The Business Scaling Blueprint: Tonya Thomas on Effective Delegation and Executive Support

If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down you count on Grainger for auto-reordering. With on-time restocks, your team will have the cut-resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift. And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRANGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.

Hi, I'm Katie Duke, and I've been a nurse for over 20 years. Listen, I used to think that I was my most stylish in my 20s, but honestly, style and confidence only get better with age. And that is why I love FIGS. These scrubs are beautiful, comfortable, and they are built to last. They're not those boxy, scratchy uniforms that we all started out in. No, no, no. These fit perfectly. They feel amazing, and the quality is just wow. My favorite color? Burgundy. It's chic, it's timeless, and it's even the same color as my apartment because I'm kind of obsessed with it. And I love adding custom embroidery to make my scrubs as personal as my style. And since I work in telehealth, my embroidered figs even double as my ID badge. It's never too late to reinvent yourself or your scrubs. Get 15% off your first order at wearfigs.com with the code FIGSRX. That's wearfigs.com, code FIGS RX for 15% off your first order.

Because I think it's always important that we plan, and if we don't, then obviously there's going to be some failure there if you, if you don't. So running a business, you have to definitely, you know, plan and, and everything that we do.

Step into the world of success with your brand amplified. The The ultimate podcast designed to unravel the intricacies of thriving businesses. I'm your host, Annika Jackson, and I'm on a mission to uncover the stories, strategies, and secrets that have propelled entrepreneurs and business leaders to success. I am thrilled to have Tanya Thomas of Team Delegate on the show today. Tanya, welcome to Your Brand Amplified. I'm really excited to dive into your journey from solo virtual executive assistant to leading a premier executive VA firm. So let's start from that beginning. You spent 18 years as a solo VA with a lot of high-profile clients. What was that common denominator that you saw? And I, going through this process myself of starting a whole new branch of my business right now, I'm seeing what I know I'm lacking, but I would like to know from you, what were you really seeing? What did you notice that they struggled with the most and that this could scale beyond you as a solopreneur?

Sure. It, it started out, you know, with me, of course, doing it on my own. And a lot of people had what I determined when I first started out, I was doing more marketing things for the clients I was supporting, but then I saw where I began to get more clients who were like ex-executives that were branching out on their own. And so they had had executive assistants in corporate and they needed more calendar management, help with their email. They were traveling a lot. So those were some of the core aspects of it. But in terms of scaling it, it kind of just morphed in sort of differently. I remember I was speaking with my business coach at the time, And she said, you know, you don't have a business. You just have a job you've created for yourself. And it didn't resonate at the time because I'm thinking, you know, what is she talking about? I have clients, you know, I have a full client load. I've been doing this for a number of years. I do have a business. And about, I guess, 3 years later, I began to feel some type of way about coming in here into the office. It just wasn't jazzing me like it was. And then her words came back and they resonated. I knew exactly what she meant. And I determined after a lot of thought and process and all of that happening that I didn't want to be the technician person providing the service anymore, but I still loved what I did in terms of supporting clients and helping them, you know, be able to delegate and have the time that they need to work in their businesses. And so it's like, okay, I don't want to change that, but I don't want to be the person doing it. So that's when I decided to develop the agency model.

Isn't that interesting though, when somebody tells us something that they can see so clearly, but we have to get there and see it for ourselves for it to really click and go, okay, now I understand what you meant. Now I'm ready to receive and now I'm ready to move.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. But what was that like going from the person who is implementing everything to becoming the person owning the company, bringing in other people, figuring out if they are the right people to do this kind of work, right? Because we hear executive assistant, you hear managing schedules, all these different things. You talked about also doing marketing, but these, don't get me wrong, like these are valuable team members, people we need in our businesses. I have gone without having one. I've had operators, strategists in my company, but now I'm finally hiring an executive assistant because I'm like, yeah, I cannot get to the next growth stage without one. So, these are people who are vital to our businesses and you can also make quite a bit of money doing it.

