You don't actually need to hire three people. You probably need to stop thinking in extremes first.

This week, a listener asked the question, "I need an EA, an ops person, and someone for client delivery -- but I only have the budget for one. Who do I hire first?"

The answer is not who. It's what. And it's probably sooner and smaller than you think.

Adrienne and Emily break down how to actually make this decision, why most people wait too long to hire anyone, and what to do if you can't afford a full-time person but genuinely can't keep doing everything yourself.

What they cover:

• Why "I can only afford one hire" is usually a thinking problem, not a budget problem
• The gig economy case for hiring smaller and sooner instead of waiting for the full-time budget
• Why three separate roles might actually be one person -- and how to figure that out
• Stop hiring by title. Start by identifying which activities need to come off your plate first
• The two ways a hire actually generates ROI: they do revenue-generating work, or they free you up to do it
• Why freeing up your time only works if you're actually spending that time on something more valuable
• How to figure out whether to hire for EA, ops, or delivery -- and why the answer depends on where your time is actually going
• Delegation is a muscle. Don't start with the 100-pound weights
• What energy drain has to do with who you hire first
• Why AI agents are not a shortcut if you can't already delegate clearly to a human
  

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⏱️ Time Chapters

00:01 Welcome and banter

09:33 Today's question: EA, ops, or delivery -- who do you hire first when you can only afford one?

10:02 Why one size fits all doesn't work here

11:21 Stop living in all-or-nothings: you don't need a full-time person to start

12:15 The gig economy makes smaller, sooner hiring more accessible than ever

13:35 It might not be three people -- it might be one person with overlapping strengths

16:10 The only two ways a hire actually generates ROI

17:59 Track your time first -- you cannot make this decision without the data

18:57 Delivery vs. EA: which one actually opens up revenue capacity?

19:26 Delegation is a muscle. Start with the five pound weights

21:04 Hire for what drains you most, not just what takes the most time

22:19 AI agents are not a workaround if you can't delegate clearly to begin with

23:45 How to figure out what to automate vs. what actually needs a human

24:41 The time tracking case -- know exactly how many hours you need before you hire

25:34 Final thoughts: start smaller, start sooner, and use your freed-up time intentionally