Streamlined CEO

Behind the Scenes with My VA: Building a Team Culture of Trust, Systems, and Zero Drama

• Karalee Gault • Season 2 • Episode 63

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What happens when both the CEO and the VA oversleep their first meeting… and still end up building a thriving, drama-free working relationship?

 

In this very special (and final guest!) episode of The Streamlined CEO Podcast, I’m joined by my amazing VA, Deborah Fanth (@dathevirtualassistant). We’re pulling back the curtain on what it really looks like to build a business rooted in clarity, systems, and mutual trust—without micromanaging or constant Slack messages.

 

We’re talking:

  • How strong systems make onboarding actually smooth
  • Why feedback is neutral (and how we practice that weekly)
  • The #1 mistake CEOs make when hiring a VA
  • What it’s really like to work with a CEO who values self-awareness and streamlined ops

 

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to actually work inside a values-driven business (or you’re dreaming of building one), this is your backstage pass.

 

👀 Links + Resources Mentioned:

 

💬 LOVED this episode? Send it to a business friend, share on IG and tag us, or leave a review to help more CEOs find this kind of honest, behind-the-scenes insight.

Have a question, want to chat with Karalee?

  • Send a DM on Instagram or email me karalee@theproductivityimpact.com
  • Visit the Website: Head over HERE to learn more about the Operations Assessment Blueprint and how it can transform your online business.
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All right. So what happens when both the CEO, which is me and the VA who I have here with me, oversleep their first meeting and still end up building an incredible work relationship. So today I'm giving you a peek behind the curtain along with my VA Deborah, who is joining me to share what it's really like to work inside a business that values clear communication, trust, and zero drama. So welcome back to the Streamlined CEO podcast. Today's episode is a little different in the best way. I invited someone from my actual team to join me for a conversation about what it's really like behind the scenes of a business that runs on streamlined systems, clear communication, and open feedback. I'm joined by Deborah Fanth, one of my incredible VAs on my team. She's a VA and an OBM for creative and ADHD entrepreneurs, helping them get organized so they can focus on what they love. And she's really good at it, for the record. You can find her on Instagram @dathevirtualassistant Now a fun backstory because we love back stories. Deborah actually applied to work with me a few years ago, but we didn't end up working together until about nine months ago. And here's the best part. We were supposed to have an interview call, right for the very first time, introducing ourselves to each other, and I, I totally overslept. And so yeah, we had to reschedule. But when we finally, finally got on that call, something clicked. She showed up with this amazing willingness to communicate openly and jump in. Even after I'd had some rough experiences with past team members, which some of you may have heard on past episodes. And I actually hired her during that call because I had no second thoughts. Like, I was like, oh shit, she's the person. So what? I didn't know, though, which is a little funny here until our onboarding session was that Deborah also overslept. That very first meeting. Right? Sort of like a match made in heaven. Didn't even realize it at that time. And so the fact that she felt safe enough to actually share that with me was amazing, and that told me everything I needed to know. So we were totally on a values aligned sort of fit. And so we both needed flexibility. We both needed that transparency and a little bit of grace, obviously. And so which is exactly what we built in this working relationship. And so in this episode you're going to hear how we actually navigate feedback and if you've heard me say before like it's neutral feedback has no positive or negative to it. It's just neutral. So what it's like to work inside of a business built around streamlined operations, and the honest experience of building trust between a CEO and a team member. And so the longest intro on this podcast is now over. But first, I'm gonna let Deborah also say a little bit of something else here to introduce herself. Hey everyone. I'm excited to be here and finally be on the podcast. I have had this idea a while ago, but I just kind of pitched it to Carly recently and it's so cool to see it finally happening. I love being able to kind of just work with my clients in a way that does this, that's able to help them to see it. But I, I totally agree. It was very entertaining. When I told you this story, you were like so shocked that I actually admitted it to you. Yeah, it was a it was funny. We were like, oh, well, we both overslept. That's funny. Okay. So forever we decided to have our meetings later in the day after that one, didn't we? Yeah. But anyway, I'm so glad that you're here, Deborah. Obviously, as you even stated, like, this conversation is long overdue. We should have done this a while ago. And so I talk a lot about obviously streamlined operations and communicate open communication on this podcast. And today we're going to pull back the curtain so that people can actually hear from you. Right from what that looks like and feels like in real life. And so I'm super excited that you want to share that experience with me or with our listeners that you've had with me. And so let's go ahead and get started. All right. So what was your first impression besides me oversleeping. But what was your first impression of how my