Right. So, yes. And then to answer your question in there, kind of how I made the transition, it was difficult because, you know, I had people that I was supporting and I couldn't just say, okay, yeah, now you're going to be working with Jane instead of me. So, you know, that transition part did take me a couple of years and it just really it kind of worked itself out where clients transitioned out for various reasons. Maybe they were ready for full-time support, or unfortunately, I even had a client that passed away. So different things like that, but it just worked itself out to where I was able to make that transition and bring other people in. It was difficult, but I think I spent quite a bit of time building infrastructure in terms of building systems and processes, because that's the only way that you can scale. So that's kind of how I made the transition there. But yeah, it is important to be able to find the right person to be able to support you. And I think that's what a lot of people deal with, with trying to find that person. And I mean, I talk to a lot of people that they tried and failed, and a lot of times too, that can make you, you know, leery about moving forward with someone else. So I think it's just being able to ask the right questions, really know what your needs are, and not necessarily what you want to get off your plate, but why you're doing it. I think that's super important because that's going to be what's going to help you continue on, even if it is challenging in the beginning. But yeah, I think that those are all vital and crucial things to keep in mind when you are trying to find someone. One.

Well, and as you started staffing up, what was that like? Because you said you, you set up systems and processes, but I'm sure there has to be a certain personality type perhaps that can really get into the detail, right? If I probably would not make a good one, I'm good at being detailed, although I am good at being detailed for other people, just not myself sometimes. But I'm sure that there are probably some people you thought were great, but then you said, okay, this is not somebody who's going to work out. So, how did you fine-tune that process? And what were some of those unique qualities that you look for in people to become executive assistants?

Sure. One of the ones, of course, you mentioned, you have to be detail-oriented. I think a lot of people sometimes feel like, oh, this is, you know, easy work. I have a little bit of clerical background. I could do this, but there's more that goes into it. You do have to have a certain skill set, a certain work style, like we talked about being detail-oriented, being one of them, because obviously you are filling in the blanks for someone else that's not detail-oriented and you're going to be that person that's dotting the i's and crossing the t's. So you definitely have to have that and you have to love this type of work, being in a support role. And I always tell people there's a difference and doing clerical work and being in a support role. Because oftentimes now what entrepreneurs are looking for is somebody to be in that support role, that right-hand person to them that's really caring about, you know, being proactive and thinking ahead so that they're not having to do those things and they're not having to think about, you know, I have to put this on my calendar and I got to have enough time, enough driving time for this offsite meeting. They need somebody that's going to be able to think on their own, to remember to block time for you to be able to have time to get to that appointment and not put another appointment there and you're scrambling. So somebody who has the forthright to be able to do those types of things or having those skills are important.

Yeah, definitely. And when it comes to delegation, because I will admit I love self-starters. Every job I've had now, I'm, and I'm Gen X, so I'm used to, we didn't have the cell phones, we didn't have the internet as it is today. So, we really had to research and learn how to do things ourselves, and we've had to adapt to technology along the whole way. So, I'm used to people who work the same as me. Like, I want to be able to give somebody a list, they should feel free to ask me questions, but I don't want to say here's the list and here's every single step. So, what are some of the things that you saw? Because I know that's not necessarily— it can be a good quality and also a negative quality, but when it comes to delegation, what are some of the things that you saw break down? Was it trust between people? Is it the systems or the fact that people hiring admins, assistants, right-hand people don't have those systems in place? Was it something else?

