RUNNING a Business as a Company is the Essence of Being a CEO
Recently, I began to notice a general misconception among many small business owners especially the self-employed internet entrepreneurs that the CEO title is for the bureaucratic corporate organizations and not for those who want to ‘do their own thing’. In fact, the other day I read the entrepreneurial journey of Ingrid Abboud of nittyGriddy and it really made me think deeply about why many online entrepreneurs shy away from the reality that someday their own thing will outgrow them.

While I can relate with the fact that most small businesses are started from the efforts of only one person at first, this is not enough reason to want to inhibit the growth potential of your business by still running it as a one man show. From the outset, it’s important to consciously go about your small business with the mindset as if it were already a big business.

Thomas Watson Jnr., once said about his father, Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM when the company was still a very small business, not even yet known within their locality. His father came home one day and suddenly announced the change of the business name from what it used to be to IBM [International Business Machines]. He said out of surprise he had to ask him why such an audacious global name for a business which was at that time only a one man show. His father replied him by saying that; you start acting from small the way you’ll like to be when you eventually become big.

The CEO title as corporate or bureaucratic as it may seem, comes with its own unique responsibilities and functions. Business is a team sport and every team needs a coach in order to be effective and successful. The CEO is the coach of a business. Being a business owner is about performing certain functions, these functions are governed by certain fundamental principles that cut across all kind of businesses, online or offline, big or small. Performing these functions is what being a CEO is all about. The function supersedes the title or position. The title simply serves as an encapsulation of the fundamental functions and corresponding roles required of every business owner.

A company is more valuable than a person [freelancer]
That you are currently operating as a self-employed entrepreneur [freelancer] is not enough reason to think or act small. Look for other smart people to bring on board as vision partners in your company. Share the vision of your business with them; they don’t have to be full-time employees for now till you can afford them. Bring them in as freelancers or strategic partners to work together on specific projects and help build the company. But make sure they share the same values as you, because strategic partnership/alliance can only be formed on the foundation of trust powered by shared values. Remember always, that you are not simply doing business [freelancer], but rather building a business [company].  Therefore, endeavour to seek out the right kind of vision partners that can fit into your core ideology and culture as a company.

Two Self-Employed Entrepreneurs Who Built a Company
Brian Clark of Copyblogger built a truly SIGNIFICANT [unique and useful] company –Copyblogger Media LLC by strategically partnering with the likes of Tony Clark co-creator of Teaching Sells as Chief Operations Officer [COO], Sonia Simone of remarkable communication as Chief Marketing Officer [CMO], Sean Jackson the creator of Scribe SEO as Chief Financial officer [CFO], Brian Gardner founder of StudioPress as the product manager for their Genesis Framework and turnkey themes for WordPress and Brian Clark himself occupying the CEO position. With these 5 member team, Copy logger Media LLC is growing into one of the most successful social media company in the world today coming up with innovative products such as; Premise, Authority Rules, and Third Tribe.

Chris Brogan of Owner Media Group is also doing the same thing, that’s how he created the Human Business Works [HBW] company by strategically partnering with Rob Hatch as COO, Liz Stewart founder Lush Beads as project manager, Josh Fisher as the creative director, Merlene Paynter as director of content, Anne Bryant as the executive assistant and Chris Brogan himself occupying the CEO position. With these 5 member team, the Human Business Works [HBW] company has successfully launched innovative products/services such as; 501 Mission Place –a nonprofit, Kitchen Table Companies, and Blog Topics.