Leveraging Corporate Expertise, Harnessing Delegation, and Growing Through Uncertainty with Renee Hastings

Kinsey Machos: 00:01

I'm Kinsey Machos, your host and founder of the category Queen. Welcome to the podcast for coaches, consultants, and course creators who don't just want to dominate their niche, but they desire to play in their own league. My mission is to help you unlock the power of your unique brilliance and use it as a vehicle to gain recognition, reach more people, and make more money. Not too long ago, I took a bold leap, leaving behind a six figure corporate salary with nothing more than a used MacBook and a burning desire for more freedom. Today, our brand has become globally recognized, helping thousands of female founders to become industry leading experts. Join us each week as we go on a journey together to discuss mindset, marketing and money, and more importantly, the real life discussions about balancing success with motherhood and marriage.

Kinsey Machos: 00:56

Because we're a community of women who build and scale impact driven businesses, but do it without sacrificing the things that matter most to us. Welcome to the category queen show. In this upcoming conversation, you're going to hear from Renee Hastings, who runs a virtual assistant agency, and she has an incredibly successful business. Her model is really genius, and I want you to hear really how she got to this point. And she shares her story and her transformation and her journey in starting from corporate, really leaning into what she was good at and how to transfer those skills from corporate to entrepreneurship, but then also how she built her business while still working full time, you know, putting in the quote unquote grind, if you will, and then allowing the journey to unfold while also surrendering the control.

Kinsey Machos: 01:57

You're going to hear the first initial step she took and also later on in the conversation, we talk about the scalability of her business and how that came to fruition as well. I know so many of you have really big plans for yourselves and you have it in your mind going one particular way. And so often what I see is we hold that plan so closely, we kind of like white knuckle it and don't allow for things to unfold in the way that they are actually meant to. And so I love Renee's story because it really embodies that unfolding and just taking one step first. And even though you can't see the next five steps, you can at least take the one.

Kinsey Machos: 02:53

And she shares what that looked like for her and how she ended up in this really incredible business and what she's doing now. But I know that you're going to feel encouraged by this story. So buckle up, my friend, and let's go.

Kinsey Machos: 03:08

Hello, my beautiful category queens. I'm so excited to be here with you today. I have a special guest alongside of me, and I am so happy to bring her with you today. Welcome, Renee, to the podcast.

Renee Hastings: 03:22

Thank you so much. I truly appreciate that warm welcome and introduction. I'm honored to be here.

Kinsey Machos: 03:29

Yay. So fun. So, Renee, you are the CEO of executive help now, is that correct?

Renee Hastings: 03:36

Yes, that is correct.

Kinsey Machos: 03:38

Yes. And I have so much to unpack here. One of the things, so just to give context here, you know, we get probably three to five requests a day to be on the podcast, and I really have to have, you know, that energetic connection. And like I said to you, like, this is the first quote, unquote, cold interview that I've done. Usually I know my guests in some capacity before they come on the show, but you just really had something. I don't know, something really spoke to me through the words and the things that you shared. And so I'm really excited to unpack, but why don't you go ahead and give us a context, just some context, of who you are, what you do, and what you stand for.

Renee Hastings: 04:19

Awesome. Thank you so much. Well, for you to get three to five requests a day to be on the show, let me tell you, this truly is an honor that I made it through, and I'm actually here, so thank you so much for that. So the way it all began, like, a little bit about my journey. I was actually raised as the granddaughter of a sharecropper from the south who moved his family north farming land. And when he moved the family north, were the only black family in this amish community where he settled. So he instilled in us a very strong work ethic and a passion for excellence, because no matter where went in that community, because were the only black family, everyone knew us. So everything any one of us did was a reflection on the family.

Renee Hastings: 05:14

So I actually, you know, I internalized that, and it really became a part of me and who I am and how I just really crave and really just desire excellence. And I have an attitude of service here to serve a servant's heart, because that's what we do. What my grandfather helped people. He taught his children to help people. Their children taught theirs. And here I am today, helping people lighten their load, improve their quality of life with this company that I've built. I started my career as an executive assistant to the C suite. Well, I worked my way up there, but the city that I lived in after leaving the farm area had a summer youth employment program that really had the main goal of the program was to keep the kids off the streets.

