First Hire, Last Fire

Most entrepreneurs start out the same way:
📍Just them.
📍Just an idea.
📍Just enough margin to keep the dream alive.

And if they’re fortunate—or determined enough to push through the chaos—they eventually buy back some time.

That often starts with one small but powerful hire:
A fractional Executive Assistant.

Someone to protect their calendar, tame their inbox, move the needle behind the scenes, and handle the mental load that was never theirs to carry.

That’s the first hire that gives their leadership room to grow.
And more often than not, it’s the very reason the business expands.

Many leaders keep building from there, up and to the right.
But sometimes, for some leaders, the story takes a turn.

Revenue dips.
A few clients pause.
Margins tighten.
And what’s the first thing many founders do?

They let go of the person who was buying back their time.

❌ Not the SaaS tools that cost $300/month.
❌ Not the underperforming contractor.
❌ Not the ads that aren’t converting.

They fire the EA.

Which means they now take all that work back onto their own plate—on top of leading through a hard season.

It’s like canceling your flight to save money and deciding to walk instead.

It’s still going to cost you. Just in a different currency: your time, energy, and focus.

Here’s the problem with that:

The Executive Assistant is often the one thing keeping the leader above water.
Without that support, everything slows down.
Opportunities slip.
Urgencies multiply.
And the long-term costs are huge.

That’s why I believe this:

The person who buys back your time…
Should be the first hire—and the last fire.

So if you’re in a tough season:
✅ Don’t cut the lifeline.
✅ Double down on clarity.
✅ Communicate your capacity.
✅ Recalibrate the relationship.
✅ Maximize the value of your EA to help you stabilize and rebuild.

Because if you think you don’t have time for help…
You probably need it more than ever.

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