That's a good question because that is something that I see people struggling with a lot is how to delegate. And I always say it's a skill set. It's something that you have to learn. I don't think it's something that just comes naturally to us. And I think one of the big things that people struggle with when it comes to that, one of them is trust. I mean, you know, like you said, you've been doing things on your own all this time. So it's like, okay, it's faster for me to do it. I know how to do it. But of course, that's not the best use of your time. So, but I think that's the big thing that people struggle with is letting go for those reasons that I just named and talked about. The other thing is not communicating enough. I think in today's technology world with everything, with email and all of that stuff, I find that people sometimes feel like they're too busy to talk. But it still takes that, you know, because that person needs to get to know you and all of those things are important. I always share the story that I had a client and he was one of those clients that had come from the corporate world. So he hadn't had a virtual EA before and he was used to, I guess, her being right there for him to talk to. So he told me, he said, you know, I'm going to check in with you every day. We're going to talk daily. I'm going to call and We'll talk. And at first I'm thinking, okay, that's a little excessive because I don't know if we really need to be talking every day. And I didn't really— I felt some type of way about it in the beginning, but in the end, I was able to support him better than any client that I had because of that communication. Because he was talking, I got to really learn his likes, his dislikes. All of those things. And so I was able to provide better support to him. So I think oftentimes you don't think you really need to do it every day, but still at least having a week, one day a week, or maybe even two days a week that you speak with your remote EA, because you're going to get better support out of someone too, because you're building that camaraderie again. They're learning your needs based on what you're talking about. And, but a lot of times people, they feel like they're too busy. And so, I think they miss the mark on that piece.

Yeah, I co-sign all of that, but that busyness, right? That is part of the issue. Because I know that, for instance, I have people I know, some parts of my business are a well-oiled machine. I don't have to worry. I don't have to step in. And it's funny because one of my clients was also like, you need an operator, you need this. I'm like, Don't worry, I have all these people. I'm just getting them onboarded so that they can take over so you don't have to wait for my response because I am the bottleneck, right? But we do, we get, we're like, oh, I'm too busy to deal with this. I'm too busy to talk to people. But then that's where everything's falling apart, right? Because we are not taking that time, that intentionality. Sometimes you have to go back and maybe you're not going to move forward as fast as you want, but taking the time to make sure people really understand their workflows. Like you said, that motivation, it's not even just about the tasks, about the why, why are we here?

Exactly. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

So I know that that's a huge thing. And then the cost, right? Oftentimes we're going, oh, we'll just handle ourselves. We don't want to pay up. And that's another thing that I think when you're starting, because I've had multiple businesses and I'm just starting a new branch of my business, but I'm having to look at how much is coming in. How much am I spending on these tools, but how much can I invest in human capital? And I want to invest it smartly because I know that the only way I'm going to grow is if I make these investments now. Maybe I have a little less profit margin at the beginning, but that way it's going to allow it to grow a lot bigger. So, I'd love to hear from you, either with clients you've worked with as the EA or people you've placed, and how much of a difference it's been able to make because This is one of those hidden things, right? People talk about growth, marketing, and all these other strategies, but having the right EA on your team can also lead to increases in growth and development.

If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down you count on Grainger for auto-reordering. With on-time restocks, Your team will have the cut-resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift, and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRANGER, click granger.com, or just stop by. Granger, for the ones who get it done.

Yes, definitely. And I like how you structured it as an investment, because that is the way to look at it. You're investing in your company to help it grow. And having the right support on board is definitely going to be able to do that. And I know we had a client that came to us, and so she had a couple of new service offerings she wanted to implement, but she wasn't able to do it because she just never had the time. And so we assigned an EA to her, and within a few months, she was able to get one of those service offerings out there and going. And so she was so excited about that. Which was obviously bringing in additional revenue for her company. But had she just stayed on her own, she probably would have stayed in that same cycle of not having the time to get it out there. So I always tell people to, you know, yes, it's an investment, but you have to think about the end goal, you know, what that's going to look like when you're able to, like her, Add that new service offering, or even if it's just your time, because we had another client that said before she came to us, she was like, you know, I don't know if you've seen that Lucille Ball show where they had the conveyor belt. I'm dating myself. It started slow and she and Ethel were able to handle it. But then when it started speeding up, they were stuffing chocolates everywhere. And she said that's how she felt, like she was just on that conveyor belt. And, you know, after though getting her EA, she was able to manage it. It slowed down. You know, she was able to have time to do other things in her business, strategic things she wanted to think about and focus on. So, yeah, it is, you know, some time investment too upfront too, a little bit also, but the end goal and the reward is definitely worth it.

