We often think of hiring as patchwork: there’s a hole, so we scramble to fill it. But I believe building a truly great team isn’t about plugging gaps—it’s about recognizing potential and making room for it.
That’s how I think about hiring at Staff4Half. Because we’re building with purpose, we’re not just filling seats. To me, hiring is about inviting someone to join a mission.
I started this company to create opportunity, connecting brilliant Argentine talent with U.S. companies doing meaningful work. And that’s why I’m so excited to welcome Guadalupe to our team.
She brings experience in social media and a strong understanding of our space, but what stood out most was her eagerness to grow and her mindset. We’ve already started working on the podcast relaunch, and I’m excited for everything ahead with her.
I know she’ll bring heart and sharp thinking to everything she touches.
Guada, I’m thrilled to have you on this journey. Let’s build something meaningful, together 🚀
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Women Lead Differently And It’s Time We Talk About It
A couple of weeks ago, I announced that I’m relaunching my podcast—this time focusing on female entrepreneurs: how they lead, how they grow their teams, and how they build businesses that last. Because I truly believe that we women lead differently.
This week, I finally sat down with Merlijn Mazairac to record the first episode, and I left feeling absolutely energized. From the start of our conversation, the connection was there. She spoke with such openness about living abroad, building her consulting company, and leading her team through growth and change.
Here are three ideas from her leadership journey that inspired me most:
1️⃣ Colleagues sitting side by side for years without really knowing each other. Merlijn has seen it happen, and now uses intentional exercises to help people open up and truly connect.
2️⃣ Team fails are leadership lessons. She reminded me that struggles, mismatched hires, disconnection, and even tough exits all carry value. Talking about them openly makes us better leaders—and helps others avoid the same mistakes.
3️⃣ Salary conversations in times of inflation. She doesn’t shy away from the tough talks—the ones that test not just your budget, but your leadership itself.For me, this first recording is about growing as a leader by listening to the honest stories of others. I’m deeply grateful to Merlijn for sharing her journey so openly—and excited for all the conversations ahead.
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Cheaper Help to Aligned Help: The Story Behind Staff4Half
I thought I needed cheaper help. What I really needed was aligned help.
Back when I was running my California-based office supply business, Gorilla Stationers, payroll was my biggest expense and compliance headaches never seemed to stop. Despite paying top dollar, I couldn’t always count on the work getting done right. So I did what every cost-conscious entrepreneur eventually does: I hired offshore.
The Philippines made sense, great people, affordable rates. But then came the 2 a.m. Zoom calls. Not for me, but for my team abroad. I could hear the exhaustion in their voices, even when they smiled through it. The 12-hour time difference between the Philippines and the U.S. made me wonder: is this really how I want to grow, by making people labor through their nights? It felt unethical.
I didn’t want just cheap help. I wanted team members who could have a healthy work-life balance that worked for them and for me. And that shouldn’t be limited to my U.S. team.
That dilemma was still on my mind when I flew to Buenos Aires for an EO event. What I found surprised me:
✔️ U.S. time-zone alignment
✔️ A cost advantage compared to U.S. salaries
✔️ And a European-style culture of ownership and pride in workSo I decided to give it a try. I hired a VA to help me with my admin. That one hire turned into two. Then five. They helped me grow Gorilla Stationers while building a healthier team.
As I shared my experience, the inquiries started:
“Where did you find this person?”
“Can you help me get someone like that?”And just like that, Staff4Half was born, from solving my own talent problem in a way that finally felt aligned with my values, my clients, and my team.
If you’re tired of trading cost for quality, or ethics for output, I’ve been there. There’s a better way to build.
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Hiring a Business Coach Isn’t Weakness, It’s Wisdom
Is hiring a business coach a sign of weakness?
I don’t think so.
As companies grow, so do the problems, and we at Staff4Half are no exception.
More people means more moving parts, and more decisions to make. And suddenly, it’s not about the ideas of the founder anymore (sadly), it’s about how well we can leverage the knowledge of the whole team.
And that’s where it gets hard. Inside the company, we all carry our own baggage:
preconceived ideas entrenched communication styles blind spots we don’t even noticeI believe that especially when we as founders want to create an extraordinary company culture of support and fostering, being open and honest in the interest of the business can become harder.
And that’s where I see an outside coach brings immense value.
A coach challenges us as a team without politics and can help us see things we’d never catch on our own, so that we can stay friends while also doing what is right for the business.
That is, I believe, the beauty of an outside coach.
And it’s not a weakness, it’s a strength!
P.S.: Did you know that women are more likely to hire a business coach than men? I found some reports that suggest that half of business coaching is done in woman-led companies (when women only lead a minority of businesses).
What’s your observation?
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