This topic wasn't one I took up lightly. After all, it goes far beyond building online courses, tackling self-sabotaging tendencies, or crafting a successful course business. For those of us at the beginning of this exciting journey, it's easy to get caught up in the business aspects, sometimes even blocking out the rest of life just to focus. While this intense drive helps our businesses grow faster (and yes, sometimes makes us forget a birthday or miss a recital), there are moments when life forces us to step back and face what's happening beyond our screens.

Life events have a way of breaking through: serious illness, the end of a relationship, or the loss of a loved one. In my conversations with entrepreneurs, many list "freedom" as their motivation to start a business. But here’s a question I’d like to pose today: Are we building a business resilient enough to withstand our personal challenges? Can it survive if we’re working with a fraction of our usual focus, or even if we’re unable to work at all?

This is a question that became personal for me this year. My nephew fell ill, and my sister needed my support through some challenging times. And just seven weeks ago, we said goodbye to our Mum. I know now that my business wasn’t fully prepared for these challenges, and I had to put together an alternative plan to see myself through. But these experiences taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, both in life and in business. So, as we approach Halloween and Alls Saints Day, days that remind us of transition and loss, let’s take a hard look at our businesses through the lens of life’s difficult moments.

Personal Loss and Business Impact

Personal loss can be a hard shock to the system. Whether it’s grief, an unexpected crisis, or illness, our mental health and motivation take a hit. Many of us, myself included, like to feel in control—especially in our business ventures. Yet, these life-altering events expose just how vulnerable we are, not only as individuals but as business owners.

In the course creation world, the effects of loss can be doubly challenging. Your workflow depends heavily on self-discipline and consistency, both of which can be deeply impacted by grief. You might find yourself struggling to complete tasks that once came easily. For many, self-sabotaging tendencies creep in here: procrastination, perfectionism, and even a growing urge to disconnect entirely.

Also, depending on what type of courses you are offering, you may need to change your approach. If your course has a lot of live elements, like weekly calls or one-to-one support. You may find that you struggle to deliver these elements whilst dealing with a personal emergency.

If you’ve been affected by sudden loss, it’s important to start by acknowledging it. Allow yourself to feel the weight of the experience instead of pushing through or pretending it doesn’t affect your work. Leaning into the moment rather than pushing it away actually enables faster, healthier healing. Avoid the instinct to ignore the problem by hiding behind busy work; instead, focus on identifying small but significant actions you can take to prepare and steady your business.

Creating a Resilience Plan

Preparing for life’s unexpected events isn’t something that comes naturally to most. However, a resilience plan can make all the difference. Think of it as creating a safety net for your business, a way to keep things running even when you need to take a step back.

1. Building Systems for Continuity
   Systems are what enable a business to operate smoothly even in uncertain times. Start by examining which aspects of your business would be critical to keep going and consider creating templates, automating workflows, or developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to help. Setting up a reliable structure means your business can withstand some turbulence without constantly needing your full attention.

2. Delegation and Team Dynamics
   If you have a team—even a small one—train them on your SOPs and create clear expectations for their roles during times when you might need extra support. If you work solo, consider which tasks could be temporarily outsourced. When life throws you a curveball, having someone you trust to take over can be a relief. This is also an area where self-sabotage likes to lurk: the perfectionist voice that says, “No one else can do it as well as I can.” Confront this belief head-on, because accepting help is essential for building a resilient business.

3. Course Delivery
   Being a course business owner can afford you tremendous amount of freedom, but in most cases we are developing our courses and online products based on demand. Your delivery method is one of the areas that you need to review as you are preparing a resilience plan. Can you create fully automated evergreen courses to sell whilst you are unable to focus on your business? What happens if your personal emergency hits whilst you are in the middle of delivering a flagship course with a lot of live elements? Do you have enough evergreen courses and digital products with strong funnels to maintain a consistent income whilst your focus is elsewhere?

   

4. Financial Safety Nets
   Financial resilience is a powerful buffer against the pressures of loss. If you haven’t already, start putting aside funds specifically for emergencies. This doesn’t need to be an overwhelming task; even setting aside a modest amount each month can provide some peace of mind. Additionally, look into insurance options that cover business interruption—knowing your business can survive a temporary slowdown is invaluable.