Yeah. So, let's talk about When you started the business, this new phase, what were some of the hurdles that you saw going from support to owner overseeing people, trying to make sure matching the right people with the right EAs?

Sure. And I remember there's a lot of things though, because you're right, there's a, when you're scaling, there's a lot of things that you don't really think about and consider. One of the things I think I told you, I spent some time building the systems and the infrastructure because I knew I needed that. But I still find myself tweaking those from time to time because it may be something that I started out doing in the business and now, you know, I've brought someone else on to be able to handle it. And it's like, oh, you know, this same system doesn't work now that someone else is doing it. So that's one of the things, you know, always having to Sometimes kind of tweak those things. The other thing, which is something that my husband warned me about, he's like, okay, now you're going to be managing people. And it's like, yeah, I know, because, you know, going from a solo person, you know, you didn't have to deal with that. And so that was a big hurdle too, because I had never done that before. So it was a little bit challenging learning how to manage people, but then also how to be a leader. And that was when I learned that there is a difference between the two. And I, that was something that I had never considered. So, that was a learning curve as well.

Definitely. I think that's something that anybody who finds themselves as a manager or leader has to go through. And really, you might hear about it conceptually, but until you go through it, you don't really understand it.

Exactly.

Yeah. So, what does your day-to-day look like? How many people, you know, do you have that you are working with? And are these usually long-term contracts, short-term contracts, somewhere in between?

They're usually long-term. Most of our clients stay with us on average, I would say, 3 to 4 years. And so, you know, that's the goal of working with us when we assign is that they're getting assigned someone who's going to really be able to jump in and support them. And these are, you know, our clients are looking for long-term support. So that's typically how long the assignments were. Nice.

And are you mostly hiring remote workers who are in the US, overseas, a little bit of both? And has that changed and evolved over time?

That's— we're all US-based, and I think it's because, you know, I did it myself and I always tell people, I think that's that's the difference. Me having been in the industry since 2001 when it was baby industry.

Yeah.

And I spent a lot of time educating people on what it was. So because I did it, you know, I was more comfortable with having everybody stateside. So everybody's based here in the United States. And I know, you know, over the years, you know, it's changed and evolved with some overseas as well, but yeah, we're US-based.

OK. And I know people structure things differently. So are people employees of your organization? Are they contractors?

I have a mix in my company, so there's a little bit of both. So yes, that's how we operate.

Yeah. So when it comes to fractional executive assistants, right, or part-time, What makes the most sense as a scaling strategy versus hiring full-time? Because I did hear you say that sometimes people get to the point where they're like, oh, now we need to hire somebody full-time instead of just having somebody part-time.

Yes. I always tell people that, you know, if you feel like you need someone, not 24/7, but I guess pretty much on call. All the time, then maybe full-time is what you need. But at the same time, I meet and talk to a lot of entrepreneurs and a lot of them really aren't at the stage for full-time yet. And I think even starting with a fractional support person is, is probably the best thing to do because then you really learn what type of support you need. You learn how to work with that support person. Before you invest in a full-time person, which comes with other things like benefits and of course more hours and all of those types of things. So I think it's, it's probably, you know, people can do, you know, what they feel is best, but from what I've seen, that's usually a good way to start. Nice.

You've been featured in a lot of big publications, Entrepreneur, Black Enterprise, You've spoken at major forums. You even received the 2025 Enterprising Women of the Year Award. Congratulations to all of that.

Thank you.

How intentional was thought leadership and visibility as part of your growth strategy? Because we know, obviously, you're here on this podcast today, but there are so many entrepreneurs who don't necessarily put visibility at the forefront.

