Issue 127, Part Time CEO Newsletter

Hey, it's Dhiren 👋,

You know those conversations that make you pause, reflect, and see your own journey a little more clearly?

That’s exactly what happened when I sat down with my friend and fellow founder, Rayhan Aleem, on the Alphapreneurs Podcast.

Rayhan and I have known each other for years—his company, Alpha Pro, handles accounting for both Cloudscape and Elevated Entrepreneur. So this wasn’t just another podcast. It was two entrepreneurs getting real about:

• The brutal first year of business (and why most founders quit too soon).
• The trap that keeps entrepreneurs overworked and underpaid—even when their businesses are “successful.”
• The Part-Time CEO mindset—how to actually build a business that doesn’t own you.

I shared stories I’ve never told publicly before—including the real reason I swore I’d never become an entrepreneur (spoiler: life had other plans).

This conversation really made me reflect on my own path—and if you’re a founder, I think you’ll find it just as valuable.

🎧 Give it a listen here​
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🧠 Bullet One: The Entrepreneurial Trap

Years ago, I realized that most service-based founders (consultants, agency owners, coaches, and creatives) start businesses for freedom—only to end up more trapped than ever.

I call this The Consultant’s Dilemma:

It goes like this:

• You start your business to create freedom.
• You land clients, so you hire a team to help.
• Now, you need even more clients to cover payroll.
• More clients = more work = even less freedom.

Before you know it, you’re trapped in a business that runs because of you, not without you.

I know this because I lived it.

I built Cloudscape from the ground up, thinking growth meant adding more—more people, more clients, more everything.

🧠 Bullet Two: How to Become a Part-Time CEO

Rayhan asked me how I finally broke free from the cycle, and we got into some really tactical stuff.

If you want to escape The Consultant’s Dilemma and become a Part-Time CEO, here’s where you start:

• Hire an admin, NOT a salesperson. Most founders think their first key hire should be sales. Wrong. Start with an assistant to offload scheduling, emails, and admin work—so you can focus on higher-value tasks.
• Remove yourself from service delivery. If you’re still the one delivering your product or service, you’ll never step back. The first major shift is hiring someone to take over the actual work so you can focus on business growth.
• Develop a repeatable sales process. Before hiring a salesperson, document what works—otherwise, they’ll struggle. Once you’ve built a system, you can bring in a sales team.
• Bring in a GM or Creative Director. The final piece? Hire someone to run the day-to-day, so you can step into your true CEO role.

🎧 Here's the link to the full episode​

Your Turn: Rewrite the Story

Most founders stay stuck because they think stepping back means losing control. But the truth? If your business needs you 24/7, you don’t own a business—you own a job.

Here’s your challenge for the week:

✅ Map out your ideal workweek. What would your business look like if you only worked two days a week?

If this resonates, hit reply—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

And if you want to surround yourself with other creative entrepreneurs learning to escape the grind, consider join the Part-Time CEO Council

📢 Dhiren’s Updates

🔥 Big things happening inside the Part-Time CEO Council!

Join the next Expert Session inside the Part-Time CEO Council!

On March 13th, Zaid, a strategic business consultant & I will be leading a powerful Expert session on:

📊 Business KPIs & Scorecards: A Driver of Performance
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Learn how to track the right metrics and use scorecards to drive real growth. Seats are limited—save yours now!

👉 [Reserve your spot here]​

🚀 1:1 Coaching Now Open: I’m opening up a few coaching slots for founders who want personalized guidance on breaking free from the Consultant’s Dilemma. If that’s you, hit reply and let’s talk.

💡 Entrepreneur Basecamp Is Back: If you missed the last one, the next 3-day bootcamp for agency and consulting founders is happening on March 20th, 2025. Reply to this email and I'll share more details.

📌 Dhiren’s Pick of the Week

If you’ve been reading this newsletter from the early days, you’ll remember when I used to share my favorite books, apps, and resources every week. Well, it’s back!

Each week, I’ll recommend one game-changing book, app, or song that’s helping me—and could help you too.

🎵 Song: Vienna by Billy Joel

Entrepreneurship can feel like an endless sprint, but this song is a reminder that slowing down doesn’t mean falling behind.Vienna is about pacing yourself, making time for what matters, and realizing that success doesn’t come from burnout—it comes from playing the long game.

Key Lyric:“Slow down, you crazy child / You can’t be everything you wanna be before your time.”

Let this be your reminder: Your business doesn’t have to consume you. Take a breath, take a step back, and build on your terms.

🎧 Listen here​

Much Love,

Dhiren Bhatia ​Founder, Elevated Entrepreneur ​ElevatedEntrepreneur.co​ ☎️ Book a 1:1 Clarity Call​

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