Renee Hastings: 06:12

So let us do this by giving them some employable skills, teaching them some things, and just make, help them to become productive citizens in the community. So my mom encouraged me to be a part of this program. And that's one of the best moves I think she could have ever made, because from that program, I learned how much I love to organize. I learned how much I really just enjoy, again, helping people through the different jobs that I had through that program, summer after summer. So I just decided throughout my high school career, and even afterwards, I'm going to one day run a business, is what I said. I think I was maybe 13, and I said, I'm going to run a business one day, and I'm going to do this all the time, just help people.

Renee Hastings: 07:02

So that's how it all started from those young years that were very formative, you know, with my grandfather all the way through high school, just this passion, this burning desire, just because. To be nice, to help. And so when I developed this, the skills that I had, and I started supporting the c suite in corporate America, my kids were continuing to get older. And then they left. And it was just me and four walls here in the house. And I was like, I have so many skills, and all this time on my hands, why don't I see if I maybe can do something with all this time and maybe have my own clients? So I put the word out, let people know that I was looking to take on some new clients.

Renee Hastings: 07:48

I started this business, and a friend introduced me to their friend, and they became clients. And then before you know it, time has gone on. And I went from being the person doing all the work and then becoming that overwhelmed person who had too much work, who had to bring on their own ba. I decided to hire my own ba because I was just so overwhelmed. There was so much to do between my full time day job and my business that was growing. I just couldn't do it all myself. So when I talk to potential new clients about the importance of virtual assistants and bringing someone else on their team, it's because I have walk the walk so I can talk the talk. I know what it's like to live a day in their shoes, because it was me. It was totally me.

Renee Hastings: 08:37

And so that's how I got to where we are today. And so now from there, I hired my first virtual assistant. That virtual assistant turned into another and another. And now we have an entire agency of virtual assistants that are here to support a client's team or a client themselves individually.

Kinsey Machos: 08:58

That's so amazing, Renee. Wow. And what a beautiful journey. I feel like you took us on this really beautiful adventure, and that was, you know, in a matter of couple minutes. But I really experienced that alongside of you. So thank you for sharing. One of the things that I love about this story is just some. Just how you've highlighted how your values have really carried you through. Right. And I. I'm willing to bet that you run your business pretty well and you have fun doing it because you have an attitude of service. When we go back to, like, what is all this for? And we go back to, like, ultimately, it's helping people and helping people get out of pain and helping people get what they want, I. That always, like, settles me down a little bit.

Kinsey Machos: 09:45

Sometimes I'm like, high anxiety, like white knuckling. I talk a lot about white knuckling of, like, you know, when you're holding on to something so tight, but when you, like, just, like, sit in that seat of service, everything softens. Would you agree?

Renee Hastings: 09:58

Absolutely. Because it's not about you.

Kinsey Machos: 10:02

Right.

Renee Hastings: 10:02

It's what you can do for them, how you can improve their quality of life, how you can make things better for them. And when you take the focus off of yourself and make, the only focus on yourself is serving with excellence. It just lightens. It just makes everything better.

Kinsey Machos: 10:19

Yeah, it's so good. I love that. And then also what I love, I want to kind of extract from your personal story, is you got really good at something in corporate, and you asked the question, how can I apply this in a business of my own? And it was such an easy transition for, or I'm not going to say it's an easy transition, but I think it's a logical transition to see, okay, I have these certain set of skills. I I'm doing well over in this compartment or this capacity. How could I transfer those over into entrepreneurship? And I find that women often, and you might see this with your own clientele, force it. It's like they try to create this, like, very magical bullet of what they might be able to do when it's right in front of them.

Kinsey Machos: 11:05

I'm like, you're actually really good at this thing. Let's build a business around that. And sometimes what's most obvious is also not as obvious to you as a business owner because it's so close to you. Have you, was it that obvious to you when you were making that transition, or did it take you some time?

Renee Hastings: 11:24

Well, fortunately for me, in my case, it was obvious because it's. It's what I knew. It's what I've always known, and it's what I've always taken pride in. And where at some point, even where I placed my value and worth, that's a whole nother story.

Kinsey Machos: 11:40

Yes. We can unlock that chapter later. Yeah, I totally get that.

Renee Hastings: 11:45

But because it was what I knew and what I knew how to do. Well, it absolutely made sense to me.