Yeah, that's super important for me because I feel like For people to get an understanding of who you are and what you bring to the table, you need to have some thought leadership out there. So that's why that's important to me, to be able to put myself out there to do that. And I've had, you know, people say, well, you know, I saw you in this, or I heard you on this episode or whatever. And that's always helpful to know that it's working. And obviously, you know, something that I said, because I had a client that came to me and she said, and I had known her, I had seen her at a couple of events, but she was like, you know, well, what did it for me, I heard you on, you know, so-and-so's podcast and something that you said on there, you know, was helpful to me to move forward. I knew I needed what you offered. So that's why I think it's important, definitely, to, especially as any entrepreneur, to put ourselves out there. People can learn about us and what our leadership, thought leadership is.

Yeah. And I really appreciate that specific example. You had seen this person, she had seen you at different events, but there was one thing that pushed her over because this is what, I mean, this is the funnel, right? Or the cycle of getting somebody from being aware that they might need a service to starting to investigate, see who they wanna work with, and then they knew you, from your work, they knew you from seeing you at these events, and they knew you from that episode where they said, "Okay, this is the person I want to work with." Right.

Exactly. So, yeah, I think that's super important. I was a little— because it's like, okay, well, yeah, you knew me, but I guess, you know, sometimes we don't think to ask the right questions, or maybe it was a question she hadn't thought to ask me, but then heard it answered. Somewhere else. And so—

Yeah. And speaking of questions, I'm sure some people come in and say, I know I need help. Here's where I think I need to start. But they may actually need help in other areas, and I'm sure you help them to find that. There may be some people come to you and say, I need help. I don't know what is going to work best. I don't know what questions to ask. So where do you start when you're working with the clients who are then hiring the EAs that you identify?

Well, most of the people that come to us, they may know maybe one or two things that they, where they need support, but you're right, there are other areas that they haven't thought of. So when our onboarding, you know, we'll ask them, you know, different questions so that we can get a true understanding of their company and what's happening. And usually in there we hear other areas where we can provide support. To them. So that's why I always tell people, don't be too concerned because I know a lot of people will say, well, I don't even know where to start. I don't even know what I would give someone. Don't let that be deterrent because usually it evolves. So over time, as you're working with someone too and that trust builds and you get comfortable, you'll start thinking of other ways they can support you.

Fantastic. And you actually have named this questionnaire or this assessment, right? The Business Bottleneck Assessment.

Sure, yes. I have an assessment that walks you through what may be a bottleneck for you. It's pretty eye-opening. And then at the end, it gives you ideas and pointers of what you can do as next steps to move forward and get yourself out of being that bottleneck. Because I think we all find ourselves there. It's just, I guess, the nature of being an entrepreneur and everything that we do and being busy. And sometimes we're not truly realizing that we're the bottleneck. But yeah, it unfortunately happens.

If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle-free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy-to-use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRANGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by.

Grainger, for the ones who get it done.

Well, and let's turn to this question. Have you ever found that you're the bottleneck in any part of your process and said, I need Some EAs.

Yes, for sure. And, you know, we all have to take our own medicine. But yeah, I have found myself being in that particular position. And I think I even shared on LinkedIn a video I did about me having support and everything for my business. But then I also work with other people on my team in other areas and I remember it was one particular thing in the hiring process. It's like, okay, I can't be the bottleneck in this anymore. I've got to take my own advice and develop this system so that I remove myself from it. But yeah, I mean, I find myself dealing with that as well. But again, I always try to think, okay, I'm telling other people to do this. I've got to do it myself too.

I love that, take your own medicine. What is a business belief you held early on that you've changed your mind about?

That is a good question. I would say that number one, that it was easy, because I was thinking about that to myself not too long ago when I first started out in business. I had the— was under the impression that once I put myself out there, the business was just going to come, and that is definitely not true. And so, that's one preconceived notion. Notion that I had. And, you know, I've learned, of course, over the years and a little bit into the business, that it's going to have to take a bit more work and ingenuity than that in order to build your brand and get yourself out there.

Yeah. Well, you are not alone. I would say most people are on that side of the equation. I built it, they will come. They will understand. Yeah. So, and you talked about using thought leadership as a tool for that. Did you also try to Did you have to do advertising? Did you get referrals? What other techniques did you find useful to help build your business?

