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 work
So 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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Delegation Done Right: Ethical Outsourcing That Changes Lives
Kande used to work late nights folding jeans. Now she manages vendor emails for a U.S.-based client, and I’m not sure who’s happier—her or me. It’s stories like these that remind me every day that this isn’t just staffing:
It’s giving people a life they deserve.
I started outsourcing to Argentina to find more reliable help without breaking the bank. I needed support for my U.S. business, and Argentina offered:
- Bilingual talent
- Time-zone alignment
- Cultural proximity
At the time, I only saw these three benefits. What I didn’t realize was the positive impact we could have on a hire in Argentina, and that’s what turned this into something bigger for me. Because what keeps me going isn’t the cost savings—it’s watching lives shift on both sides of the hire.
The story of Kande stands out to me. Before we worked together, she was in retail, working late shifts, enduring long commutes, and earning a paycheck that barely covered her bills. There were nights she even skipped meals just to save a few pesos. Then we placed her with a U.S.-based client: a remote role, an aligned time zone, and triple the pay. Everything changed.
She’s still working hard, but now she’s home when her kids are. She’s saving money for the first time and building confidence. She’s showing up energized and being seen for what she can do. That’s the part that never gets old for me.
I believe that when delegation is done right, everyone wins. This is ethical business.
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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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