Kinsey Machos: 11:51

Yeah.

Renee Hastings: 11:52

It just came so naturally.

Kinsey Machos: 11:53

Yeah. And perhaps it's like, okay, this may not be a forever thing, but I know that I can get paid for these skills right now, and then I can continue to evolve my business and see where that goes. And so I think you're a perfect example of that. So I just wanted to highlight that. And I love that you, we're in this part of life or part of business where you're like, okay, I'm overwhelmed. I need to get help. I, too. First person I hired was a va, and she's still with me today, several years later. And I grew my business while working full time in corporate, so I had zero extra time. So I really, it's kind of like time or money. Right. So I had to invest in getting some help. But I know that this isn't the natural tendency for most.

Kinsey Machos: 12:38

So what can you talk a little bit about delegation and what, entrepreneurs, specifically women. Right. Coaches, consultants, service based entrepreneurs. What they should start thinking about, how they should start thinking about delegation and what they might be able to delegate first?

Renee Hastings: 12:56

Yes, absolutely. So one of the first things that we need to recognize when it comes to delegating is we need to do a little bit of self introspection to figure out who we are when it comes to handling responsibility and who we are when it comes to handing off responsibility. Sometimes in that process, we discover that we may have some control issues, we may discover that we have some trust issues. We may discover so many things about ourselves that we didn't know even existed until were now put in this position where we needed to give something to someone and trust that they're going to handle it well. Like we would. Right.

Renee Hastings: 13:43

So that process in itself can be something that keeps someone from delegating because they just don't want to do the work of looking at themselves to see how can I be a great delegator? How can I be a great leader to delegate to someone else well so that they can support me well, because people don't know you. They have to get to know you, and you have to allow yourself to be known by them.

Kinsey Machos: 14:14

That's so beautiful. Wow. I just got chilled. That's really awesome. I've never heard it that way before.

Renee Hastings: 14:20

Yeah. And so if you don't let them in, then they can't help you, but you have to do the work. And then once you are ready to take the leap, start with something small. Say, maybe respond to my emails, the emails I get on Mondays or something like that, you know, something so tiny that you can totally just turn over and trust and say, okay, if they can handle responding to my emails on Mondays, maybe they can respond to my emails on Tuesdays too. But it's something that you work up to, something you ease into until you get comfortable delegating more and more things. And that trust gets built because when your virtual assistants start supporting you and even thinking about things ahead of you, anticipating your needs, they're going through your email and they see something that's coming up in the future.

Renee Hastings: 15:18

They remind you of that far enough in advance to help you prepare. And then they come back to you and say, oh, don't forget you got this thing going on. And then you're like, as the manager, oh, yeah, thanks for the reminder. And then you're able to move accordingly and make necessary adjustments. But it's because your virtual assistant is staying on top of things, being that hand, you know, that helping hand to help you navigate through all of the things that need to get done through this process, trust is being built. And once trust is built, then you'll feel more confident handing over more things and more things. And then before you know it, you're going to be like, oh, here's an email.

Renee Hastings: 16:03

Let me just forward that on over to my assistant because I know she can handle it and I know she'll handle it well because she's representing me and I trust her.

Kinsey Machos: 16:11

Wow, that's so good. Thank you for sharing that. Would you say there's certain, I guess, some of the most common tasks that you feel like women should be delegating right off of the bat or right out of the gate?

Renee Hastings: 16:26

Not necessarily, because it just depends on the business and what the needs are right now. So one of the things you'll want to think about when it comes to delegating is the things that you are doing hands on. Like you're doing the thing, but the thing you're doing is taking up way too much time. It's something you don't enjoy doing. It's something you may not even be very good at. And it's not making money for your business, whatever that is. That's what needs to get delegated.

Kinsey Machos: 17:00

Yeah. And I think that people listening to this are like, okay, that's so obvious. And yet a lot of women may not even know yet what that is. And so it's just a matter of taking maybe an hour and sitting with a journal and really understanding or even doing a time audit. I recommend this to our clients all the time. Like, do you even know where you're spending your time? I think that before I had really grown the discipline as an entrepreneur, you know, before I knew it, I was 3 hours into something, you know, fidgeting around with like a title on a canva page or something. But when you're not really tracking the time and you're not, you haven't grown the discipline yet, it's really hard to see that time wasted.

