 1:05Speaker 00

  First, let's go deeper into what I believe is one of the most important mindset shifts you can make as a business owner. The shift from freelancer to founder. Now, before I break this down, I want to be really, really clear. This is not about hierarchy, it is not that one is better than the other. Like I said, some of the most successful fulfilled women I know are solo entrepreneurs. They have designed businesses with no team, low overhead and incredible profit margins. Maybe next time round, that's what I'll do. I say that, but we all know I'm probably going to build a team. But they travel when they want with dream clients and have total autonomy. And that is a dream for so many and it's so valid. But here is the nuance, even if you're working solo, you still need to think like a founder. Because if you don't, what you'll build is a business that is really dependent on you. And that isn't freedom, right?

• 1:50Speaker 00

  When it's dependent on your energy, your presence, your ability to constantly show up and perform. And I do see a lot, that's when you wake up one day and realise you actually don't have the freedom that you've started all of this for. What you've done is just created a job for yourself, one that probably pays a lot better, yes, but has a lot more pressure, way fewer barriers. Boundaries and often sadly way less joy. And so let's take a minute to just really look at the difference and see what you could adjust. A freelancer mindset will say, how can I take on more clients? How do I fit more into my calendar? It's like, you know, some kind of jigsaw puzzle. How do I raise my prices so I can make more per hour? And this mindset's actually focused on doing, on execution.

• 2:32Speaker 00

  You are the one creating the results and your income is directly tied to how much you can physically show up. Your growth is limited by your capacity, not your ambition, not your strategy, your actual energy bandwidth. And if you're trying to build a freedom based business, I'm going to guess that is not what you want. Now, a founder mindset is different, right? And it asks really, really different questions. So it's things like, how can I get the same result without being the one to actually do it? Or how can I create a system or a process that delivers this at scale? How can I build a business that gets results to my clients and gives me margin and freedom in my life? And it is a total shift in operating mode because a founder doesn't just think about how to make more.

• 3:16Speaker 00

  They think about how to build something that is actually repeatable. It is predictable and of course profitable, sustainable, all the things. What they're doing is they're actually building assets, not just offers. And that is a really big difference, but it does take an intentional shift. So let me just give you a few examples so you can really feel this shift in your own business. So let's say you're a coach or a service provider. A freelancer might get a new client, jump into Zoom calls, write custom plans and spend hours in delivery mode. Whereas a founder would design a framework that gets the same or better results. But with templates, systems, maybe even a group model, self-paced content. Or she's doing the actual coaching, but she has a lot more templates to work from.

• 4:01Speaker 00

  So she's still providing value, but she's not reinventing the wheel for every single client, which does take so much bandwidth. Or let's say you run a membership or a digital offer, right? A freelancer is probably still in the inbox, managing tech issues, answering every DM, chasing down failed payments. Whereas a founder would have. Support, systems, automations, standard operating procedures, maybe even a team member who handles ninety percent of the questions. So the difference is not necessarily about doing less, it's just about doing what only you can do. And that's a really important distinction. Now, here's something most people would tell you. You could be making ten thousand, fifty thousand, even a hundred thousand dollars a month and still be stuck in freelancer mode.

• 4:43Speaker 00

  That's really true. If your business cannot run without you, if you can't unplug for a week without the wheels completely falling off. If every new sale really feels like another weight on your shoulders, that's not scalable and that is definitely not freedom. And we all know you're probably here because you started this business for freedom. And I say this with so much love because I have been there way more times than I feel comfortable even admitting. I used to think that more money would give me freedom. I thought more team would give me freedom. But what I didn't realise is that no more money or more team with no systems literally is just more stress. So you're making more, yes, but you're working for it constantly. You are probably babysitting your business every single day. And I would argue that's probably not a company, right?

