Everyone loves to tell busy founders, “You need an assistant!” But here’s the problem not all assistants are created equal. And if you hire the wrong one, you’ll waste money, get frustrated as hell, and end up thinking assistants don’t work.

In this episode of World’s Greatest Boss, I break down the three main types of assistants: Virtual Assistant (VA), Personal Assistant (PA), and Executive Assistant (EA).

You’ll learn exactly what each one does, the benefits and drawbacks, signals that it’s time to hire, and how to actually find the right one. By the end, you’ll know which assistant can buy back your time without making a costly hiring mistake.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The core differences between a VA, PA, and EA
• The biggest mistake founders make when hiring an assistant
• Signs that you’re ready for each type of assistant
• The real costs (and hidden costs) of these roles
• Where to find the right assistant for your needs

Why This Matters:

Hiring the wrong kind of assistant is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make as a founder. Whether you’re drowning in repetitive admin tasks, losing weekends to errands, or stuck in the weeds of business operations, the right assistant can give you back your time — and your sanity.

Resources and Links:

• Connect with Jackie on LinkedIn
• Learn more at People Principles
• Dan Martell’s book: Buy Back Your Time

If you enjoyed today’s episode:

• Subscribe to World’s Greatest Boss wherever you listen to podcasts
• Leave a review to help more business owners find the show
• Share this episode with a founder friend who’s overwhelmed and needs help

In this episode of World’s Greatest Boss, we dig into one of the biggest challenges service-based business owners face: balancing client growth with team health. My guest, Borja Cuan, co-founder of 415 Digital, manages over $280 million in ad spend every year—and he’s built a thriving business by doing something most agencies won’t: keeping workloads small so his team can go deeper, deliver better results, and stay engaged.

Together, we explore:

• Why hiring ahead of need can transform client experiences.
• The real reason employee retention is harder than ever—and how to handle it.
• How to spot overwhelm before it becomes burnout (and what to do about it).
• Why investing in personal well-being outside of work is just as important as managing workload inside of work.
• The overlooked power of relationship building and spending non-work time with your team.

Borja’s approach flips the typical agency model on its head—and his insights on retention, loyalty, and workload management will challenge how you think about leading your own team.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have fresh ideas for keeping your people motivated, building loyalty, and leading a team that doesn’t just survive—but thrives.

Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiemkoch/

Find more information on my website: https://peopleprinciples.co

Connect with Borja Cuan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/borjacuan

Find more information about Four15 Digital: https://four15digital.com/

What happens when you know someone on your team isn’t performing but you keep putting off the conversation? In this episode of World’s Greatest Boss, I break down exactly why avoiding performance conversations is one of the costliest mistakes you can make as a leader.

We’ll cover six powerful reasons to address performance issues early, from keeping your top performers engaged to protecting your business from legal risk. I’ll also walk you through the most common excuses leaders give for delaying these convos (and why they don’t hold up), plus my simple, no-drama framework for having these conversations without making them confrontational.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have the tools to give feedback faster, protect your culture, and actually help your team members improve without losing sleep over it.

Quick-hit framework for performance conversations:

• Be specific. Point to exact behaviors or results that are off track.
• Connect to impact. Show how the issue affects the team, clients, or business.
• Collaborate on next steps, Agree on a clear plan for improvement.
• Document it. Keep a record, even if it’s just a quick note.

Resources & Links:

• Connect with me on LinkedIn
• Find more leadership and HR resources at peopleprinciples.co