“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”
—Red Adair
Every time I see this quote, I’m reminded of how true it is in hiring. The cheapest option almost always turns out to be the most expensive.
Expertise saves you money, time, and headaches, always. The hard lesson is this: what looks like a good deal usually isn’t.
Quality has its price.
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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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The Freedom Test: Can Your Business Run Without You?
I barely checked my email for the past two weeks and drastically reduced my workload. It’s summer, and I’ve been traveling through Europe. On my way to Bulgaria, I had breakfast with Janet Bell, who happened to be here as well. Janet and I have known each other for years, going back to our time in OPWIL (Office Products Women in Leadership).
Even though so much has changed around us, our connection was instant. We enjoyed coffee in the sun and talked about the changes AI is bringing to the office supply space.
That conversation reminded me of something I’ve come to appreciate deeply: as business owners, we need to build companies that can run without us. If my business can’t operate while I’m away, while I’m traveling, then it’s time to redesign the system.
Here’s what made that possible for me:
✔️ Delegation rooted in trust
✔️ Systems that carry the weight
✔️ People who show up and take ownershipIt sounds so obvious and even banal, yet it took me years to get right. And I see so many business owners who know this, yet still struggle to find the right people who allow them to let go.
This trip gave me gratitude for the freedom I’ve been able to build.
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The Old Hiring Model Doesn’t Work Anymore
The Old Hiring Model Doesn’t Work Anymore
I didn’t build Staff4Half because the world needed another staffing agency.
I built it because hiring has fundamentally changed — and most founders are still using old rules.
Ten years ago, hiring was simpler.
Post a job.
Review resumes.
Interview a few candidates.
Make an offer.Today?
Resumes are AI-polished.
Candidates apply to 200 roles in a click.
Skills shift faster than job titles.
Remote expands the talent pool — and the noise.And founders are overwhelmed.
The problem isn’t access to talent.
There’s more access than ever.The problem is signal vs. noise.
It’s knowing:
• Who can actually think, not just execute
• Who can own outcomes, not just complete tasks
• Who fits your pace, standards, and leadership styleHiring has moved from transactional to strategic.
It’s no longer about “filling a seat.”
It’s about designing leverage in a world where information is infinite and attention is scarce.That’s why I built Staff4Half.
Not to send resumes.
But to help founders:
• Define what they truly need
• Clarify ownership and outcomes
• Vet beyond surface-level credentials
• Design roles that actually create reliefBecause the old hiring model creates more activity.
The new hiring model creates scale.
And if you’re still hiring the old way, it’s going to feel harder every year.
Hiring isn’t broken.
It’s evolved.
And we help founders evolve with it.
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