Maybe It’s Not Them, Maybe It’s All of Us: The Universal Business Loops We Keep Repeating

By Crystal Peña

Who would’ve thought your first job slinging biscuits or burritos would teach you more about human behavior than an MBA ever could?

Let’s be honest. None of us got an MBA in “how to manage personalities that mirror your own coping mechanisms.”

My first crash course wasn’t in a business school classroom. It was at Cracker Barrel off the interstate, where I learned more about management, motivation, and meltdown prevention than I ever did reading a leadership book.

If you ever worked fast food, retail, or anywhere with a “walkie talkie,” you already know. That’s where you learn people.

Fast forward to me as a business owner, hiring my first batch of employees. Some of those decisions made me wonder how I still managed to pay the bills. I kept people on based on emotion, not logic, because my heart said, “they’re trying,” while my spreadsheet screamed, “they’re sinking you.”

If I’d had real structures, clear systems, and a plan, they would’ve known what to do. I would’ve known how to check. We’d have been on the same page.

Instead, people were showing up late, short of breath, and occasionally holding a latte like it was a permission slip.

Here’s the truth. These coping humanisms show up in everyone. You’ll see them in your staff, your clients, your partner, and if you’re brave, in yourself.

This isn’t about shame. It’s about catching them early and building systems that make them work for you, not against you.

Because unless you’re about to go get that microchip upgrade (and honestly, is that real yet?), you’re human. And humans repeat what works, even when it doesn’t.

The “Almost There” Achiever

Loves progress. Avoids done.

You know this one. They’re the master of “I just need to tweak one more thing.” Maybe that’s you.

If you’ve ever named a file “Final_Final_ThisTimeISwear.pdf,” welcome to the club.

This loop hides behind perfectionism. It’s not laziness. It’s fear. Fear of judgment, fear of failure, fear that “done” means “open to critique.”

So you stay in the safe zone of “almost there,” where no one can judge it yet.

I used to think that meant I was detail-oriented. Nope. I was avoidance-oriented.

The “Visionary Vacationer”

Big dreams. No boarding pass.

Oh, the idea addicts. (Again, hi, it’s me.)

They’re the ones with fifteen whiteboards, three journals, and a folder full of “Phase 2” projects that never made it past Phase 1.

You get a dopamine hit every time you plan something new, so your brain confuses thinking about it with doing it.

That’s why entrepreneurs can stay in idea land forever. It feels productive.

If this sounds familiar, no shame. You don’t need fewer ideas. You need a structure that forces a landing every once in a while.

The “Ghost of Deliverables Past”

Now you see them, now you don’t.

This one’s a classic. It’s the client who disappears after feedback, the team member who goes quiet when accountability shows up, the founder who vanishes mid-project and pops back in like nothing happened.

We’ve all done it. It’s not malice. It’s anxiety. It’s your brain saying, “If I avoid this, maybe the stress goes away.”

Spoiler: it doesn’t. It just shows up with a calendar reminder.

The “Wine and Why” Philosopher

Talks strategy like it’s therapy.

You know this person. They can unpack the why of every problem but somehow never get to the what now.

I’ve spent more than a few nights with my laptop, a glass of wine, and the phrase, “Let’s revisit this.”

It’s comforting. It feels smart. But sometimes, “revisiting” is just “procrastinating in a nice outfit.”

If overthinking were cardio, I’d be an Olympian.

The “Helper Who Hinders”

Means well. Overdoes it.

This one is sneaky. You overextend, overcommit, and overdeliver until everyone, including you, is drowning.

You tell yourself it’s generosity, but really it’s control in a cute outfit.

I once helped so much that I ended up fixing my own help. That’s not leadership. It’s exhaustion in disguise.

The “Serial Restarter”

Every Monday is a new beginning.

Ah yes, the rebranders, relaunchers, and process rebuilders. We love fresh starts so much we forget that momentum only works if you keep going.

If you’ve changed your logo more times than your passwords, it’s not innovation. It’s avoidance with a Canva subscription.

The “Delegator in Denial”

Outsources… and then redoes everything.

You tell your team you trust them, then quietly re-edit every doc, tweak every slide, and rewrite every email “just to tighten it up.”

That’s not delegation. It’s a boomerang. And it comes from fear that if you let go, everything falls apart.

I’ve been there. I’ve rewritten so many “final drafts.” The truth? People can’t grow if we never let them be imperfect.

Why We All Do This

Every single one of these loops is about comfort. Our brains will always choose the familiar over the effective until we build systems that make effective easier than old habits.

We don’t fix this with more hustle. We fix it with structure.

Because structure is not the enemy of creativity. It’s the safety net that lets it fly.

When you design systems that match how humans actually behave, you stop managing chaos and start managing rhythm.

Real Talk: It’s Not About Changing Who You Are

You don’t need to become a robot or suddenly love spreadsheets. You just need systems that work with your human quirks instead of against them.

Every entrepreneur, every manager, every “someday business owner” is a little bit messy. We build from trial, error, caffeine, and heart.

But once you see your loops, you can stop running in circles and start building forward.

Final Laugh and Honest Truth:

You don’t need a new personality. You just need a better process.

Once you systemize your patterns, your business stops being emotional maintenance and starts being predictable momentum.

Work With Crystal Peña

If this hit home, congratulations. You’re human. You’re not broken; you’re just running a manual process.

At ApreGrow Strategy, we blend mental health, psychology, and business operations to build systems that make sense for real people like you who are doing their best to grow without losing their minds.

Whether you’re a solopreneur figuring out what’s next, a team leader tired of chaos, or an aspiring founder who wants to do it right this time, I’ve been there. Let’s make your loop work for you.

📞 Schedule a consult or contact me directly at 424-439-9464

Because growth doesn’t start with doing more. It starts with looping less.