I’ve never posted much here, and definitely not personally.Yet I think it’s time I share why I’m doing what I’m doing.I believe it’s relevant to many other business owners around me. For years, I outsourced work to the Philippines.The numbers add up but it never feels quite right when a team member has to work a night shift while I enjoy the light of the day.
I remember one call in particular: It was late afternoon my time and the middle of the night for her.She showed up to our call knowing that her kids would soon wake up, expecting a happy, well rested mom…
And I felt my discomfort.
She was sacrificing the quality of her family life while I was growing my business.Is this what work-life balance and team health are supposed to feel like? We say we care about work-life balance. About being values-driven. About team health. But when our business depends on someone else working shifts we would refuse, I struggle to look myself in the mirror. Aren’t we quietly lying to ourselves?I didn’t like asking that question because for a long time, I didn’t have a better solution.
Until a few years ago, when I flew to Buenos Aires for an EO conference, not expecting much. But something clicked and I realised I might have found a better way:
- US-aligned time zones.
- Cultural chemistry I hadn’t felt elsewhere.
I tested a few placements for my office supply business. It worked better than I expected.
So I built a team.
And now I’ve built a company around it. Staff4Half didn’t start as a business plan. It started as a gut check. I believe there’s a better way to build a company. If you’ve wrestled with this too, I’d love to hear your take.
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Hi, I’m Rosemary. In the past 15 years, I’ve built three businesses in the US, Puerto Rico, and Argentina.
If you believe in leading with trust and building with heart, I invite you to follow me and connect with a community of founders building together.
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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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When I Slow Down, I Speed Up
Think two days away from work is a luxury? I just spent two days with my Forum.
A couple of years ago, the idea of being away from work for two full days seemed ludicrous to me. I thought I had to be in the business always—leading with my sheer presence. Only when I joined Entrepreneurs’ Organization did I realize: if I’m always in my business, I never get to see it clearly from the outside.
Stepping away gives me the clarity I need to lead with focus and passion.
This time, I spent two days with my EO Latin Bridge Forum, a group of business owners from across Latin America.
How does a Bridge Forum work? We meet every few months in a different part of the world to ask ourselves the bigger questions—together and of each other.
And every time I do this, every time I step away from the day-to-day (still with a little hesitation), I discover the same truth:
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When I slow down, I speed up.
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When I get clear, I execute faster.
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When I ask myself “what’s next in life?” I start moving toward what actually matters.
Doing this work together with my Forum mates makes the experience even more powerful. These two days don’t cost me momentum—they give me more of it. Because when I return to my team with clarity, that clarity becomes theirs too.
Grateful for the reflections, the honesty, and the space held by:
Stephanie Camarillo, Ashish Khera, Takeshi Nobuhara, Vinoo Varghese, Jennifer Cohen, Daniel Levy, Alejandra Leon.So let me ask you: what’s next in life for you?
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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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