I didn’t start a company to be told which chair to buy, how many minutes a lunch break has to be, or whether my break room snacks meet code. I started it because I believed in building something better, and I wanted a team to build it with.
But what I’ve learned over 13 years as a California employer is this: the system doesn’t trust employers to care about their people. It assumes we’re out to exploit, and it assumes compliance creates care. So it piles on rule after rule, not realizing that the weight of all this regulation doesn’t protect good people—instead, I believe it crushes the ones who are trying to be good people.
As a female entrepreneur, I’ve always wanted to give my team the best. Yet I’ve spent more time worrying about lunch break laws than about how to help my people grow. To me, that’s not what leadership is supposed to look like.
Because I believe the best entrepreneurs do care. We remember birthdays. We pull all-nighters. We put payroll before profit. Not because a rulebook told us to, but because that’s who we entrepreneurs are. But somewhere along the way, the system forgot that.
It breaks my heart that the system stifles the very people who build businesses. And I believe that by doing this, we’re not protecting workers—we’re shrinking futures. More and more founders I know are looking abroad, not for cheaper labor, but for the freedom to lead well again.
And that should worry us all. Because when the American dream becomes unlivable for its dreamers, the dream doesn’t die—it just moves to another country.
-
Cheaper Help to Aligned Help: The Story Behind Staff4Half
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 workSo 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.
Please follow and like us: -
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.
Please follow and like us: -
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.
Please follow and like us:
