Why Your Goals Aren't Enough to Drive Success in Business

I had a conversation with a business owner recently that confirmed something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. It’s contrary to what many of us have been taught about creating success, but I think it’s worth your consideration if you want to take your business or career to the next level.

The Insufficiency of Goal Setting

If you’ve ever attended a personal development seminar, participated in a sales training, or hired a consultant, you’ve heard about the importance of goal-setting. You can’t get where you want to go if you don’t know your destination, after all. Your goals set your path.

Put another way, Brian Tracy, one of my first business mentors, says that “fuzzy goals get fuzzy results.” 

He’s exactly right.

But… are goals enough?

I’ve set a ton of goals in my various businesses over the years, and I haven’t achieved them all. And believe me, I’ve attended enough trainings over the years to know how to set S-M-A-R-T goals. My goals should have been achievable through proper action. Yet, I’ve fallen short from time to time.

Why? What was missing?

The Power of Systems

What I’ve learned, and what I would suggest to you, is that as important as clear goals are, perhaps even more important are good systems.

James Clear puts it this way in his book Atomic Habits:

“You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

Which brings me back to my recent interview with Weston Coles, owner of five Hello Sugar franchise locations in Kansas City and Boston.

Weston was running a successful cleaning business in Utah but knew it wasn’t going to get him where he wanted to go. He made the decision to sell his house in order to buy his first Hello Sugar location. As if that level of commitment weren't enough, get this: He bought his first territory in a completely different state and didn’t know anything about the beauty/waxing industry!

Crazy, right?

Not for Weston, and not when you understand why he did it.

Here is Weston explaining his rationale:

Notice that Weston doesn't attribute his success to clear goals.

A bigger house, nicer car, or being able to travel the world with his family were not enough in and of themselves to drive his success.

Rather, Weston sold his house and went all-in with Hello Sugar because he saw that it had locked-down systems. Among other things, Hello Sugar employs a highly customized technology platform that manages recurring memberships, schedules, and client experiences seamlessly. It's those systems that have enabled Weston to scale from one location to five, with plans for continued growth.

And here's the thing. By implementing and following the systems, Weston has achieved his goals. But the systems had to come first. Without the systems, his goals wouldn't have been enough.

Systems in Franchising: The Secret Sauce

Systems are the backbone of franchise businesses. They create consistency, repeatability, and scalability so that customers have the same experience across multiple locations. For owners, systems enable efficiency and scalability so that franchisees can create a freedom lifestyle by working on the business instead of constantly having to work in the business.

Here are five types of systems that are employed to varying degrees in many good franchise concepts.

1. Operations & Procedures

Establishes daily workflows and service standards so that every customer has the same experience.

Example: Sharkey's Cuts for Kids has detailed systems for customer check-in, haircut delivery, and consultation scripts, ensuring clients get a consistent service regardless of the stylist or location.

2. Training and Onboarding Programs

Structured learning programs not only teach technical skills but also the brand culture and service approach.

Example: D1 Training offers franchisees robust onboarding plus ongoing training that covers everything from running membership campaigns to how to run a class and provide personal training services.

3. Supply Chain & Vendor Management

Centralized sourcing and supplier relationships ensure uniform quality, pricing advantages, and reliable access to products.

Example: MaidPro provides franchisees with approved vendors for cleaning supplies and equipment, lowering costs and guaranteeing consistent cleaning results for customers.

4. Marketing & Branding Standards

Uniform branding, messaging, and advertising help franchises punch above their weight in reach, while localized marketing guidelines keep campaigns relevant to communities.

Example: Mathnasium runs national campaigns stressing its tutoring philosophy, while allowing local franchise owners to host community-based outreach (e.g., school partnerships or parent info nights) within strict brand guidelines.

5. Technology & POS Systems

Franchisors often provide standardized point-of-sale systems and technology platforms to track sales, manage inventory, monitor KPIs, and gather customer data across all locations.

Example: Hello Sugar employs a highly customized technology platform that manages recurring memberships, schedules, and client experiences seamlessly.

Conclusion

If you're currently running your own business and looking to take it to the next level, take a hard look at the bottlenecks in your processes and think about systems you can put in place to streamline things and make your business more efficient.

If you're in the research phase of choosing a good business to invest in, take a hard look at the systems underpinning the franchise concept. They could make all the difference between success and failure for you in the first few years.

And heck, if your household isn't running as smoothly as you would like, upgraded systems may be the answer! 😀 (Pro Tip: Implementing a Skylight Calendar for chores and tasks has worked wonders for our family!)

As always, we're here to support you on your journey to business ownership. Don't hesitate to reach out.