How to Prioritize as a Small Business Owner When Everything Feels Urgent
You have a million things on your to-do list.
Your calendar is packed. Your Slack notifications won’t stop. Your team has questions you don’t have time to answer.
And yet... you feel like you’re running in circles.
That's because you’re playing firefighter instead of actually leading your business.
If you don’t get your priorities straight, you’ll stay stuck in the weeds — working hard but never actually growing.
What We're Covering
In this post, I’m breaking down:
The biggest prioritization mistake scaling entrepreneurs make
How I personally wasted time on low-value work instead of growing my business
The simple framework you can use to prioritize like a CEO
One thing you can do today to start getting real results
You're going to know exactly how to shift from reactive to strategic, so you can start actually running your business instead of letting it run you.
The Mistake: Playing Firefighter Instead of CEO
Most entrepreneurs have no real prioritization system. Instead, they play firefighter.
Meaning they react to problems instead of leading proactively.
A team member has an issue? They drop everything to deal with it.
A client has a random request? They shuffle their entire day around to fix it.
They start their workday inside their inbox, so the first thing they do is respond to everyone else’s priorities instead of their own.
And then at the end of the day? They feel like they got nothing important done.
When I Was Prioritizing the Wrong Things
I know this pattern because I lived it.
When I started my first business, I was doing everything... but I wasn’t actually growing.
I spent hours setting up automations, tweaking my website, and even setting up a chatbot (for a website that barely had any traffic).
I felt productive. But in reality? I was hiding.
I knew how to do operational work, so I spent my time buried in systems and tech instead of focusing on what would actually move the needle:
Building my brand
Creating strategic partnerships
Focusing on real growth activities
And the second I stopped wasting time on busy work and started focusing on high-value work?
I made more money. I got more exposure. And I actually moved my business forward.
So if you’re feeling stuck, the problem probably isn’t that you don’t have enough time — it’s that you’re using it wrong.
The CEO Prioritization Framework
So how do you actually fix this?
Well, simply put, you need a system to prioritize like a CEO.
Most entrepreneurs wake up every day and just start working.
They dive into client emails, team questions, and random tasks without ever stopping to ask: “Is this actually moving my business forward?”
That’s why I use the CEO Prioritization Framework — a simple but powerful structure to make sure everything you do directly contributes to scaling your business.
Instead of being reactive, this method forces you to think strategically and make sure your day-to-day work actually leads to long-term growth.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Define Your Big Business Vision (Your BBV)
Before you even think about your daily tasks, you need to get clear on your Big Business Vision.
Ask yourself:
What does my business look like when it’s fully built?
How big is it? What am I doing? What am I NOT doing?
How does it run? What role do I play?
Most entrepreneurs stay stuck because they’re making decisions based on what’s urgent today. Not where they want to be in 2-3 years.
Your Big Business Vision is your North Star. If something doesn’t move you toward it? It’s a distraction.
Step 2: Set ONE Goal for the Next 90 Days
Once you know your Big Business Vision, you need to translate that into something tangible.
For the next 90 days, focus on one key business goal that actually gets you one step closer to that vision.
This is NOT:
“I want to make more money.”
“I want to grow my team.”
“I want to get my life together.”
This IS:
“I will build & document my client delivery system so I can delegate it.”
“I will build a repeatable sales process that brings in leads consistently.”
“I will refine my offer & positioning to close more high-ticket clients.”
One focused goal will drive real progress. A list of 10 half-baked goals won’t.
Step 3: Set Your Weekly Big 1-3
Each week, define your 1-3 biggest priorities that will move you closer to your 90-day goal.
Not tasks. Not busy work. Actual priorities.
These should be the biggest needle-movers in your business.
If you only got these 1-3 things done all week, you’d still be making progress.
If your weekly priorities don’t connect back to your 90-day goal, you’re just spinning your wheels.
Step 4: Set Your Daily Big 1-3
Each morning, before you get sucked into emails, Slack, or whatever chaos is waiting for you, write down:
What are the 1-3 most important things I need to do today?
What MUST get done to make progress toward my weekly goals?
And here’s the key: Don’t work on anything else until those things are done.
How to Start Prioritizing Like a CEO Today
For the next 7 days, try doing this:
Pick ONE thing each day that will move the needle.
Don’t work on anything else until that one thing is done.
If your to-do list feels endless and you’re not sure where to focus, it’s time to fix it.
Scaling CEOs don’t just work hard—they work on the right things.
Want help making this shift? Let’s talk. Book a Free Strategy Call and let's get you prioritizing like a CEO.