• 5:26Speaker 00

  That's probably just a high paying job with a lot less benefits. And that's not what we want. So let me ask you this, and I really, really want you to be honest with yourself. If you took two weeks completely off, would your business keep running? Would leads still come in? Would clients still get served? Would payments still be hitting your account? Or would everything just scooch to a halt? And that answer right there, that is your starting point. Because founder mindset doesn't happen overnight. We know that. But it does start the minute you stop asking, how can I do more? And start asking, how can I actually design this better? So now you're probably thinking, okay, Natalie, I get it. I've been stuck in freelancer mode. I'm really ready to burn down my business.

• 6:10Speaker 00

  It's not working for me. I want to step into founder mindset. What does it actually look like in practice? What are the next steps? How can we get tactical? So let's make this really clear and actionable because it's not just about thinking like a founder. It is actually about operating like one. And so I'm going to give you five tactical shifts that you can make to start building a business that gives you. Margin, scalability and the reason you're here, actual freedom. Okay, so the first is shifting from doing to delegating. If you're doing everything yourself, you are holding your business back. And I get it, it can be really scary to delegate. You might be thinking, no one can do it like I do. And I'm not just talking about people. You could also be delegating to AI or systems.

• 6:53Speaker 00

  Or maybe you're like, hmm, doesn't work because it just takes longer to train than to do it myself. And these are really normal thoughts. But if you don't start delegating and start getting stuff off your plate, your business will always be limited by your bandwidth. And so I encourage you, start really small. Look at your week, find the tasks that drain your energy, but don't require your genius. Email organization, your calendar management, podcast editing, tech setup, client onboarding. These are not a hundred hour tasks. These are tasks that someone else or a software can do and do really well. I'm going to actually link below in the show notes, what I use to manage my email. It's AI, it's very, very low cost and it has changed my life. You could also hire a virtual assistant.

• 7:37Speaker 00

  You could start with five to 10 hours a week, record a loom video, walking you, walk people through the task and then give feedback, improve as you go. The goal here is not going to be perfection, but it is going to be leverage. And you're only going to get that by actually starting to get stuff off of your plate. The next shift is moving from selling time to selling outcomes. And this one is really, really huge. Because if you're still pricing your offers based on time, hourly rates, session packages, even days of access, you're probably capping your income and burning yourself out. Founders price based on value and results, not hours. You are not selling your time, you are selling a transformation. So here's how to reframe this. What is the outcome that your client really wants? What is the cost of them staying stuck where they are?

• 8:21Speaker 00

  What is the value of being able to solve that problem? When you price from outcome, you remove yourself from the hamster wheel. You create packages or programs that don't require time as you grow. So you could think about turning one-to-one work into a framework or into a group container. You could create a signature method. You can teach and license. You could build assets like templates, trainings, swipe files, things that do the heavy lifting for you. You are not your hours. You are your IP and that's a really, really big shift. The next thing is moving from hustle to systems because if you are constantly in hustle mode, it is a sign your business is missing structure. This is where systems will come in and I don't mean a complicated 57 step automation with eight pieces of software.

• 9:06Speaker 00

  What I mean is simple, repeatable processes for the things you do all the time. So asking yourself, do I currently have a repeatable way that I bring in leads? Do I have a set onboarding flow for new clients? Do I know how I launch or promote something? Or do I start from scratch every single time? A lot of the times you'll ask yourself those questions and you'll feel a little embarrassed by the answers. You'll be like Natalie, why did I not change this out like a year ago? But listen, start small. Just write out the five to 10 things you do the most often in your business and then create a quick step by step for each. So that's going to be your first set of SOPs, standing operating procedures. Plug them into a tool like ClickUp, Notion or Trello,

• 9:48Speaker 00

  whatever you use, not for the sake of being fancy, just so that the next time you do the thing, you're not reinventing the wheel. You could download the Notion templates we've got in society as well and it's such a great start of where to actually manage your business. And eventually you could hand this off like the keys to your car so someone else can drive it for you. Every December I tell myself I'll be organised and every December I end up in this very specific little shop down the road grabbing last minute gifts for friends and family. The whole store is full of really small, unique, perfect things that I feel like I've never seen anywhere else. I didn't, but the store owner did, probably back in October, probably on Fair. So Fair is a wholesale

• 10:29Speaker 00

  marketplace connecting independent retailers with more than 100,000 unique brands worldwide. Home, apparel, beauty, food and more. Over 700,000 retailers already stock their shelves there. And if you are the one stocking those shelves, the timing is on your side. Because eligible retailers get 60 day interest free payment terms. So what you order this month isn't actually due until December when you're already selling. Your first order with every brand also comes with free returns. So if you run a shop, now is the time to prep for the holiday season. And I think FAIRE is the perfect place to find unique, high quality products chosen for your exact customer.