5. Regularly Reassessing the Plan
   Business and personal circumstances change, and so should your resilience plan. Schedule periodic reviews of your contingency measures and update them as your business grows. This proactive approach reduces the potential for self-sabotage; it shifts you from a reactive mindset to one of controlled preparedness.

I know that my business was far from being ready to support me through life emergencies, so I had to pivot and see myself through in different ways. But this life experience gave me some valuable insights to building a business from the start that has the potential to supporting me through life’s unexpected crisis.

Managing Grief and Stress

Grief is often associated solely with the passing of a loved one, but it’s much broader than that. Psychologically, grief is defined as a natural response to any significant loss or change in life. According to the Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as the “five stages of grief,” feelings like denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance can surface whenever we face a profound loss or unexpected life transition. This model isn’t linear—people may experience these stages in various orders or revisit stages multiple times.

What’s essential to understand is that grief isn’t limited to physical loss. Life presents many types of changes and losses that can trigger these deep emotional responses. For example, a serious illness—whether our own or that of someone close to us—brings its own form of grief as we mourn the loss of good health or the life we knew. Similarly, a breakup or divorce involves the loss of connection, companionship, and future plans, sparking a period of grieving for what could have been.

Even natural disasters or other uncontrollable events can lead to grief. These experiences uproot our sense of stability and security, often accompanied by loss of property, community, or simply the way of life we once took for granted. Psychologists refer to these instances as “ambiguous losses,” where what we’re grieving may not be a specific person or tangible thing but rather the lifestyle, relationships, or routines disrupted by change.

Grieving these types of losses is as valid as grieving a loved one. The same psychological processes apply because the mind is processing disruption and change. Recognising this can help us give ourselves permission to grieve without guilt or self-judgment, understanding that these feelings are a natural, healthy response to adjusting to life’s challenges and losses.

As we work through grief, stress, or crisis, the internal battle is often as tough as the external one. Managing grief while balancing professional obligations isn’t easy. To be clear: you don’t need to maintain the same level of productivity, nor should you expect to. Grief needs space, and your business can adapt temporarily.

1. Balancing Personal Healing with Professional Obligations
   Start by giving yourself permission to slow down. It’s natural to want to push through, but taking things one step at a time is key to managing stress healthily. Recognise that during these times, perfectionism and productivity pressures are likely to resurface, so prioritise essential tasks only. Structure your schedule around short blocks of focused work, leaving plenty of time for breaks to recharge emotionally and mentally.

2. Communicating with Clients, Partners and other Stakeholders
   It’s often daunting to share personal challenges with clients or partners, but a simple, respectful message can go a long way in maintaining trust. It doesn’t need to be detailed; a brief, professional explanation will suffice. If you’re uncertain how to approach this, consider preparing a template. For instance: “Due to personal circumstances, I will be adjusting my availability over the next few weeks. I appreciate your understanding as I work to support both my business and personal commitments.” Such transparency, handled delicately, fosters loyalty and compassion.

3. Utilising Support Systems
   Life’s challenging times are best met with support, and this goes for both personal and professional life. If you have family, friends, or mentors, let them in—no one should have to face these events alone. Grief can also fuel self-sabotaging behaviours like isolation and self-criticism, so it’s essential to lean into support when it’s offered. Therapy, coaching, and peer groups are invaluable; they remind you that you’re not alone and help you process grief without having to shut down or completely withdraw from your work.

   

   Conclusion

Building a resilience plan doesn’t mean expecting the worst; it means safeguarding what you’ve built so you can weather the storms when they arrive. Our businesses are an extension of our passions, but they’re also a reflection of us—our health, our mindsets, and our lives. So, take time this All Hallows’ Eve to reflect on how your business can support you, not only in success but through the hardest of days as well.

This topic is hard to think about; it's challenging and, at times, overwhelming. But I encourage you to consider this exercise in resilience as an act of care for your business and yourself. I’ve prepared a Business Resilience Checklist for my email subscribers (and to be perfectly honest, for myself too), if you would like to receive it, sign-up to my weekly newsletter here.

Completing the Business Resilience Checklist is a practical first step toward making sure your business can stand by you as you navigate all of life’s seasons, including the hardest ones.