business was set up behind the scenes when you first came on board? And then how did that actually impact how quickly you could get started? Well, I couldn't fault you for that since, you know, we both were on the same page for that. But also we we canceled it in our sleep. It was fine. It was fine. So actually, I work with a lot of different types of businesses, and that's one reason I was really excited to work with someone who has an operations background. One of the best things I appreciated when I started with you is that you were so clear in what you wanted and what you needed, but then you also had the standard operating procedures set up in advance with written and video instructions. Because especially when it comes to design or any kind of other thing like that, knowing what they want is can be challenging if they don't actually show you sometimes. And I really appreciated how much you just really invested that time to be able to show me so that I could be able to give you a product that you wanted. And I love the written instructions because I could use it as a checklist if I needed to. I also appreciated especially that I often need to help my clients know where they need to start, like where I can help them. But because you already have the operations background, you knew what you needed. So while I am adept at helping my clients figure out what they need, that's something I didn't have to do that that work for you. You've already were able to take care of that, and it made it so much easier for me to just dive in and get started. That that's a great example. So I'm going to pause here for just a second, because soaps are the thing that nobody wants to implement, but also makes it so much easier to scale and to delegate. So even though I did struggle a little bit with actually releasing the control of giving you those tasks, everything was set up as to where you could just jump in. And so that's super powerful, even if you struggle with actually delegating it. Having it in place after, it's kind of like solid. I feel like is a great step that to where when you are ready to actually go, okay, I trust you, we're good. Then they just have the resources already available to them to actually just like own that task or that project, whatever you're having them do. And so can you share an example of a time when you gave me feedback or suggested a change and how I, as the CEO here with an operations background, actually receive that? Like, how did that conversation go in comparison to maybe what you've had other conversations go? Well, one thing I love about working with my clients is they want the collaboration, including yourself. So it's something that it's really beautiful to see a real partnership in business. And so for your business, for the productivity impact, I have the freedom to help you with graphics creation and suggestions on products and items. And if there's an error in like email marketing or I have a question about a process, I'm not afraid to ask you because I know my questions are not going to be met with frustration. They're going to be met with curiosity, with you, with you interested in figuring out how we can work on it together. And it's not me challenging you or your choices. It's me trying to understand you better. And I appreciate that because that's not how it is in a lot of corporate businesses where asking questions is seen as challenging authority, which is one reason I think it's so beautiful to be able to expand your skillset without needing to do the trial and error that comes along with not having the information in the first place. So being in that collaborative environment with you is really helps me to grow, but it helps both of us to grow because the questions and feedback and advice, they're not a reflection on anything that anyone did wrong or poorly. It's just neutral. It's just information. It's just something that we we need in order to do better. And I really appreciate that coming from you from different instances, like recently, you had said, okay, I'm doing this idea and what do you think? And I was like, well, maybe not. And you're like, oh yeah, maybe not. Like. And I appreciated that because sometimes I want you to do that to me. Like, I want you to be like, hey, Deborah, maybe don't do this thing instead. And then that helps me to improve and give you what you need. But by the fact that you were comfortable asking me for advice and being able to actually provide it to you and made it so that it was a stronger collaborative effort, instead of just being something that was like, afraid to help you. Like, I'm not just a yes person, I have opinions and I'm glad you value them. Yeah, absolutely. Because essentially by creating that relationship, you're able to, on both sides, not feel afraid to ask for others input. Or if I see something that seems off, like I'm able to like kind of just reach out to you and be like, hey, we could do this better in the future, or this is how I would like it done in the future. And and the biggest important part here is not waiting right when giving feedback. You know, if someone's done it wrong the first time. Wrong. I think this is in quotes because it's just how they interpreted it, right? And so maybe that's actually a reflection on did I explain it well? My default is always I didn't give cleared up instructions. And so I need to go back and go, well how could I do it different or ask them what didn't you understand. Right. So that way you can be a better leader. And even manager in this case. So what do you think business owners sometimes get wrong when working with Vas? Right. And you've been a big for a long time, so I'm excited to hear what you have to say and what makes this experience different. When