• 11:15Speaker 00

  If you run a shop, FAIRE is how you stock unique, high quality products. You can sign up today and get 50% off your first wholesale order up to $100 at F A I R E dot com slash boss babe. That's F A I R E dot com slash boss babe. Terms may apply. The next shift is going from income to profit. And I feel like I talk about this a lot in my episodes, but I really, really want you to hear it. A lot of people get stuck when it comes to the money piece. You might be celebrating 10 K months, 25 K months, but if your expenses are eating all of it, you are not building a business. You're just keeping busy. Revenue is a vanity metric. Profit is the real flex, aren't you? Founders don't just track top line numbers.

• 11:59Speaker 00

  They are tracking profit margins, customer acquisition cost, lifetime customer value, ROI on marketing and team. And if all of that sounds really intimidating, do not worry. Start here. Just look at how much you're taking home every month. Track where your money's going, team, tools, subscriptions, software. Identify your most profitable offer and go all in on that. Again, I have all of these inside the society for you, or I'll coach you through it and give you the templates you need. You do not need a bigger audience or fancier tech. You just need a tight a business model that prints profit. And you're probably so close, you cannot even see it. And the last shift is a big one, and it's going from busyness to leadership.

• 12:38Speaker 00

  A lot of entrepreneurs do stay stuck in freelancer energy because being busy feels really productive and your nervous system is really used to it. But the truth is, busyness is not a badge of honour. Leadership is about focus, not frenzy. And founders do know that their role isn't to do everything. Their role is to make the highest leverage decisions, to lead with vision and really ensure. The business runs even if they step out. So then what does leadership look like practically? Well, it's things like setting boundaries with your calendar. It is, and this is a hard one, saying no to good ideas that aren't aligned with your next level. It is communicating expectations clearly with your team and holding people accountable. It is making decisions based on data, not just your feelings.

• 13:20Speaker 00

  And it is leading yourself first, your time, your habits and your energy. Because if you want to build something really sustainable, you have to stop being the busiest person in the business. You have to become the clearest person in the business and that's not easy. But you do not need to overhaul your entire business overnight. I promise you could start by choosing one of these shifts, you know, whether it's delegating something, whether it's automating something, whether it's repackaging one offer around results, maybe building a system that frees up your time. Because every small shift you make away from the freelancer mindset and into that founder mindset is going to bring you way closer to the business and the life you want, the real, the reason that you start this whole thing in the first place.

• 14:03Speaker 00

  And so if you're really starting to feel it, I hope you see that this mindset shift is not just a business strategy. It is a way of operating, of leading, of living. And what I want to walk you through now is what it actually unlocks when you commit to it. Because stepping into the founder mindset is not just about hiring some support or tapping into AI or automating your sales. It's really about reclaiming your time, your energy and your clarity. And so I'll just paint a slightly different picture for you, right? Instead of waking up on a Monday morning after having the Sunday scaries, instead of diving into DMs and putting out fires and reacting to everyone else's needs, you open your laptop and you already know exactly what moves the needle,

• 14:46Speaker 00

  what's already been handled by your team or your systems and where your energy would be best spent that day. Like imagine how different that would feel. We're not talking about chaos, we're not playing whack-a-mole. We are just having really clear, confident execution of the most important work that only you as the founder of this company can do. And so let's just. Zoom out even further because what happens is when you do this consistently, week after week, month after month, you stop being the bottleneck in your business. And that is huge. Your sales don't dip every single time you take a break. Your delivery gets way more consistent and it actually gets higher quality because it's built on your structure and not your moods and like,

