Everyone knows an Emma.
Emma, the founder drowning in to-dos.
Emma, who swore this month she’d finally get help.
Emma, who spent three hours on Fiverr trying to find “a VA who can do everything.” I call them unicorns.
I’ve met many Emmas, and here’s what I’ve observed: Emma isn’t the problem. The hiring process is.
When her inbox hit 1,200 unread messages, Emma went to Fiverr. She typed “virtual assistant, reliable, proactive, English fluent” and hired someone in 48 hours. For two weeks, things looked fine. Then tasks slipped, instructions were repeated, and eventually, the VA disappeared mid-project.
So Emma said what many founders say in this situation:
“I guess I’m just bad at delegating.”
or
“There are no good people out there.”
But here’s what really happened:
• Nobody helped Emma define what she actually needed.
• Nobody asked, “What will success look like 90 days from now?”
• Nobody said, “You don’t need a VA, you need a project coordinator.”
Marketplaces can’t ask those questions. They just match keywords. They don’t challenge business owners on what they think they need. Marketplaces are built for transactions, not transformations.
Good agencies are different. They sit with the messy notes from founders, the voice messages, the vague frustration of “I just need help,” and turn that into a clear process. They design a role before the hire.
That invisible work — the questioning, the clarifying, the diagnosing — is what turns a two-week freelancer into a two-year team member.
So stop the cycle of hiring before understanding.
Before hiring, take the time to:
1- Get help defining what you truly need.
2- Map the skills to your real priorities.
3- Make sure your new hire has the context to succeed.
The goal isn’t to fill a seat fast. It’s to know when Fiverr fits, and when it doesn’t.
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Leading with Respect: Letting People Find Their Sweet Spot
Letting go shouldn’t be hard. What if we approached endings differently? What if a team member leaving was simply the next step in helping them find their next sweet spot?
I believe we’re not marrying our team members, and they’re not marrying us. No job is forever—and that’s okay. Everyone has a sweet spot, a place where their strengths shine and where they are at their best. Sometimes that place changes. When it does, it’s our job as leaders to meet that moment with respect, not regret.
Take Augustina. She joined Staff4Half as a salesperson and gave it her all. But we knew her calling was in recruitment, not sales. So when the right opportunity came, she took it—and we cheered her on.
Yes, we’re sad to see her go. She leaves behind a gap. But more than anything, I am proud to have been part of her journey, and proud to see her step fully into what she’s meant to do.
Because I believe that good leadership means keeping your people’s well-being at heart—even when it takes them in a different direction.
P.S.: Today is her first day, and we wish her all the best.
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When Losing a Client Feels Like a Win
I lost a client, and I’m actually happy about it.
Let me explain.
A while back, we placed a fantastic team member with what is now our former client. She did such a great job from day one, showing perfect culture and role fit, that they decided to hire her directly.
Yes, it happens in outsourcing. But here’s what really bothered me: poaching talent doesn’t just break terms. It breaks trust and destroys culture.
I believe the most valuable thing a business owner has is their reputation with clients, suppliers, and teams. Breaking terms sends a signal to that employee and to the rest of the team that shortcuts and small acts of dishonesty are acceptable. In the long run, that erodes trust and damages both the business owner’s and the company’s reputation.
Great cultures are built on respect and integrity.
And if a client shows us they don’t believe in that, then we’re simply not a good fit.Because without values, there is no partnership.
What do you think? Does a little cheating corrode team and company culture?
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