Become the Boardroom Beast: How to Build Your Entrepreneur Alter Ego (Step by Step Guide)

Beyoncé wasn’t always the powerhouse you see today.

In fact, she has admitted that early in her career, fear gripped her before performances. She was shy. Soft-spoken. Afraid of what people might think.

So, she created someone else.

She called her Sasha Fierce.

Sasha was everything Beyoncé felt she wasn’t. Bold. Dominating. Electric. She embodied the swagger, the confidence, the audacity needed to own the stage. Sasha allowed Beyoncé to push past her insecurities, to dance, sing, and command attention in a way her everyday self could not.

This wasn’t theater. It was survival.

Because when the lights hit and the crowd roared, the quiet, kind Beyoncé wasn’t enough. She needed Sasha. She needed to become the beast.

Entrepreneurs face the same battle.

You might be a loving parent. A loyal friend. A humble human. But when you step into the boardroom? When you pitch that investor? When you sit across from a high-stakes negotiation? Your everyday self won’t cut it.

You need the beast.

And the most battle-tested, bulletproof way to unleash it is by creating your alter ego.

Building an Alter Ego Is Identity Engineering, Not Pretend Play

This isn’t make-believe.

It’s strategy.

It’s crafting an intentional identity that helps you show up in high-stakes moments as the most lethal, focused, and disciplined version of yourself. It’s what Navy SEALs do before missions. What elite athletes do before competition. And what entrepreneurs must do before they step into the next level of growth.

Here’s how to forge yours.

Step 1: Define the Arena and the Adversary

Start by defining the arena where your alter ego will operate. This is critical. You don’t need to be the Boardroom Beast when you’re at home with your kids. But when you step into negotiations? Into pitch mode? Into performance mode? That’s your arena.

Once you define the arena, define the adversary. Who or what are you up against? Fear? Doubt? A competitor? Get clear. Alter egos are forged in opposition to something. Make the enemy real.

Step 2: Name It and Give It Form

This is where most entrepreneurs chicken out.

You must name your alter ego. Give it a shape. A face. A backstory. Bo Jackson had ‘Bo Knows.’ Beyoncé had ‘Sasha Fierce.’ Kobe had the ‘Black Mamba.’ Schultz had the Brooklyn Street Fighter.

Don’t underestimate the power of a name.

Names create separation from your day-to-day self and allow the alter ego to take over in the moments that demand it. The best names are visceral, primal, and loaded with emotional significance to you.

Step 3: Choose an Artifact and Activation Ritual

Your alter ego needs an artifact. Something tangible that signals the transition.

Kobe tied his sneakers a certain way. Jackson wore specific gloves. For entrepreneurs, it might be a jacket, a pen, a specific watch. Something you wear or touch when you step into the role.

Pair this with an activation ritual. It could be a breath pattern, a phrase, a song. Rituals prime your body and mind to step into the persona.

The key is repetition. Over time, the artifact and ritual become a trigger that flips the switch.

Step 4: Deploy It in Practice Before the Big Game

Don’t wait for the investor meeting to try this out.

Deploy your alter ego in safe practice environments first. Step into it on sales calls. Use it in pitch rehearsals. Let the persona develop reps.

Identity, like muscle, is strengthened through repetition. The more you activate the alter ego, the faster and more naturally it will show up when the bullets start flying.

Step 5: Let It Evolve as You Grow

Your alter ego isn’t static. As you grow, it grows. Schultz’s street fighter eventually became the calm, battle-tested CEO. Bo Jackson’s ‘Bo Knows’ became part of him off the field, not just on it.

Let your alter ego evolve with your mission. But never lose the switch. Never lose the ability to step into the most ferocious, locked-in version of yourself when the moment demands it.

Parting Advice: Amateurs Hope. Pros Engineer Their Identity.

If you want to crush fear, play bigger, and scale faster, stop showing up as your everyday self in the moments that matter most. Build your alter ego. Name it. Trigger it. Use it.

The world isn’t waiting for the real you. It’s waiting for the version of you who can deliver when the lights are on and the stakes are high.

Be like Bo. Be like Kobe. Be like Schultz.

Become the Boardroom Beast.

Next Steps

Want more no-nonsense strategies to forge an elite entrepreneur identity? Listen to the Built by Discipline podcast where I break down identity, mindset, and alter ego tools every founder needs to win the inner war and dominate the boardroom.