you have solid systems and communications in place? One thing I noticed that some business owners get wrong sometimes is that they don't always have a clear vision for what they want already, and then clearly communicate that. So this causes confusion because we don't know what you don't. You a lot of times what happens is you know what you don't want, but you don't know what you do want. And so as the VA who's supporting a creative brain, I'm happy to help identify this stuff for my clients and help them figure out. But it's not something that happens overnight. But when you have a system in place, when you have a clear idea of what you want, I have that communication to back it up, such as having like SOPs in place or having videos or or even if you don't have those things, like because I often will work as a first team member for my clients. If you don't have those in place, but you do have an open communication policy like you use Voxer or Slack or something like that, making it so that you are accessible. Of course not. Like 24 seven, but is notoriously bad, right? Making sure that you're accessible helps so much, because if I have a question and I don't know when I'm ever going to hear from you, like, how am I going to be able to improve what I'm doing, you know? And also, I noticed that sometimes the breakdown of communication is just an unexpressed idea or standard that somebody else has, and the other person just doesn't know about it. So approaching it from curiosity is usually the best way to manage that, since most of the time we want to assume the best of people, right? So most of the time people are just doing the best that they can with the information they have. So maybe you're a new business owner and you've never had, client before, or a VA or someone that you needed to give information to. Maybe you never did that before. That doesn't mean that you did anything wrong. Your communication style just needs to improve. And there's nothing that's wrong with that. That's just normal part of growing in our business. Yeah, that that is huge. I, I used to be I started my business as a virtual assistant, and I learned a ton about what I needed from my clients, but also how I needed to communicate to. And so it's really great to see that you are doing those same things in your journey as a virtual assistant, which is probably why when we understand what the other person needs, we are able to communicate. It doesn't feel like it's a bother anymore when we just understand that this is a step to actually create a bigger problem, right? So I love that. So if a VA friend. Right. Because I'm sure you have them and I know that there's listeners on here that are Vas as well. If they ask what it's like to work with a CEO who prioritizes systems and self-awareness, what would you tell them. I will let them know. This is a really amazing opportunity to learn and grow, because approaching this type of work with a curious mind helps us to grow so much because when we stop learning, we stop growing. And I know just working with you, I've expanded my knowledge of several tools and to be honest, I have to be really honest with you. I really hated cook up before I started working with you. Like with a passion. Like I told people, I would never use it. It's. But working with you, I was like, I know I can figure out anything. It'll be fine. And if you loved it, then it should be okay. So now I see why you like it. It has a lot of features that just isn't available in other programs the way that I've seen it. And I really appreciate the way that you use it in different ways for it to support your business and the businesses of others. The ironic part is that I was also that person a couple of years ago. I hated Clickup, it was a third project management system. I tried and I was like, no, it was too robust, a too many features, too many side of things. I proceeded to try like 40 other project management tools, and I shared that because I still ended up with Clickup in the end, because it it will grow with you and scale with you. And I point that out because I also hated it a lot of my clients also hated. At one point Deborah just shared that she hated it in the beginning. Now she did tell me she wasn't a fan, but she did. It was okay, but I totally understand the hatred I do, I did, I mean, I did, I don't anymore, but you know what I mean? So I mean, so if you're also someone that's like, I don't know if I like Clickup, I actually hate it. If you hate it, well, we can sway you more to love than we can. Like, if you're in the hate situation, that's. I don't even remember who I heard that from. You can sway someone better or faster if they hate something to love something than just if they dislike it to like. Yeah, because you can you can be able to convince somebody who has a passion for something to change their mind more easily than dealing with somebody that's apathetic. Oh, okay, I like that, I like that. Okay. So is there anything else that you would like to share with our listeners today? Deborah, it's your mic open. It's open to you. One thing I think that can be such a challenge with operations is knowing when to hand off what you don't want to do, because like you were saying at the beginning, we can feel overwhelmed or concerned that the job is not going to get done. But the thing is that there's no successful CEO that doesn't have a team. No one that's been able to expand or have a successful business does it all by themselves. Even if all they do is rely on their spouse, they have one more person than themselves, and so I'm learning when to delegate. Like you, you have that delegation guide that you have. Learning when to delegate things and how to do it will help you so much. And maybe like