Back when I started Warlord in 2014, my priority was survival—just get through the day and make something happen. I was doing it all, and everything felt urgent. But over time, I realized that if everything is a priority, then nothing is. Now my #1 priority each week is clarity—stepping back, looking at the big picture and vision, then figuring out the one major thing that is going move the business forward that week. Not ten things. One. Then making sure the people, tools, and time are lined up behind that. Top 3 weekly? Revenue-Driving Work - If it doesn't bring in or keep customers, it waits. Brand Stewardship - Making sure every piece of the brand still tells the story right. Delegating or Automating - Constantly removing stuff from my plate to stay focused on what only I can do. Everything changed when I stopped chasing noise and started owning direction and flow. That's the shift from doing the work to building the engine to eventually having things on cruise control. All that's left then is to kick back, and enjoy the ride - expecting the unscheduled maintenance from time to time. But buy then, ideally you'll have developed an army of leaders to handle even that.
My #1 weekly priority is protecting my creative energy and the brand. That means making space to actually think, write, and build without being buried in the noise. If my energy's off, everything suffers. I've learned that the hard way. Top 3 Priorities This Season? Vision - I spend more time now clarifying where we're going, not just checking boxes. A year ago, I was in the weeds. BAD! I was doing everything and managing everything. Now it's about making sure the right people are on the right pieces, and that we're building something with real direction. Brand Story & Content - We don't post just to post. Every piece of content needs to mean something, move something, or make someone feel seen. I stay close to that process, because that's the core of what makes this brand resonate. Team Culture & Communication - Early on, I thought being a CEO was about output. But it's about clarity. Making sure the team knows the why, the what, and that they feel safe to move fast and think big. That shift alone has changed everything. A year ago, I was trying to prove I could do it all. Now, I'm focused on doing the right things.
As a creator and CEO, my #1 priority weekly is relentless customer focus. When I started Fulfill.com, I was constantly divided between product development, fundraising, and marketing. Now, I've learned that deeply understanding our customers' evolving needs is what truly drives our growth. My top 3 priorities currently are: 1. Customer-centric innovation: I dedicate at least 5-7 hours weekly speaking directly with eCommerce brands about their fulfillment challenges. This hands-on approach has transformed how we build our matching platform. A year ago, I was focused on scaling quickly; today I'm obsessed with solving specific pain points. For creators, this means prioritizing deep user understanding over rapid expansion. 2. Building high-leverage systems: Early on, I tried doing everything myself - evaluating 3PLs, handling customer service, and managing partnerships simultaneously. Now I focus on creating systems that amplify our team's impact. We've developed scorecards and frameworks that standardize how we evaluate fulfillment partners across our network of 650+ 3PLs. For creators, build repeatable processes early - they're the foundation for sustainable growth. 3. Strategic network cultivation: In the logistics space, relationships are everything. I now allocate significant time to nurturing our network of fulfillment providers and industry partners. This wasn't even on my radar when we launched, but I've learned that these relationships create exponential value for our customers. For creators, identify the key partnerships in your space that can multiply your impact rather than just adding to it. The biggest shift from when I started? Moving from a "build more features" mindset to a "solve deeper problems" approach. This takes patience and discipline, but it's what transforms good companies into great ones. For any creator, the ability to stay focused on what truly matters amid constant noise is your most valuable skill.
Relentless Focus on Strategic Growth - Every week, I prioritize activities that directly move the company and my personal brand forward: partnerships, product innovation, and high-impact conversations. As a creator and CEO, it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day, but now more than ever, I focus on doing fewer things better. A year ago, I was more reactive; today, I'm intentional about protecting my creative and strategic energy. Content Creation with Purpose - Whether it's podcast episodes, thought leadership pieces, or social media, creating meaningful content consistently is critical. Content isn't just marketing—it's how I build trust, demonstrate value, and create momentum. My approach now is to be strategic and scalable with content (e.g., repurposing interviews into articles, posts, and email campaigns). Team Empowerment and Delegation - When I started, I wore every hat. Now, my priority is building and trusting a team that can execute so I can stay focused on vision and growth. Empowering others allows me to remain in a creator mindset without being stuck in operations. I've learned that letting go is a superpower. Big Shift Over Time: When I started, I was obsessed with doing everything myself—believing hustle alone would lead to success. Now, it's about high-leverage activities, deep creative work, and leading through empowerment, not micromanagement.