Kinsey Machos: 17:43

So how do, is there anything else you recommend women do to really start to gain the clarity of, like, what is, what's wasted time? Where can they start delegating this out? And what does that look like?

Renee Hastings: 17:58

Sure. So I love your idea of the time audit because that will speak volumes because like you said before, you know it. I mean, you start one little thing and hours have gone by and you've been busy, but you haven't been busy doing things that are going to impact your bottom line. So there. With our company, we are general virtual assistants. So we primarily do email management, calendar management, project management. We do presentations like bookkeeping, expense reporting, you know, anything that an executive assistant in the office will do for an executive, that's what we do for our clients from home. So all of those things are basic general admin duties. But then there are other things that your company might need that you're spending time on that's not adding value to you, but you doing it. Like social media.

Renee Hastings: 18:56

We also do social media management and engagement. And we also have a new leg of business that we just started this year after having our own podcast for a year where we're offering podcast production services done for you. So all you have to do is show up and talk. So all of those things can be things that can be delegated to somebody else so that they're not wasting their time. If your business isn't about building websites and you're not a website builder, then don't be out here trying to build a website.

Kinsey Machos: 19:29

So true. It's so again, one of those like no brainer things when you say it. And yet sometimes we just find ourselves in those rabbit holes. I want to switch gears just a little bit, because once, something that's different about you, Renee, is that you really, I think, specialize or are an expertise in productivity, and you actually were Adele Carnegie leadership training coach. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Renee Hastings: 19:54

Yes. So those were some of the funnest years. I don't even know if funnest is.

Kinsey Machos: 19:59

A word, but we're going for it.

Renee Hastings: 20:03

Being a Dale Carnegie leadership training coach, because one of the things, the Dale Carnegie way is just so in lockstep with my values. So when I was learning the ten basic principles of Dale Carnegie and how to get to know people and getting people to know you, and seeing the sparkle in people's eyes and seeing the conversations and how things light up when they start talking about different topics, just all of these different principles just made sense to me. So when were having class, some people were there voluntarily. Some people were there because their job sent them there and they needed it as part of their professional development and growth. And so there was some anger and resentment and tension there.

Renee Hastings: 20:54

But either way, no matter what brought them to us, were just glad that they were there, because this was my classes, where at night, over a course of eight to ten weeks, I think from six to ten at night. So there is some commitment involved in this. And because of these principles that were able to teach the students, they may have come in like one lady that I just remember so clearly when she came in, she was so timid and, you know, you could tell she was very smart, but she talked like this and you could hardly hear a word she said, and it was really hard to hear. And so you had to really. And so one of the exercises that we did was talking really loud and being over the top with all our actions and just really being big about everything.

Renee Hastings: 21:47

So that when we got in these real life situations and we didn't have to be so big, we still were bigger than the way were when normally. So anyways, week after week, I would watch this young lady just progress and incorporate all of the things that she was learning. And by the time were finished with that, over that eight to ten week course, this young lady was so loud, there was absolutely no problem hearing anything she had to say. And she herself wanted to be a Dale Carnegie leadership training coach. And so to me, that was very rewarding. But all of this took time. So they had families, they had jobs, and then they had this class.

Renee Hastings: 22:35

All of that had to be scheduled, all the homework had to be done together, so that by the time they got back to class the next week, they were ready and prepared. And there's a lot of reading involved, a lot of workbook work involved. It was a lot. So in order for them to be productive, they had to be almost very methodical about how they scheduled their day and when they were going to accomplish things. Some people did their homework during lunch or some people did their homework on the weekends. It didn't matter either way. The point of it all is that when you are a busy business owner or you are a busy executive, whatever your role is, time blocking will increase your level of productivity.

Renee Hastings: 23:22

And if you can block time during the day for when you are at your best, to do those activities that are most important, that's when you're going to see the best results at the end of the day.

Kinsey Machos: 23:36

That's good to know how. I'm just curious with this, because I've done time blocking for many years now and it's been effective. I think that it takes, I think as my life evolves, my time management, you know, evolves as well. Like, I used to be super, you know, much more productive first thing in the morning, but then, you know, it's a little bit later in the day now and so just allowing your time to evolve with you, but it just requires that awareness and that reflection and that pausing. What are some additional tips or tricks that, you know, beyond just the traditional time blocking that we should be paying attention to or really consider to be able to get more done in a day without completely burning out?

