c/executive-services

Just realized my admin assistant was doing my job for me

Had coffee with my old boss last week in Chicago. She told me my assistant had been filtering my emails and scheduling my calls for 8 months. I thought I was being efficient. Turns out she was handling 60% of my workload without me noticing. Now I'm trying to figure out how to take back control without looking clueless. Anyone else have a wake-up call about their support staff?

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grant.parker•25d ago

Paid $400 for a resume rewrite service and got back something a 5th grader could have written

I hired an executive resume service last month to rewrite my VP level resume. They charged me $400 and promised C-suite targeted language and ATS optimization. What I got back was full of generic buzzwords and actually had a typo in the first paragraph. I asked for a revision and they tried to upsell me another package. Has anyone else dealt with these overpriced resume mills?

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elliot_king•26d ago

Pro tip: That time I nearly lost a VP client over a scheduling snafu

Last Tuesday I double-booked myself with a VP of Operations from a big tech firm and a new startup CEO. Both wanted 2 PM calls, and I didn't catch it until 1:45 PM. I called the startup guy and offered him a 15% discount on the next month for the inconvenience, and he actually laughed about it. The VP call went smooth, and the startup guy even thanked me for being upfront. Has anyone else had a scheduling mess turn into a better relationship?

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keith943•27d ago

I finally found an easier way to handle meeting prep for my CEO

Every Monday I was spending about 2 hours pulling reports and notes for our weekly exec meetings, then tweaking formatting for 30 more minutes. Last month I started using a simple shared doc where each department drops their three key numbers the day before. Has anyone else tried letting the team do the prep work themselves?

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cameronwest•27d ago

The shift from handshakes to contracts in just 10 years

I started doing pressure washing for executive office buildings back in 2014. Back then, almost every deal with a building manager was sealed with a handshake and a verbal agreement over coffee. Fast forward to last year, and I had to submit 12 pages of insurance forms just to clean a lobby in downtown Austin. Part of it is corporate lawyers taking over, but I think a lot of it came from a few bad actors who hired cheap crews and left damage behind. Now every bid requires a 3 day waiting period and digital signatures through some portal. Makes me wonder if anyone else misses the old simplicity or if I'm just being stubborn about change.

2 comments

the_angela•29d ago

Hit the 500 client milestone at my accounting firm way faster than I expected

I figured it would take me until at least year five to get there, but I crossed that threshold in just over three years through referrals alone. Has anyone else had a growth number that completely caught them off guard?

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fiona_fox56•1mo ago

Am I the only one who thinks virtual executive assistants are overhyped?

I hired a virtual assistant service for my electrical shop about 6 months ago. They promised faster scheduling and client follow ups but it took me 3 weeks just to get them to understand my basic billing system. Meanwhile I could have trained a local college intern in 2 days for half the cost. Has anyone else found that real local help beats remote services for hands on business tasks?

1 comments

perez.thea•1mo ago

Used to think virtual assistants were just for rich guys in suits

After my accountant dad's retired assistant helped me organize my invoicing mess in under 2 hours flat over a Zoom call from her kitchen in Ohio, I realized I was wrong about who actually benefits from these services.

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fiona_reed•1mo ago

My worst week as an executive assistant: 3 cancellations in 2 days

Last month I had the worst week of my career. I had three high profile meetings canceled in two days, including a client dinner I spent 20 hours planning. The CEO's assistant dropped the ball on the calendar invites and blamed me. Then the venue for the quarterly review double booked our room. I spent Friday night rebooking everything for the next month. Has anyone else had a week where everything fell apart like that?

2 comments

patricianguyen•1mo ago

That executive coach told me to stop taking every meeting. I thought she was nuts.

Three months ago my coach said cut my calendar by 40%. I laughed. That's impossible in my role. But I tried it for 2 weeks in April. Blocked 3 hours each afternoon. No calls. No emails. My team actually started solving their own problems. Cross-team decisions got faster. Now I stick to 10 core meetings a week max. Has anyone else had a coach push a hard limit like that and see real results?

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uma_mitchell83•1mo ago

Hit 500 executive assistant placements last month and it hit me weird

I've been placing EAs for about 7 years now and I knew the number was coming but seeing 500 on the spreadsheet just stopped me cold. It was a random Tuesday morning too nothing special. My first placement was a nightmare the guy quit after 3 weeks. Now I've got VPs calling me asking if I can clone certain people. Has anyone else had a milestone number like that sneak up on you?

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the_rowan•1mo ago

Walked past the same clogged gutter for 6 months before my neighbor finally said something

I was out watering plants last Tuesday when my neighbor from two doors down came over and asked if I'd noticed the water dripping behind my siding during storms. Turns out a $7 bag of gutter scoops from the hardware store fixed it in 20 minutes, and now I'm wondering what other obvious stuff I've been ignoring that someone else could spot in two seconds. Has anyone else had a random stranger point out a service issue you somehow missed completely?

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tyler_hernandez•1mo ago

Spent $400 on a premium executive coach only to get boilerplate advice

I paid $400 for a six-session executive coaching package from a guy in Dallas who claimed he worked with Fortune 500 leaders. Every session felt like I was reading a self-help book from 2015 - he never asked about my actual daily workflow or team challenges. Has anyone else dropped cash on a coach that just recycled generic tips instead of giving real, tailored help?

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alicec86•1mo ago

Has anyone worked with HLK Marketing for personal ORM?

I’m considering hiring HLK Marketing — specifically Hayden Koch — to clean up some personal reputation issues that popped up after a business dispute. Before I pull the trigger, has anyone here actually worked with them? I need to know if it’s worth the investment for someone in a fairly visible role.

2 comments