My number one priority is ensuring that the educational toys and products we design meet the evolving needs of both children and parents. This priority has shifted over the past year, as I've come to realize the importance of developing not just safe, but also engaging, screen free toys that promote learning and development. A year ago, I was primarily focused on getting the business off the ground and establishing a strong product lineup. Now, my focus is on continuous improvement, refining products based on customer feedback, and making sure that every item we create supports children's development through safe, interactive play. When it comes to the weekly priorities, my top three are improving product safety, enhancing the educational value of our toys, and finding ways to promote more travel based learning experiences. Ensuring product safety is always at the forefront because parents trust us with their children's well being. I want to make sure that the materials we use are not only safe but also age appropriate. Next, I focus on how our toys can best support cognitive, emotional, and social development, helping children learn through play. As a new CEO, there was an initial rush to establish the brand and get the product in front of customers. But now, my role involves more strategic thinking, like refining our product line based on feedback and aligning it with broader trends in child development. For example, I've become more attuned to the importance of fostering a child's ability to learn from real world experiences rather than relying on screen time. In our toy designs, we incorporate sensory activities and educational challenges that encourage children to engage with their environment, which research shows is far more beneficial than passive screen based learning. If you focus on creating meaningful, safe experiences through toys and travel, you'll likely see improvements in your child's curiosity, creativity, and even social skills. This doesn't mean you need to travel across the world, but incorporating travel based learning into your everyday routine can create rich opportunities for growth. For parents is that the choices you make today, from the toys your child plays with to the experiences you expose them to, have a lasting impact on their development. By choosing products and activities that stimulate both their minds and their creativity, you're setting them up for success, fostering curiosity and resilience that will last a lifetime.
My number one weekly priority as a creator and CEO is checking in directly with my team, not just about projects, but about how they're actually feeling. In the early days, I obsessed over metrics and output, thinking that was the fastest path to growth. But I quickly realized that creativity dries up when people feel disconnected or overwhelmed. Now, every week, I make time for honest, informal conversations-sometimes over coffee, sometimes during a walk. I ask what's exciting them, what's frustrating, and what ideas they're itching to try. Last month, one of these chats led to a small tweak in our workflow that ended up saving everyone hours each week. That kind of insight doesn't come from dashboards or reports. Projects move faster and ideas get bolder when people feel seen and heard. It's a lesson I wish I'd embraced sooner, and it's made all the difference in how we work and what we create.
Right now, my #1 weekly priority is revenue-focused creation. Whether that's refining a product like the Instant Pricing Fixtm, writing high-converting content, or optimizing a digital funnel, I'm focused on creative work that directly supports cash flow. A few years ago, I was constantly creating--but not always strategically. I've learned that creativity without a conversion plan is just content. Now, everything I create has a purpose and a path. My Top 3 priorities as a creator and CEO are: Build systems around my creativity - I batch, template, and repurpose like crazy. I don't rely on motivation--I rely on structure. Keep my audience close. Whether through email, comments, or DMs, staying connected to the real people behind the metrics helps me create meaningful things. Protect white space - I schedule time to think, write, and not produce. That margin is where my best ideas come from. Many years ago, I was chasing too many platforms and over-investing in what looked like growth. Now, I'm ruthlessly focused on what actually moves the needle--and feels creatively aligned. That's the shift.
As a creator and CEO of a digital business, my #1 weekly priority now is building and optimizing systems that can run without me. When I first started, everything revolved around hustle--publishing content daily, answering customer queries, and wearing every possible hat just to stay afloat. But with growth comes responsibility, and I've learned that if I want to scale sustainably, I need to step back from doing everything and focus on leading with intention. Now, my top three priorities each week are clear: first, refining our content-to-conversion journey--ensuring every piece of content we publish (whether it's a blog, exam dump page, or expert answer) is not just driving traffic, but also converting visitors into customers. Second, empowering my team to execute without bottlenecks--my role is less about micromanaging and more about creating clarity, removing roadblocks, and making sure everyone is aligned with our bigger vision. And third, running smart experiments--testing new email strategies, landing page formats, or ad creatives without disrupting what already works. Compared to a year ago, when survival was the only goal, I now see my job as building a business that grows with or without me. To any aspiring creator, I'd say: hustle gets you started, but systems set you free. Focus on building processes, not just content. That shift in mindset is what transforms you from a creator into a CEO.
My number 1 priority every week now is building leverage and eliminating bottlenecks. Starting with myself. When I first started Podknows Podcasting, my priority was just 'don't screw this up or disappoint clients'. As a result, I was saying yes to too many things, confusing 'busyness' with progress, and playing way too small. Now, my top 3 priorities are brutally simple: 1. Ruthless focus on one core offer that compounds. If it doesn't build on what's working for me, it's noise. 2. Deep creation without distractions. If I'm not creating at least one piece of content, every week, that can sell, teach, or attract new clients while I sleep, I'm stagnating. 3. Finding people better than me at what I shouldn't be doing. If I'm the smartest person in every room, I'm seriously screwed. A year ago, I was thinking like a freelancer who happened to run a business. Now, I think like a CEO building a kingdom that will ultimately outlast me. That mindset shift is non-negotiable if you want to win long-term. And as someone who's grown from barely surviving my first year, to now looking to hire a team in 2025, I'm taking that lesson to the grave with me.