Referrals is something that we were heavy in, and it kind of became sort of a crutch. And I had to realize, okay, I've got to do more if I want to continue to expand the business and do other things. I have done a little bit of advertising. But not much. Most of what I do is I'm heavy on LinkedIn, so a lot of videos and content and things of that nature as well.

Yeah. Well, and I do want to go back to overseas VAs versus US-based VAs for those— I mean, most of the audience who's listening is in the US. The price difference can be astounding sometimes. So, what would somebody like myself typically need to set aside to have a US-based executive assistant who really is going to get in and make a difference for my business?

There is a difference, and I've had people ask me that question too. Not in— of course there is in price, because obviously the cost of living is much different for us than it is people overseas. And so, that's the difference there. But I have had people to ask me in terms of why would I want somebody based in the US versus somebody who's overseas? And I always say it's a preference because you have some people that's just their preference, just as with anything. You got some people who prefer maybe a GMC over a Ford. I mean, it's just different things that you, you know, your preferences. So And I've— they— but I have had people ask, and one of the things though that I've heard people say the difference with them is the communication piece in terms of if you have heavy written emails that your support person needs to do, having someone whose their first language is English is typically better. Then there's also the time difference. If, you know, being able to communicate with them with that big time difference., but those are some of the things that I've seen in terms of being a difference in the, in the work. Yes, there is a difference in the cost. I don't particularly, in turn, I just know there is a big difference in the cost, but I should pay attention to my competition. But I always tell people I don't really feel like overseas is my competition. And just like I said before, because there are people who prefer US-based, and so that's really our audience.

Well, and speaking to that, do you have a specific set of types of clients that you work really well with and that you like to find the right people for?

Sure. We typically, our clients are in the consulting and executive coaching space, some nonprofits, but, you know, those are, the particular areas that are drawn to us. You know, we have had clients in other industries, but those are probably our big three.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I think a lot of people from corporate also move into those roles when they're ready to leave corporate.

So, right.

Yeah. So, that makes a lot of sense. You talked about not paying as much attention to people who might, or companies that might seem like they're your competition because you have your own unique business, right? And that's part of who we are as brands and business owners. What would you say are some of your other unique qualities that make your business different than other people who are saying that they have the same kind of services?

And I would say, I always say my background, because I don't meet many people who've been in this industry as long as I have. And other people with agencies typically start at the agency sometimes with no background at all. As being an executive assistant. And so for myself, I was one in corporate, then I, you know, did this on my own for almost 20 years. And I think that makes a big difference. And I've often wondered to myself, would it have been like if I had started this agency back then in the early 2000s, where would it be today? But then I think things happen for a reason. I don't think I would have the knowledge that I have, there was a reason why I was doing it myself because it helped me to have a true understanding of both sides of the executive assistant side and then the client side. So that's been super helpful for me to be able to make myself stand out based on my knowledge and experience to help, you know, run the agency.

And you probably would have been a little ahead of your time if you'd started it back then. Yeah, sure. So, yeah, that's another good reason because then you're able to find the success that you want to have for your business, for yourself. So, speaking of success, what does that look like for you today? And where do you see yourself going with your business into the next few years?

Sure. Today, it looks like having made that transition because It wasn't easy, but having the ability to be able to make that transition and then really build something that can run without me. I'm not totally there, but it's getting there. So, but that's not an easy thing to do. So I see myself being successful even doing that part and moving forward. That is the goal, you know, that it's to the point where it does totally you know, just run independently without me and allowing me to be able to step into some other roles. For example, coaching and consulting in this space, because I run into a lot of people as well that have full-time EAs, but they don't know how to use them. And so I had someone ask me that at a conference last week. She was like, well, I have a full-time EA, but I'm I'm still struggling. And so, allowing me the ability to have some time to be able to step into that role and also offer that type of service.

Yeah, that's great. And I, 'cause I'm sure I'm gonna need to come to you for that help at some point. The name EA, do people ever bristle against being called an assistant or an executive assistant? 'Cause I know this day and age, right, a lot of people wanna have titles that are a little more Florishy, perhaps?

