Why Systems, Not Goals, Are The Secret to a Life Proof Business

This episode was a little hard to record – I ended up starting and stopping about a dozen times. 

Here at The CEO Collective and on the podcast Promote Yourself to CEO, I’ve spent a LOT of time talking about building a Life FIRST Business. One that allows you to prioritize enjoying your life – right now – as you grow your business. One that allows you to take time for your health, spend quality time with your family. All the fun parts.

But there is another reason why this approach is so crucially important.

Life doesn’t always go as planned. 

And sometimes we don’t just need a Life FIRST Business – we need a Life PROOF Business.

One that’s going to fully support us as we experience loss, setbacks, and the harder parts of life.

In this episode, I’m sharing more about what I’m currently navigating as I’m experiencing the loss of my dear cousin Holly and how focusing on SYSTEMS are what have allowed me to keep this business running smoothly when I’m not able to show up 100%.

On this episode of Promote Yourself to CEO:

00:00 We kick off this episode with a personal update – I’m currently navigating the loss of my sweet cousin who died unexpectedly on September 27th.

1:36 While a Life-First Business sounds amazing – honestly the best part about it is that it truly allows you to build a Life-PROOF Business that can support you while you navigate the ups and downs of life.

6:52 As James Clear shares, “We don’t rise to the level of our goals – we fall to the level of our systems”. This is such a massive thing to understand as you think ahead about the future of your business.

12:55 Most small business owners make two big mistakes when it comes to planning ahead for their businesses – 1) They are always focused on shiny new goals and 2) They aren’t solving the RIGHT problems with their goals. We have to get more strategic!

17:12 The most important 3 systems that every business needs in place to ensure that you are consistently marketing, selling, and delivering your products, programs, and services.

21:16 Some of the ways this approach has allowed me to focus on creating something new – the 90 Day CEO Operating System training & certification program – and also has given me space right now as I’m grieving and can’t show up 100% the way I usually do.

Mentioned in this episode:

Hey there, CEOs, it's Rach here.

I’ve started and stopped recording this episode about a dozen times because I wanted to give you some context about what's been happening in my life. I think this will help explain why I think about business the way I do and how this might apply to you.

We talk a lot about having a life-first business—the kind that allows you to prioritize the people who matter most, take care of yourself, invest in your health, and have the flexibility to enjoy life. Whether it's taking a beautiful fall day off or going on a spontaneous trip, that’s the amazing part of running a life-first business.

I love hearing from my clients when they tell me about taking long weekends without opening their laptops or going on special trips with their kids. Those are the highlights. But for me, this life-first approach didn’t start with the fun stuff. It started because I needed a life-proof business—a business that could handle whatever life threw at me, including the hard things.

And believe me, it's been tested.

Recently, on September 27th, I lost my cousin Holly. She passed away during Hurricane Helene in western Virginia when a tree fell on the building she was in. To say my family is devastated doesn’t even begin to describe it. I'm the oldest of 15 cousins, and Holly was one of the younger ones. I watched her grow up, helped her get ready for prom, and saw her fall in love and get married. She would have turned 30 in just two weeks. Losing her so unexpectedly has been particularly heartbreaking.

And just three years ago, we lost her younger brother, Paul, in a motorcycle accident at the age of 21. This brings that grief to the surface again, and it's been incredibly hard to process while also running my business.

As a small business owner, there’s no bereavement policy where I can just take time off indefinitely. I’ve taken time these last few weeks to be with my family, especially my aunt and cousins, but the reality is that business still needs to keep moving forward.

This experience has reaffirmed why having systems in place is crucial. While there’s the flexibility and freedom that comes with a life-first business, there’s also the ability to take care of yourself when you’re going through something really difficult. You need time to process, to grieve, and to prioritize your well-being.

At The CEO Collective, and with our 90-Day CEO Operating System, we talk about this a lot. I’ve experienced, alongside my clients, the hard parts of life: loss, grief, illness, caring for aging parents, divorce, and more. And because of those experiences, I know how powerful this process is. It’s been battle-tested.

James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, says, “You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.” This is so true. When life throws you a curveball, you default to the level of your systems, habits, and training. For small business owners, the reason they struggle when life gets tough is often a lack of systems. There’s no infrastructure to keep things moving with minimal effort.

When you’re full of energy and optimism, it’s easy to stay focused on goals and be excited about your business. But what happens when grief strikes, when you can’t get out of bed, or when your mind is foggy? You lean on your systems.

That’s why today, I want to talk about why systems are key to a sustainable business.

Entrepreneurs love setting goals, especially at the end of the year when we’re looking ahead to the next one. But I believe goal-setting can be a trap. Too many people set new goals without the systems to support them. And when life happens, the business falls apart because there’s no infrastructure to keep it running smoothly.

Many business owners make the mistake of constantly chasing new things without building momentum from past successes. Without systems, every new initiative feels like starting from scratch. If life throws you a curveball, like the one I’m going through, your business won’t survive.

There are four key problems I see in most small businesses:

Revenue: Many businesses simply aren’t bringing in enough revenue to support themselves or afford the necessary team.

Profit: Even when there is good revenue, profitability may still be low. That’s a sign you need to rein in expenses or make sure offers are priced correctly.

Control: A lack of systems often leads to chaos—like scrambling for a newsletter topic or worrying about how to refill your client roster. Without systems, things feel out of control, especially during tough times.

Fulfillment: Many business owners aren’t happy with their businesses because they aren’t aligned with their true definition of success. If your business isn’t aligned in the good times, it certainly won’t support you during the hard ones.

These are common issues, and until you solve them by building systems, setting new goals won’t help.

The first system we encourage all our clients to put in place is what we call the Client Growth Engine—a process that takes someone from discovering your business to becoming a paying client who sticks around. It covers your marketing, sales, and client delivery systems.

For example, this year I’ve been focused on building a new training program, the 90-Day CEO Operating System. Because I already had systems in place, I could focus on creating something new without worrying about my marketing or sales. My team ran podcast pitches, TikToks, and ads on autopilot. We also repurposed previous podcast episodes for nine months, allowing me to focus on new projects with minimal effort.

Having these systems in place has made everything so much easier during this difficult time.

In conclusion, building a life-proof business isn’t just about enjoying the flexibility when times are good. It’s about having the infrastructure to keep your business running when you’re struggling to get out of bed. It’s about knowing your business can take care of you and your family, even during the hardest moments.

If you’ve been through hard times in your business or haven’t yet, they will come. And when they do, you’ll be grateful for the systems that allow you to keep moving forward.