Instant gratification feels productive, but it’s often the very thing holding your business back.

If you wouldn’t do it for 10 years… why are you doing it for 10 hours? That single question has the power to completely shift how you run your business.

In this episode, Melissa Smith, The PVA, unpacks a powerful concept inspired by Cameron Scott’s idea of long-term thinking and what it reveals about how business owners are spending their time today.

Because the truth is… most business owners don’t struggle with working hard.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

HIRING RESOURCES:

Book a complimentary consultation with Melissa Smith, The PVA: https://go.oncehub.com/thepva

Website: https://thepva.com/

Show Notes: 

In this episode, Melissa Smith, The PVA, breaks down the real questions business owners are asking before hiring and, more importantly, what those questions are actually trying to solve.

Because hiring the right VA isn’t about finding someone who can do the work.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

- Why most “top VA questions” online are misleading (and what to ask instead)

Website: https://thepva.com/

If your week feels chaotic, it’s not because you’re lazy—or “bad at time management.” It’s because you keep restarting: priorities, plans, momentum, and decisions. Those restarts are expensive, and they quietly steal 10 hours a week. 

In this episode, Melissa Smith, The PVA, shares a simple system that changes everything: protect one hour of sacred time each week to plan like a CEO—then hire the right VA to turn that plan into execution. Because planning without support is just organizing your own workload.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

HIRING RESOURCES:

Website: https://thepva.com/

In this episode of Hire Your VA, Melissa Smith, The PVA, challenges one of the most dangerous assumptions business owners make: believing they have more time than they actually do.

Building on her earlier teaching around time debt, Melissa walks through a sobering but empowering reality check—how many true working days you actually have in a year, and how quickly those days get consumed by commitments, distractions, and reactive work. Melissa explains how reverse planning, calendar blocking, and protecting deep work days can radically change how your business grows, without sacrificing family, health, or clarity.

You’ll learn why:

Resources:

HIRING RESOURCES:

Website: https://thepva.com/

What if the only thing standing between you and hiring the right VA is… actually creating the position? Not perfecting it, but creating it.

In this episode, Melissa Smith, The PVA, shares why the most important step in hiring the right VA is simply making the role exist, even before you feel ready. From the scrappy origins of Airbnb to her own early days in business, Melissa shows how every great thing starts imperfect, and why your VA hire should, too.

HIRING RESOURCES:

Website: https://thepva.com/

Are you holding back from hiring the right VA because of common business myths? In this episode, Melissa Smith, The PVA, tackles four of the biggest misconceptions that keep entrepreneurs overwhelmed and overworked. From thinking it’s “too early” to hire, to believing “I don’t have enough work for a VA,” Melissa breaks down why these myths are costing you time, energy, and money.

You’ll learn why success isn’t about doing it all yourself — it’s about creating space for opportunity. Melissa shares the truth about risk, investment, and the real return that comes from working with the right VA.

HIRING RESOURCES:

Website: https://thepva.com/

In a culture obsessed with doing more, Melissa Smith The PVA makes the countercultural case for doing less—ruthlessly. This episode is your permission slip to subtract, simplify, and streamline your business so you can focus on what actually moves the needle.

Melissa shares lessons from bestselling authors like Dan Pink and Gary Keller (The One Thing) and shows how successful entrepreneurs stay laser-focused on high-impact tasks. You’ll learn how to identify your MITs (Most Important Tasks), protect your golden hours, and train both your team and yourself to say “no” to low-value work.

If your to-do list never gets shorter, this episode will challenge how you think about productivity—and how hiring the right VA can help you do less, ruthlessly.

Resources Mentioned:

HIRING RESOURCES:

Website: https://thepva.com/

Amateurs Save. Pros Invest.

Amateurs believe saving will somehow be enough. Pros know the truth: investment is what pays dividends. This applies to money, time, and especially VAs. Melissa shares why hiring a VA is not just a cost of doing business, but often the smartest investment you can make to grow new income streams, protect your energy, and position your business for the long run.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

HIRING RESOURCES:

Website: https://thepva.com/

As a CEO or business owner, you’ve poured time, energy, and strategy into creating a thriving company culture, but what about your relationship with your VA? In this episode of the Hire Your VA podcast, Melissa Smith, The PVA, turns the focus back on you with one essential question: Are you satisfied with your current VA?

Melissa shares from her own career journey as a former executive assistant and explains the difference between simply working with a VA and working with the right VA—someone who genuinely enjoys the work and prioritizes your satisfaction.

You’ll learn why satisfaction matters, how to frame powerful hiring questions, and how to finally hire a VA who fits not just your task list, but your leadership style.

If you’ve never been asked what you need from a VA, this episode is for you.

HIRING RESOURCES:

The PVA Interactive Hiring Workbook: https://thepva.com/complimentary-hiring-workbook/

Website: https://thepva.com/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/

X: https://x.com/thepva

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepva