I'm always surprised when business owners tell me they don't have an assistant. In my mind, it's the first hire a founder should make - and one of the most important.
I've worked with my assistant Britt for the past three years now. There's nothing she doesn't know about me, and there's no task I wouldn't entrust her with. She's bright (hello law degree), fast (she needs to be to keep up with me), funny (necessary) and, well, I couldn't live without her.
Not convinced? Here are five reasons an assistant will change your life this year.
1) You'll Save Bundles Of Time
In my mind, there's no more important commodity than available time. I can make money easily but I cannot create more hours in a day (try as I may.) If you hire well and delegate efficiently, then you'll reclaim hours in your day instantly.
2) They're Better Than You At A Lot Of Stuff
If you get the right person, you'll find that they are far better at a lot of tasks than you are. This rings true for me. I'm a big-picture visionary. I am lousy at organizing stuff and remembering things. My head is filled with dreams and lofty plans, not where I put the insurance documents or what the bank told me at our last meeting.
3) They're Great Company
No matter what anyone says, it can be lonely being a company founder. I have a team of almost 30 people but I still feel alone from time to time. My assistant can read me like a book, knows when I'm down or not happy with something, and does her best to change this. Plus, we pretty much laugh all day. Mostly at each other.
4) They See Things You Don't See
Assistants generally see the world differently to you and are wired to see the detail that you don't. For example, my assistant knows how much I spend on groceries each week (yep, she did the analysis without me knowing), and recommended an alternative service - plus, the last time she came to my house she noticed the windows needed cleaning and booked someone in to fix this. I only really noticed how dirty they were when I could see through them again!
5) They Improve Your Sanity
Life is less stressful when you have someone by your side that you trust. My stress is reduced because my workload is reduced - and that's a luxury worth investing in.
Emma Isaacs is the CEO and founder of Business Chicks. This post originally appeared on emmaisaacs.com and is republished here with full permission.