Build the structure your business needs to run without you at the center.
Built for established CEOs and their right-hand leaders who are ready to replace operational chaos & CEO burnout with systems and structure.
You’ve already spent 37 minutes responding to slack messages from your phone before you’ve even opened your laptop.
Things need your attention immediately. One team member needs clarification. Another made a decision you now have to undo.
You spend the first part of your day putting out fires you didn’t start. By the time you reach the work that actually matters, your focus is already gone.
But you push through. You answer every question. You stay on top of everyone else’s work because if you don’t, something breaks.
“Is this just how it is?”
But it will keep feeling this way until something underneath your business changes. Not your team. Not your offers. Not your schedule.
Your structure.
When structure is missing, effort fills the gap... and effort does not scale.
Most CEOs respond to operational friction the same way.
They work harder, hire more people, try to get more organized. Without clear systems, that just leads to bloated payroll, added complexity, and slower momentum.
The real issue was never more effort or more people. It was building a business on a system that requires the CEO to be at the center of everything.
Every business runs on one of two systems.
One that depends on the CEO. One that doesn’t.
Your business requires your presence to move, grow, and scale.
- Decisions route to you before anything moves
- Team waits for your direction
- Progress slows when you step away
- You’re managing, not leading
- Growth requires more of you
The system does the work.
Your business moves forward without you at the center of everything.
- Decisions move without your approval
- Team executes with clear ownership
- Business continues without your presence
- You lead vision and strategy
- Growth is structural, not personal
Depend on operating systems. Not the CEO.
Depend on operating systems.
Not you.
CEO OPTIONAL™
Uniquely designed for the CEO who is ready to stop carrying it all — and the right-hand leader who will help make that possible.
Who this program is for
Who this program is for
For the CEO who already
built something real.
You’re past the hustle stage. The revenue is there. The team is there. But you’re still the one holding everything together, and it’s getting old.
You generate over $500k in revenue and you have a proven service people love.
You have a lean team of less than 8 people hired to help take things off your plate.
You have consistent leads and revenue. The demand is not the problem.
But behind the scenes, too much still depends on you.
Your team still comes to you for too many decisions
You’re checking work before it goes out
Customers expect you specifically
Taking time off feels stressful instead of relaxing
You carry the mental load of the entire business
The business slows down when you step back
Your customers to feel taken care of without you being the one doing it every time
To trust that your team can handle things, because the systems are clear enough for them to
Support leading your people, not managing every detail they should already own
A business that keeps running when you step back, take a day off, or finally take a real vacation
You don’t need a bigger team.
You need a better structure for the one you have.
Because right now, the business still runs through the CEO.
CEO Optional™ helps you build the systems, leadership structure, and operational support required for your business to run with less dependence on you.
Six months. Three phases.
A business that runs without you.
Each phase builds on the last. By month six, the business runs without you at the center.
Build the system & structure your business runs on.
- Document workflows and SOPs across all five departments
- Build project and task management structure
- Establish planning and priority framework
- Map client delivery and fulfillment process
Transfer CEO responsibilities to the right owners.
- Define roles with clear ownership and decision authority
- Implement processes your team can follow without you
- Remove bottlenecks by restructuring how work flows
- Reinforce consistency across delivery and operations
Transition into a structurally supported CEO role.
- Enforce accountability through structured reporting and KPIs
- Strengthen leadership so decisions don’t route back to you
- Define performance standards and consequences
- Establish performance visibility so you never have to chase updates
Built for CEOs and
their right-hand
leaders.
Most programs only work directly with the CEO, hoping the decisions and ideas translate into execution across the team. It rarely does. And it often adds another layer of burden and frustration.
CEO Optional™ is designed for the CEO and the person responsible for implementing structure day-to-day. Your right-hand leader is included so your new Operating System becomes part of how the company actually runs… not something you’re trying to implement alone.
This eliminates the gap between strategy and execution that causes most operational improvements to stall.
When both leaders are involved:
Everything required to
remove yourself as the bottleneck.
Stay out of the day-to-day without losing control.
Private monthly sessions with you and your right-hand leader to assess performance, remove bottlenecks, and align direction.
- Leadership structure defined and reinforced
- Operational bottlenecks identified and removed
- Delegation gaps closed and ownership transferred
- Tech stack and workflows optimized for your team
- CEO role clarity established from day one
Ensure the business moves without your constant involvement.
Executive-level working sessions with clear agendas, data, and action items. Come with numbers. Leave with decisions.
- KPIs reviewed and performance gaps addressed
- Strategic priorities defined and aligned weekly
- Operational gaps identified and closed
- Decision accountability installed at every level
- Right-hand leaders trained to run without escalating
The structure your business runs on so the CEO can step back.
A complete operating system customized to your business model, team structure, and existing tools.
- Vision, mission, and values embedded into operations
- Quarterly and monthly planning framework installed
- KPI dashboard and accountability system activated
- Daily execution system built and adopted by the team
- Team structure, roles, and hiring system documented and implemented
Created by someone
who has lived it.
Maya Elious is a seven-figure Founder and Fractional COO who understands firsthand that success without systems will eventually suffocate you.
After scaling her own company past seven figures and helping hundreds of clients build their brands, Maya created the Work Hard Live Soft™ brand and Operating System to help founders scale without burnout and chaos.
For over a decade, she’s helped entrepreneurs build their businesses. Now she partners with CEOs and their teams to scale with clarity, structure, and sustainability.
Install the structure
your business has
been missing.
This is not a group coaching program. It is a structured, high-touch implementation experience with direct access to Maya and a proven operating system built for your business.
- Monthly 1:1 CEO Sessions with Maya, CEO + Right-Hand Leader
- Weekly CEO Board Meetings
- Your Complete CEO Operating System, customized to your business
- Full implementation & integration support across all 6 months
Stop doing the work your systems should be handling.
Over six months, we install the systems your business needs, while helping you lead at the level your company requires next.
You’ll walk away with the operational foundation your business has been running without so execution no longer depends on you.
You bring the vision. We build the infrastructure that carries it.