Renee Hastings: 24:19

That is such a great question. That's like the million dollar question.

Kinsey Machos: 24:22

Yeah. Yeah.

Renee Hastings: 24:24

Fortunately for me, with the advent and the popularity of AI and automation, that really has been a game changer in my life and how we do business and the amount of work that we're able to get done in such a short amount of time because we've set into practice and workflows, funnels and automated responses and things like that, and templates that help us just be able to go click, click, click, we're done and we're moving on to the next thing. No, some people are really not a fan of AI, but I'm telling you, it's one of those things that's here to stay, whether we like it or not.

Kinsey Machos: 25:09

And it's just, yes, we just had an amazing episode on AI a couple episodes ago, so I'll link that for our listeners too, just as a reminder, because I think that it is very intimidating. But it's like you either grow or you die. That's really how it is. And if you think about just general evolution, this is what it is. You grow and evolved species, and AI is changing so rapidly that you just can't ignore it. It's like our grandmas that wanted to ignore, you know, the Internet or, you know, or iPhones or what have you, like, they had to catch up at some point.

Renee Hastings: 25:48

That's right. That's right. And being more mature, I'll put it that way, you know, so much more. It's easier to get set in your ways, and you're like, well, this has always worked, so this is what I'm going to always do. So, you know, they can keep doing what they want to do with all this other AI business.

Kinsey Machos: 26:08

Yes.

Renee Hastings: 26:08

We have that attitude that just because it's always worked in the past, that's what's going to help us get to the next level in our businesses. We got another thing coming that couldn't be further from the truth. We have got to keep up with the latest trends in technology or we're going to just fall flat.

Kinsey Machos: 26:27

Yeah. Amen, sister. Okay, let's go back to delegating. I want you, if you could, to just share so people can kind of self identify. What are some common mistakes that you see in women that are growing their businesses that are, maybe they are trying to delegate and it's not working for them? What are some common things that you're seeing or, you know, speaking really to the objections of like, oh, this won't work for me or it's too early or what have you.

Renee Hastings: 26:53

Right. So I would say that in order for you to, first of all, you need to know and just be comfortable with the fact that if you want to stay where you are, that's fine. If you want to grow and scale and move to the next level, you cannot keep doing what you're doing. You've got to do something different, because if you keep doing what you've always done, you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten. Right. So when it comes to delegating, first of all, as I was starting out to say, you know, allow yourself that self awareness to know where you are when it comes to delegating, get comfortable or get healed or get whatever you need from that so that you can start to delegate more.

Renee Hastings: 27:42

And then if you realize that you brought on a team member who may not be fitting the bill the way that you need them to, they may not be a high enough skill level or they may not just have whatever it is that you need. Don't get discouraged. First of all, one VA does not represent all VA's. Let me just put it that way, because the range of skill and ability is so vast. So one of the things that we do that benefits our clients, and I don't know if this is going off on a tangent, but we go through all that process of interviewing and vetting and training and coaching and building up the expectation of an attitude of excellence in how they operate because they are representing executive health now. So we've already done that work.

Renee Hastings: 28:36

So when they hire us to do that work for them or to hire us to have a virtual assistant, they're getting someone who's already, who knows what to do and can hit the ground running. They all have different specialties, blah, blah. So I'll go into that. But I want you to know as an audience, whoever's in the audience, that just, if one virtual assistant does not work out, don't let that stop you from getting the right one, because it's super important that you build a team and that you know how to communicate with that team member when you're working virtually, there's no such thing as over communication, to be able to share what you need in a clear and concise way.

Renee Hastings: 29:24

And then your virtual assistant needs to be able to articulate back to you what they understand you saying so that they can do the job properly. And then once the job has been done, it's your responsibility to go back and make sure it was done correctly and that this is what you want, to actually go out and be seen by the world. All of that will take some time in the beginning, but the more you work together, the easier it becomes. And then eventually, you won't have to do it anymore at all, because they'll know what to do.

