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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The Best Lessons Don’t Come From Books, They Come From People
The best lessons don’t come from books. Sometimes, they come from a night at Coldplay with a friend.
Last week, I met up with Dan Baker from Valatam in East London, just before the Coldplay concert. Technically, Dan is a competitor, he runs two outsourcing agencies. Most people would hold back in that situation. I don’t.
Why? Because I met Dan through EO, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. And in EO, I learned that even when we’re in the same industry, we don’t compete with each other. The only real competition is with ourselves.
To grow my business, I need to grow myself not fear what competitors are doing. That’s why every time Dan and I meet, we talk openly. And I walk away with ideas, feedback, and perspectives you can only get from someone who’s walked the same road.
I’m grateful for friends who prove that you can cheer each other on, learn from each other, and still win in business.
P.S.: The Coldplay concert made a memory. But peer learning makes change.
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Do Women Hire Differently? I Think So
Men tend to hire to plug a hole in their organization. It’s functional: a task, a role, a gap.
Women, on the other hand, often hire with their hearts. We look for chemistry, for someone we can connect with. We want to know if this person will fit into the culture, not just the job description.
Some might think that’s idealistic. I think it’s realistic, because culture drives performance.
When hiring for cultural fit, the stakes are also higher, because when every hire is an emotional investment, every mis-hire hurts twice as much.
That’s one of the reasons I started Staff4Half. I wanted an agency that understands how women hire, with empathy, connection, and care, and that can support female founders in making smart, sustainable hiring decisions.
We don’t just scan résumés for functional fits. We help founders find people who belong, who are a cultural fit in every sense. I believe the right person doesn’t just fill a role, she transforms the team.
P.S. Case in point: my VA, Amara Krausse Horlacher, who has become my second half, my second brain. This is only possible because we are emotionally aligned.
If you’ve ever felt the emotional weight of hiring, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to do it alone.
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Leadership That Starts at the Kitchen Table
Marlene Dandler built her company and a community from her kitchen table.
This week, I sat down with Marlene Dandler, founder of Seashore Academy, a fast-growing network of private hybrid schools that started right there — at her kitchen table.
What inspired me most wasn’t just how far she’s come, but how she leads: with clarity, care, and the conviction that great education, and great leadership, both start with human connection.
My three top takeaways:
1️⃣ Hiring for alignment, not background
Marlene explained that her toughest hires were leaders from traditional education, talented people who struggled to embrace Seashore Academy’s flexible hybrid model. What finally worked was finding a leader who shared her excitement for change and innovation.2️⃣ Leadership energy trickles down
She compared leading her company to parenting: when she’s calm, the household, or the business, is calm. Her morning run and prayer aren’t just self-care, they’re her leadership practices.3️⃣ Culture travels through connection
She keeps her on-site and remote teams united through short daily video huddles and by sharing photos from the classrooms, reminding everyone, even those thousands of miles away, of the joy they’re helping create.Conversations like this remind me how much leadership is about intention — who we hire, how we show up, and how we stay connected across distance.
Grateful to Marlene for sharing her story, her heart, and her wisdom.
Full episode coming soon.
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