• 15:30Speaker 00

  how well you slept the night before. You have time to rest. You really do have time to create. You have time to think like a real CEO and from that place, you can actually start building real wealth, not just revenue, but actual profit. Not just quick momentum or short bursts, but real sustainability. And you're seeing your business as an asset, not just a hustle and you're not worried, oh my goodness, like, is this still going to be a viable career path for me three years from now? And what's really powerful, especially if you're a mom or you're building this business alongside family life is, this shift allows you to fully own your ambition without guilt. Because you're not chasing success in a way that burns you out. And you're not constantly in the game of sacrifice. You're building with systems, with support, with sustainability.

• 16:15Speaker 00

  You're not having to choose between being present with your family and being successful in business. You get to do both because you're not holding it all on your own and it feels like you actually can, leave business at work and be present at home. And let's be honest, if you're going to work this hard, if you're going to carry a vision this big, if you're going to pour your heart and soul into something, shouldn't it give back to you? Shouldn't it give you more freedom, not less? And I think that's the main thing that this founder mindset unlocks. A business that works for you, not just because of you. So here's the bottom line. You didn't start this business just to burn out. You didn't choose this path just to trade one version of job or hustle for another. You started this because you wanted freedom.

• 16:55Speaker 00

  Freedom of time, freedom of income, freedom to do meaningful work without compromising the rest of your life. But we all know by now, that freedom isn't necessarily going to come from working harder. It's going to come from thinking differently. It's going to come from reworking your nervous system. It's going to come from reworking your mindset, shifting from freelancer mode and into founder mode. And you don't have to scale to seven figures. You don't have to have a big team. You don't have Do this like everyone else is doing it, but you do need to lead like someone who actually values their time, who actually values the vision, who actually values their own nervous system, who actually values their quality of life. Because if you are going to carry the weight of building something, which let's be honest, is often heavy, make sure it's something

• 17:40Speaker 00

  that can carry you back. Now, if this really, really landed for you, here is what I want you to do. I want you to pick one shift from today, just one. Maybe it's hiring a VA, maybe it is packaging your offer around results, maybe it's building your first system, or finally, tracking and not hiding from your profit. Whatever it is, start there. And then drop a comment and tell me what shift are you making? Because I really, really want to cheer you on. And if you want support in working on this, in doing this with a community, with coaching, with accountability, think about joining us inside the society. It's a freaking incredible community that is going to support you in building a freedom-based business, and it's ninety-seven dollars a month. So if you're interested, I'll put all the links below,

• 18:22Speaker 00

  but you can head to bossive.com/membership. You'll immediately plug into an incredible curriculum, so many done-for-you systems, templates, a really great community, and weekly coaching. There is nothing else like it out there for building a freedom-based business, and it might just be the next step that's going to help you put all of this that we've been talking about for so long into practice. Because I want to make sure you're not just listening, but you're really, really putting this into practice, and it's actually changing your life and business. So head to bossa.com/membership. And then with that, I will see you in the next episode. Thank you for listening.

• 19:02Speaker 00

  Wait, wait, wait, before you go. I would love to send you my seven-figure CEO operating system completely free as a gift. All you've got to do is leave us a review on this podcast, because it really supports the growth of this show. This is my digital masterclass, where I'll show you what my freedom-based daily, weekly, and monthly schedule looks like as an eight-figure CEO, mama and high performer. And I'll walk you through step by step how to create this for yourself. It includes a full Video training from me and a plug and play spreadsheet to literally create your own operating system. It's one of our best trainings and it's worth $1,997, but I will unlock access for you for free when you leave us a review. I know, wild, right? All you have to do is leave

• 19:47Speaker 00

  your review on the podcast, take a screenshot of it and then head over to bossbabe.com/review to upload it. And then you'll get instant access to the seven-figure CEO operating system. Again, head over to bossbabe.com/review to upload your screenshot and get access. We are so, so grateful for all of your support and can't wait to hear how the podcast has supported you.