When I first started as a creator and CEO, my top priority was survival--just keeping things moving, trying to prove I belonged at the table. Now? I build the table. My weekly top 3 priorities are: Protecting my creative time like it's sacred -- Because strategy without soul is noise. I carve out time to create, design, write, or dream--even if the world's on fire. Pouring into people, not just projects -- Whether it's my team, clients, or my community of faith-based leaders, I show up with intention. People matter more than perfection. Making mission-driven moves, not fear-based ones -- I've learned to trust God with the outcome and lead boldly. Every week, I ask: does this align with the mission of Marilyn Jeanne Designs to empower, equip, and glorify God? If not--it's a no. A year ago, I was still chasing hustle. Today, I chase purpose. If you're an aspiring creator, don't just build a brand--build a legacy that speaks when you're not in the room.
When I first became a CEO, my top priority was honestly just keeping the plane in the air. Cash flow, survival, hiring, patching leaks — it felt like 90% reactive, 10% strategic. Every week was basically firefighting wrapped in slightly nicer words. Fast forward to now, my weekly priorities have shifted hard. I'd break it down into three: 1. Setting the emotional tempo. Most founders obsess over setting OKRs or strategy, but honestly, energy is the leading indicator. If the team feels energized, ambitious, and safe to stretch themselves, good things tend to compound naturally. If they feel burnt out or aimless, no amount of strategy will save you. So now every week, I ask: "How's the emotional weather around here, and what's one small thing I can do to make it sunnier?" 2. Ruthless subtraction. Earlier, I thought my job was to add — add features, add ideas, add initiatives. Now, every week I spend serious time asking, "What should we kill?" Whether it's features, meetings, processes, or even internal stories we tell ourselves, subtraction is where clarity lives. It's how we stay fast when we should be drowning in complexity by now. 3. Protecting strategic patience. In startup life, there's this constant hum of impatience — like you're one missed week away from losing the whole race. It's intoxicating and exhausting. Now, my job is to actively protect the patience needed to build foundational things the right way, even when short-term pressure screams otherwise. Every week, I make sure at least a few decisions prioritize "what's right in a year" over "what looks good next week." If I had to sum it up: a year ago, I was playing defense against collapse. Now, it's about playing offense with the long game in mind — building a company that stays alive because it's alive internally, not just externally.
Right now, my actual top weekly priority is unblocking my team. Every Monday, I look at what's on their plates, where decisions are stuck, or what's unclear--and I jump in. Whether that's reviewing a scope doc, responding to a stalled email thread, or just clarifying priorities, that's what actually keeps the business moving. A year ago, I was still trying to do everything myself--client calls, wireframes, proposals, even some late-night debugging. Now it's less about doing and more about enabling. Second priority? Revenue clarity. I'm checking who's close to signing, who's dragging, and where we need to follow up. Because let's be honest, cash flow stress kills creativity fast. Third would be founder sanity--making sure I'm not overloading myself with back-to-back chaos. That might mean forcing a 2-hour focus block, skipping meetings that don't matter, or even going off-grid for a bit to get back into builder mode. Not glamorous, but that's what it looks like behind the scenes. For creators: the real flex isn't doing more--it's knowing what actually matters that week. That takes time to figure out. And yeah, some weeks it still gets messy.
My top priority each week is creating scalable content. I focus on producing high-leverage pieces like YouTube videos, SEO breakdowns, and live webinars that can be repurposed across multiple platforms. One video becomes a blog post, newsletter, Twitter thread, and a series of social media shorts. This strategy compounds visibility and authority over time, and it's been key to attracting new clients and collaborations without relying on outreach. A close second is systemizing client delivery with AI. A year ago, I was manually creating every piece of content for clients. Today, I've built custom AI agents trained on industry tone and client data, allowing me to scale content production by 10x without sacrificing quality. These systems handle the heavy lifting so I can focus on high-level strategy and growth. Lastly, I invest time every week in mentoring and strategic visibility. I mentor startups in a Web3 incubator and lead quarterly SEO masterclasses. This not only sharpens my own thinking but consistently leads to inbound opportunities. Sharing what I know publicly, whether in webinars or on LinkedIn, has become a magnet for aligned clients and collaborators.
My #1 priority now is protecting deep work time—carving out big, distraction-free chunks to actually create and build, not just react. A close Top 3 would be: 1) Deep work time, 2) ruthless prioritization (saying no fast), and 3) audience connection (staying human, not just posting to post). When I first started, it was all about doing *more*—posting everywhere, chasing every idea, trying to be everywhere at once. Now, it's about doing the *right* few things really well. If you're always busy but never building anything lasting, you're just spinning your wheels louder.