Kinsey Machos: 29:56

That's so good, Renee. I am so glad you said that, because I hear all the time, whether it's related to hiring or a marketing strategy is like, I tried that already. It didn't work for me. It's like, we'll try again. Like, how many times do we have to try things and fail and to find sort of the, you know, the one that works? And that's, again, for anything, a strategy or a tactic or a belief or what have you. And I think that this is especially true for hiring. I think that hiring is probably, and, like, hiring and leading a team is probably where we're stretched. I I have felt stretched the most as an entrepreneur and also the most rewarding, which was so unexpected.

Kinsey Machos: 30:39

But it is where I feel the most challenge and always kind of like trying to decode that and all the little nuances that you're literally learning as you go. And it is, sometimes it does feel kind of like, oh, this feels too hard some days. But in order for, like you said, that next level grow, it does require you to have that support underneath you now. It doesn't require you to have, you know, 20 people, but you do need to learn how to, like you said, delegate and communicate to others what you need and what that vision is. I would love. Yeah, go ahead.

Renee Hastings: 31:17

I was just going to say just because. Just because it didn't work that one time with that one person. What, what do you. What's the alternative?

Kinsey Machos: 31:26

Right?

Renee Hastings: 31:26

You just stay where you are?

Kinsey Machos: 31:28

Yes.

Renee Hastings: 31:28

Well, okay, that's fine. That's a choice. If you want to go further to the next level, make a different choice and choose somebody else.

Kinsey Machos: 31:39

Yeah. And I think that's really important to know is like, when you give yourself that contrast, because it's like you do have options, you can definitely not hire again. What you're saying here is like, the consequences of that mean we are working longer hours. You're doing things that don't, you know, really ignite your creativity or your zone of genius. And so you're likely going to be very tired all the time and overworked.

Renee Hastings: 32:06

And maybe even working so late, missing kids games or recitals, missing dinners at home with the family because you're too busy doing things you have no business.

Kinsey Machos: 32:17

Yes. So good. I'm so glad. I'm so glad that people are getting that reminder. I think we all need that reminder when it comes to hiring and growing. A team is like, this is, it is worth it. Although some days it feels hard. I would love for you to share, even. We talk a lot about scalable offers because that's really my core zone of genius. And I love the model that you created here because I think that it just shows people there's so many different ways to scale your expertise. So can you share a little bit about what that journey was like? So you obviously became an executive assistant for others as an entrepreneur, but then you started to become a capacity.

Kinsey Machos: 32:58

And so, like, tell me about, like, what that progression was as you found yourself over on the other side here with an agency full of virtual assistants.

Renee Hastings: 33:07

Wow, that was so. What is the right word? Thrilling. Oh, exciting. I loved what I loved then, and I still love now what I do so much that I was willing to do whatever had to be done to make it happen. So when it was just me and I was working all of those hours, and it was 8 hours during the day in corporate America, I'd come home, I'd do dinner for my husband or try anyway, and then get right into work, maybe around seven or 08:00 at night. And sometimes I wouldn't get to bed from doing all the work that was assigned to me from the clients until maybe three or four in the morning. And then I'd have to get up again at six to get ready for work to be on my day job by eight.

Renee Hastings: 34:05

And so it was so hard because I was not getting much sleep. And when you don't get the proper sleep, of course your health is going to suffer, your memory is going to suffer, your creativity suffers. There's so much that suffers when you don't get proper sleep. I'm a witness. So as that was happening month after month after month, my family started to get concerned about me. And they're saying to me, Renee, you can't keep this up. This is not sustainable. Your health is going to suffer quickly if you don't do something different. So when I brought on my first virtual assistant, her name was Ashley, I was still working my full time day job and then had these clients.

Renee Hastings: 34:54

And so during the day, I would do my day jobs and on my breaks, when I took a morning break, I would do my client work and I would check email and that kind of thing. And then when I took lunch, I would go and check email again at lunch and handle some things. And then on my afternoon break, I would check some more emails. So I tried to be very honest with my company's time and not steal from them by doing my business while I was on company time. But it just wasn't enough. But being able to delegate those emails even to Ashley was just so, it was such a relief. It was just such a relief to me. And I was able to get more hours of sleep at night.