No, I think, you know, everybody on my team wears it proudly. One thing that I will say, though, is I think a lot of times— and I was thinking about this too, and based on something that I heard someone say, I think, or read— the respect that the position doesn't get sometimes, because it is a skill set that they bring to the table. And so not everybody can do it, you know, as we talked about earlier. So I think if anything, that's something that has always been near and dear to my heart in terms of making sure that people realize that this is a role that is a strong skill set and it's powerful when you have the right person and when you allow that person to be able to support you in a way. And when you do that, you're going to reap huge benefits. So, yes, just not necessarily in the name, but respecting what's— how they're able to help you.

Fantastic.

Okay.

So, what's one thing that you want every listener to walk away understanding about delegation and scaling their business?

One thing to know about delegation, it is a skill set and something that's learned, but something that you can learn if you put in the work and the time. And with scaling, I would definitely say, like I mentioned before, systems. I don't think you can do it without them. So that is super important. Your business is going to be much more organized. It's going to make everything easier if you have strong systems in place and not in your head, you know, documented somewhere.

Yeah. Yeah, sometimes they do live in our heads and then we think we told people and we're like, oh wait.

Right, exactly.

Is there a favorite quote that you have, mantra, poem, verse, motto?

It is, but I'm probably going to butcher it. And there's a quote out there about failing to plan, and I can't quite get it out, but I can see it in my head. But that's one thing, because I think it's always important that We plan, and if we don't, then obviously there's going to be some failure there if you don't. So running a business, you have to definitely, you know, plan and everything that we do.

Yeah. I think it's failing to plan is planning to fail. Is that the one? Yes.

Yeah. Thank you. Yes.

And you just said that. You just summarized. You just said that really nicely as well. Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, have people go to teamdelegate.com. They can find the business assessment, learn how to reach out to you, get a lot more tools. We'll have a link to your LinkedIn profile. Is there anything else that, uh, you want to impart today?

No, I mean, I've enjoyed being on here and just don't delay about getting support and having someone help you and delegate. Because I think if you have the opportunity to do it, then I would say definitely do it?

Well, and I'm, Tanya, I'm just going to admit, I've said it a couple times, but I am definitely the bottleneck in my business. So, I have been very cautiously making sure I have systems set up, like you said, bringing people in appropriately because I know that in order to grow, I have to invest. And if I don't do that right now, then I'm not going to have a business. Or I'm going to have a business that's that small compared to what I want, right? So I really appreciate, because I do think that we often don't think enough about what help we need and asking. It's very easy to think you have to go it alone, but don't do that. Everybody who's listening, make sure you have the right team in place. And if you don't have the right team in place, go to an expert like Tanya to figure out who you need, what they can do to help serve your goals, your business, and make a difference in your life. So Tanya Thomas, thank you again for being on Your Brand Amplified.

Thank you for having me.

Absolutely. And for everybody who's watching or listening, hope that you learned something new, whether you have an assistant or not. Maybe you thought of a different construct, other questions you'd be asking, other areas of their business where they can help you grow. I'll be back again with another amazing guest to share their story, their journey, and some tips and tricks for you. Very soon. Thanks for listening or watching to this episode of Your Brand Amplified. Don't forget to leave us a rating or review on your favorite podcast listening platform. And if you want to learn more, check us out at yourbrandamplified.com.

If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down you count on Grainger for auto-reordering. With on-time restocks, your team will have the cut-resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift. And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRANGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.

If you like the show, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening. If you're serious about leadership, legacy, and building wealth with structure, you need to check out the CJ Moneyway Show hosted by CJ Moneyway. This podcast features powerful conversations with entrepreneurs, doctors, strategists, and global thought leaders who break down what it what it really takes to win without losing your integrity. This isn't surface motivation. It's discipline, clarity, execution. If you're ready to think bigger, build smarter, and lead with intention, tap into the CJ Moneyway Show, available wherever you get your podcasts.