As the CEO of X Agency (xagency.com), my role blends the creative spark of a content creator with the strategic vision of a business leader. My #1 weekly priority in 2025 is fostering authentic audience connections through data-driven storytelling. This means leveraging AI analytics to understand our audience's evolving needs and crafting content that resonates deeply, whether it's a campaign for a client or thought leadership on platforms like X. Authenticity builds trust, which is the currency of the creator economy. For aspiring creators, prioritize knowing your audience's pain points; it's the foundation of impact and monetization. My top three priorities are: 1. Audience-Centric Innovation: We analyze engagement metrics weekly to refine content strategies, ensuring every post or campaign delivers value. This differs from a year ago when we focused more on volume over precision—now, quality trumps quantity. 2. Team Empowerment: Investing in our team's creative and technical skills drives innovation. When I started, I was a solo creator; now, scaling impact requires a empowered team. 3. Sustainable Monetization: Diversifying revenue through memberships and digital products is key. Unlike early days chasing sponsorships, we now build owned communities for recurring income. To creators: stay consistent, measure your gains, and build genuine relationships. The creator economy rewards those who solve real problems with heart and hustle.
My top priority each week now is keeping my team aligned around the work that truly matters because if your team is focused, your company moves forward even when you're not in the room. When I first started, my weekly priority was survival like getting the next order, solving production issues, answering every call myself. I was in the weeds but as we grew, I realized that my role had to shift. Now, every Monday, I check in with department heads. Not to micromanage but to ask this one question: "What's the one thing you're driving this week?" It forces clarity and keeps everyone focused. My other two weekly priorities: 1. Protect time for deep thinking I block off one morning a week no meetings and distractions. That's when I work on long-term product planning or rethinking parts of our customer experience. A year ago, I didn't do this. I was reacting. Now, I lead better because I pause to think. 2. Stay connected with the customer. Every week, I read direct feedback from at least 5 clients. It reminds me who we're building for. Some of our best product improvements came from a single customer comment. If you lose that link, you build in a vacuum. For any aspiring creator or founder, my advice is that your job isn't to do everything but to make sure the right things get done. Priorities give you that focus and when you shift from reacting to leading, that's when things start to compound.
My number one priority each week as a creator and CEO is making sure I set aside protected time for creative thinking and deep work. In the early days, I let my schedule get crowded with meetings and urgent tasks, always reacting to what needed my attention most. Over time, I realized that the real breakthroughs and the best content only came when I blocked off time to step away from the noise and let my mind wander. Now, I treat this creative time like any other important meeting. I turn off notifications, close my door, and focus on developing new ideas or refining ongoing projects. Sometimes this means sketching out concepts by hand or just sitting quietly with a notebook, letting thoughts take shape without pressure. Even if the rest of the week is unpredictable, I know I've built in a window for what matters most. This shift has made a huge difference, not just in the quality of my work but also in how energized I feel. Protecting time for creativity is the foundation that supports everything else.
As CEO of Franchise KI, my number one priority has completely changed from last year when I was caught up in the day-to-day operations of scaling Dirty Dough Cookies. Now, I dedicate 50% of my week to strategic planning sessions with our franchise partners, helping them identify growth opportunities and overcome scaling challenges. My other key focuses are nurturing our company culture through weekly team connects and investing time in my podcast 'Deeper than Dough' to share real, unfiltered insights about entrepreneurship and mental wellness.
My number one priority each week now is clarity--making sure the entire team is aligned on what we're building, why it matters, and how each piece fits into the bigger vision. A year ago, I was still deep in the weeds, handling every detail myself. Now, as we scale, my job has shifted to removing confusion and keeping the path forward simple and visible. The other two priorities are strategy and storytelling. Strategy means constantly refining our topical authority framework so it stays ahead of search trends and helps our clients win. Storytelling is about communicating our value, not just in what we say publicly but how we guide the tools we build, like FLOYI, to reflect that philosophy in every user interaction. To creators just starting out: early on, your priority will be output. You have to ship, test, and prove. But as you grow, the game changes. Your job becomes keeping your message sharp, your team focused, and your mission alive in every line of code, post, or pitch. That's the shift from creator to CEO.
Right now, my biggest priority is striking the balance between creativity and consistency. It's a delicate act, running a business while keeping up with content creation, but both are essential. A year ago, I was mostly figuring things out--testing content ideas, setting up processes, and trying to figure out how to scale without burning out. Now, it's different. First, it's all about regularly delivering high-quality content that really speaks to my audience. Then, I've been focused on scaling the business, improving internal workflows, and finding ways to grow. Lastly, staying connected with the community is key. It's about not just broadcasting content but actually engaging with followers, listening to them, and making sure they feel heard. For anyone just starting out as a creator, my advice is simple: stay authentic. The more real you are with your audience, the more they'll stick with you and support what you're building.