yourself, you have to go through more than one person to see what's a good fit. But it's worth the effort because once you find somebody that is a good fit, it is just so much easier, so much smoother, and it really supports your business. And I wish that more business owners understood that. Yeah, I mean, I've had some I've had contractors. Just goes to me. I've had contractors run away with a bunch of money of a contractors, not refund me. I've had contractors not like just do what they're into the deal, you know. And so like I've had to deal with that as a business owner and, you know, grow with that. I've learned something from every single team member I've ever had. What could I have done better? What went wrong, like identifying something because like, what did was I awful at hiring people? No, I want to point that out. You're not awful at selecting people. We see the good in everyone. We see the potential. And so we're like, oh, me and I see this and you know, you only know someone so much. And so being able to then just practice the hiring piece, you start seeing, you start asking the right questions. Eventually you start asking, you know, seeing the the realness in people. You know, a little bit different and not just a straight, you know, we're going to just try this out, you know. And so I honestly also think that I would not have learned what I needed to learn right now to bring you on and actually feel confident to delegate. So I think if we would have started working together when you originally applied, I don't think we would be where we are today. And so I always look at everything from a different lens, like, well, what if it happened this way in the beginning? Well, I honestly don't think we would be together, right. Like working together. So I always look at it from a different lens of like, how can we do, what can we learn? You know, how can we make the next step better or how can we make this step? Well, we do it again better. So it's always in a form of like how can we improve? Right? And I'm sure that you also love that part about me because I'm always like, oh, how can we make this better? Oh, how can we do this? Hey, hey, can you come save me over here? Because I don't want to do it. And you're like, yes, I love this. I'm so excited. I love that about you, too. That you're just so excited for every task I bring to you. You're just like, this is awesome. I'm super excited. So I'm like, okay, cool, we're going to delete some more because I don't want to I don't want to do the project. Are the best. The random projects really are the best. Well, I have a few more coming at you. So so that's super exciting. So thank you Deborah, so much for sharing your experience and your voice today. I love it. And so I think one of the most powerful things that's about this conversation is that it shows what's actually possible when both sides, right, the CEO and VA or your team in general, when you're actually supported here by clear systems, open communication, which I cannot stress out enough, open communication, right. And mutual trust. And so this kind of work relationship doesn't necessarily have to be rare. It feels rare. I thought it was rare at one point. But it doesn't have to be. If you have in place the right steps to facilitate that, that building of trust in that open communication. Because when you have the open communication as a first step to having those clear systems honestly. And so when you build a business with these streamlined operations and you make the space for this honest two way feedback to say, okay, it's two ways you create a culture where people actually feel safe, they feel seen and they feel empowered to do their best work. Right. And when you throw random projects at them, they're excited. They're not frustrated. All right. Deborah just said that. Right? We have that on we have that on recording. And so that's the kind of business that I have built. I'm super proud of it. And that's exactly what I want for every single CEO that's listening every single. And even if you are a virtual assistant, you are still a CEO, okay? You're still running your own business. So even for you, I want you to have that dynamic with the CEO that hires you. So if you're feeling a little overwhelmed here, as we all are at times by the day to day, or you're unsure of how to actually create this kind of team dynamic, there's some free resources linked in the show notes. The delegation guide that Deborah dropped for me is also going to be in there. Or you can just reach out to me directly, or you can reach out to Deborah. She she's a wealth of knowledge. I literally ask you for her feedback all the time. She's so precious at giving the feedback in a nice way. I love it even though it's neutral to me. She has a way of saying it very nicely too, and so remember that you get to scale your impact without actually scaling the stress. Okay, we don't need to add more stress because we scaled. And so if this episode made you not along right, or you feel seen or heard or this made you rethink how you you will work with your team if you have one in the future or if you have one now, I want you to send it to a business friend who really needs to hear this, this conversation. Right? And so you can also connect with Deborah over on Instagram again @dathevirtualassistant And she's like I said, I'm pretty sure you guys got she's amazing what she does. And you know, go, go hire her because I'm so grateful to have her on my team. And I'm so grateful and she's so good at what she does, I am willing to share her. Some people want to gatekeep other people. I'm willing to share her because you also need her support. And so again, thanks for tuning in. And I'm going to catch you in the next episode.