Renee Hastings: 35:38

So moving on, ashley and I became like the dynamic duo, and so our clients kept telling their friends about us, and so we kept getting more and more clients, and I just kept delegating them to Ashley. And then Ashley's like, I'm overloaded now, so we need some more people on the team. And so we just kept on hiring and now have an entire team of virtual assistants to support clients and their needs. But along that journey, the eagerness and just the passion inside of me was so strong that I was willing to fight through those, the intimidation or the trepidation I felt handing things off and sharing with Ashley some private things I thought were kind of private. Like, this is my email, this is my life. We're talking about doctor's appointments in here and things like that.

Renee Hastings: 36:37

Do I want to share that much of myself with somebody? And the answer was not really. But I have to if she's going to effectively manage my calendar. I can't have one set of calendars over here and one set over here, then that's making both of us miserable. So it was a lot of fighting through the fear, feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

Kinsey Machos: 37:02

Wow, renee. Whoa. So cool. So I. Well, a couple of things I love your comparison of, like, even I actually hadn't considered that piece, but I'm sure a lot of women can resonate with that of, like, allowing other people to come into their personal life and seeing these personal details that I know that for my va, I feel like it's been so slow and progressive that it doesn't feel like a ripping off the band aid kind of situation. But I liken it to people that don't journal because they're afraid that people are going to read it. But yet the power of journaling and brain dumping is, like, literally just so crucial. Right? And so I liken it to that as well. It's like, well, we can't hold these things to ourselves if we really, truly want to, you know, unleash and grow.

Kinsey Machos: 37:52

So I love. I love that you shared that. And the other component that I love about this is you just. It sounds like. And I'm going to say it like, it was really easy, but I know it wasn't. But it sounds like you really allowed that journey to unfold for you and kind of leaning into that. I don't know how big your vision was initially, but perhaps you didn't see all ten steps of, like, oh, this is. I'm going to have a Va agency, but maybe you could see the next two. Is that correct?

Renee Hastings: 38:22

Absolutely. Being a God fearing woman, I pray. And so I'm like, lord, where are we going? What are you doing? I know you got some amazing plans, and I'm just so excited to be a part of it because I saw how not only was my life impacted by the virtual assistants that I brought on the team, but our clients lives were impacted, and it was just such an amazing feeling. But no, I only saw, you know, the next one or two steps, and then I just trusted God with the rest of it.

Kinsey Machos: 38:55

So good. And I think that actually stops so many women because the need for control, the need for planning. I think that, you know, a lot of visionaries are kind of a little bit type a, too. And so when they can't see the full plan, they just become paralyzed. It's like, I need to know the full plan. But I love it. Really just becomes about trusting and having faith. A lot of days, sometimes I'll just. Same thing. I'll say a prayer, God, just show me where I need to be today. And sometimes that's all you can do. And sometimes the vision is just you running away from something that you don't want, right? Like getting out of corporate or having more fulfillment or running towards something that you. You feel that pat, like, that fire in your belly.

Kinsey Machos: 39:40

It's like, I don't really know what's there, but I'm going to lean into it. And that sounds like exactly what you did. And so it's such a beautiful representation of how I really want more women to show up and lean in.

Renee Hastings: 39:54

Thank you. Yes. It has truly been, like I said, a thrilling journey because it has caused me to become a hopeaholic.

Kinsey Machos: 40:06

That's good.

Renee Hastings: 40:07

A hopeaholic. Because when even if things are going kind of, you know, awry or a client has a complaint about something, it's allowing me an opportunity to grow because it forces me into conversations I never would have had before. And in order to handle these conversations well, I need to stand up for myself. I need to defend myself. I need to defend our company. I need to defend our virtual assistants. I need to step up and be the protector of us. And all that is good, knowing that this is not just about us, but we have a mission to serve others. And so anything that comes in that looks like it's trying to threaten that I'm the person who has to be the doorkeeper that says, no, this is not how we're going to be treated.

Renee Hastings: 41:03

This is not how we're going to be talked to, you, this is not how you're going to handle us. Do you know what I mean? And we don't get many clients like that. And that's one of the benefits of being your own boss, is you can pick your.

Kinsey Machos: 41:14

Oh, so beautiful. I love that. Thank you for sharing. Okay, one last piece that I want to unpack, and then we'll wrap up. But one of the things you mentioned was actually, it sounds like you started your business around the time that you. That your kids left home. Is that correct?

Renee Hastings: 41:31

So, yes, that is somewhat correct. So they graduated from high school, they were still in the house, but I was still not doing the business 100%. Yeah, I was still. I didn't start kind of teeter tottering until, like, 2019. Okay, so it's, like, five years later. Yeah. And. But the point that I'm trying to make is that even though it kind of was started out slow and I was doing the corporate America and then running the business at the same time, I have since been able to leave corporate America. And in August of this year, it'll be two years that I've been 100% in the business. I'll be celebrating. I'm so super excited about that.

Kinsey Machos: 42:17

You said August of this year?

Renee Hastings: 42:20

Yes. It'll be two years full time.

Kinsey Machos: 42:23

Congratulations, girl. That's a huge accomplishment.

Renee Hastings: 42:25

Thank you. Thank you, thank you.

Kinsey Machos: 42:27

Well, I think, too, I know we have a lot of listeners that are in that season where. And I don't know. I don't know what this is like yet, but I can't even imagine where you. Your. Your kids don't really need you anymore. And so this mom identity completely shifts, and you are sort of in this season again. I'm just kind of reflecting what I hear from some of our listeners and our clients, but it's sort of like, what is my purpose now? And I'm just curious if that really played into your journey as an entrepreneur and in making the transition from corporate to entrepreneurship and what that was like.

Renee Hastings: 43:02

Well, so my kids are. I was not too many people know this, but I was a teen mom, so I went from being a single teen mom on welfare to building this very successful business. And so when my kids were leaving the house and they were pretty much grown and gone, I'd already made the shift. I'd already made the adjustment. They were already living their lives, being adults, adulting, making choices and decisions, and, you know, still being mom and trying to, you know, guide and that sort of thing. But it was just in a much different way. They didn't need me so much.

Renee Hastings: 43:45

And, yes, because they didn't need me as much, I was able to focus more on the business because I knew they'd call if they needed something, and I call and check in on them, you know, to see, you know, how's everything going? I haven't heard from you in a while. What's new? Just staying. But they're. They're full adults now, and so it's easier for me to not worry. I don't feel like I have as much guiding to do because I feel like I trained them well.

Kinsey Machos: 44:13

Yeah. Good. I know that's always validation. And I think, too, it's just confirmation that it's never too late. It's never too late to start something. It's never too late to discover your purpose or that evolving purpose, like, such a beautiful representation of that, Renee. And I think, I know it will be such an encouraging message for so many women that feel like they're behind. I hear that all the time. I'm so behind, but it's just. Yeah, go ahead.

Renee Hastings: 44:37

I learned that Joyce Myers was, like, in her forties before her ministry ever took off. So it's never too late. Don't ever say that it's too late, because as long as you're on this side of the dirt, you got another opportunity to start.

Kinsey Machos: 44:54

Yes. Amen, sister. I love it so much. All right, renee, this was such a beautiful conversation, and I know we took a couple little different pathways, but I feel like it just gave our listeners such an amazing message and so many with so many different layers. But before we go, why don't you share how our listeners can connect with you and learn more about your services and what they can expect when inquiring about potentially even getting hiring a virtual assistant from you?

Renee Hastings: 45:24

Sure. Well, I can always be reached on all the socials@executivehelpnow.org. Dot. So on Facebook and instagram@executivehelpnow.org. Dot we're on. My website is www.executivehelpnow.org. And if anyone is ever questioning if they're ready for a va, like, I don't know, is it time? Am I big enough? Do I have enough money? Whatever that looks like. They can send a text to v text va now to 1866-943-3951 and get a little flipbook of things that they need to consider if they are thinking about hiring a virtual assistant. So we can share that in the show notes later if you'd like. I'm happy to share that with you. But we are always here, ready, willing and able to serve our ideal clients.

Renee Hastings: 46:23

Our people who have been in business for a while and just are overwhelmed by all of the responsibility, and they just need to be able to delegate and offload something so that they can get clarity and focus on the things that are most important to the business and not be in the daily minutia of it all.

Kinsey Machos: 46:42

So good. Thank you, Renee. We'll include all of those resources in the show notes. Again, thank you for blessing us with your amazing presence. What a beautiful conversation. What a gift for you to be here. So thank you again. For being on the show today.

Renee Hastings: 46:55

My absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for the invite. I have enjoyed every single second.

Kinsey Machos: 47:00

So good. All right, my listeners, we'll talk to you next time.

Kinsey Machos: 47:04

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