Your first hire: Mistakes to avoid and the right way to delegate (with Nata Salvatori)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Shiny New Clients!

Episode: Your First Hire: Mistakes to Avoid and the Right Way to Delegate (with Nata Salvatori)

Host: Jenna Harding | Guest: Nata Salvatori

Date: January 26, 2026
Episode Length: ~20 minutes

Episode Overview

This episode tackles one of the most pivotal milestones for growing entrepreneurs: making your first hire. Jenna Harding is joined by Nata Salvatori, a Freedom-first leadership and scaling coach, to break down the myths, mindset hurdles, and essential strategies for intelligent delegation. Together, they uncover why so many service-based business owners stumble when passing off tasks—and how to do it the right way so your business can scale without burnout.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Recognizing Ego and Mindset in Delegation

• The “Only I Can Do This” Myth
  • Jenna opens with her own experience struggling to delegate, feeling that no one could meet her standard of work. Nata reassures her this is “a lie we tell ourselves very often in entrepreneurship.”

    “You are not the only one to feel like, oh my gosh, there’s no way anybody else can do this as well as I can.” (Nata, 02:14)

• Shifting from Operator to CEO
  • A core stumbling block is the mindset shift from “operator” to true “CEO.”

    “If you don’t work through that identity shift... you’re going to continue to micromanage and try to get into every decision.” (Nata, 05:03)

  • Jenna shares her own ongoing journey with this transition:

    “Laughing because I'm so freaking guilty of that. I think I only have just begun that...not just gripping all the operations and actually being the CEO.” (Jenna, 05:47)

The Right Way to Delegate

• Zone of Genius and Role Clarity
  • Both agree: Know your “zone of genius” and prioritize delegating tasks outside of it to experts.

    “Your zone of genius is that one thing that you are really good at, which is most likely what started this whole thing, and then everything else are just things you have to do as part of your business.” (Nata, 02:54)

• Don’t Expect 80%, But Aim for 100%+
  • Contradicting the typical expectation that new hires deliver only 80% of your standard, Nata says hiring people better than you is possible and preferable.
  • Be open to your team excelling in areas where you may not.
• Delegating Outcomes, Not Tasks
  • The real leap happens when you delegate for outcomes, not just tasks:

    “The true delegation that creates the freedom that we're talking about, it goes way beyond... It’s understanding how to delegate outcomes and how to help the people that you hire understand how what they're doing connects to the big vision of your company.” (Nata, 07:16)

  • When your team is connected to the purpose, “all of a sudden you’re not micromanaging people... you are working as a team.”

Common Hiring Mistakes

• Hiring ‘Mini-mes’
  • One frequent misstep: hiring someone just like yourself.

    “That is a huge mistake because you’re just hiring another one of you that probably has the same kind of blinds and limitations that you do have.” (Nata, 09:23)

  • Jenna shares she’s done this and “thought we could be such good friends.” (Jenna, 10:15)
• Chasing the ‘Unicorn’ Hire
  • Another trap: believing you should hire someone who can do everything—just like you.

    “They ended up being just as overwhelmed and lost as you are. Because that's technically what you were doing right now when you're running your business on your own.” (Nata, 10:25)

• Waiting Until It’s Too Late
  • Many seek help only once they’re burnt out:

    “Please help me, I’m dying... That’s hard to get out of. There’s a lot of backpedaling that needs to happen and a lot of work... Don’t wait until you get to that point, guys.” (Nata, 12:06)

What Preparation Really Looks Like

• Create Structures Before Hiring
  • Success comes from building systems (training, SOPs) before you recruit:

    “We need to build this whole structure before you even put a job description out there... things are smooth and you're not having to do double work. So it starts way before you think.” (Nata, 12:52)

• You Don’t Need More Money to Start Delegating
  • Don’t wait until you’re flush with cash to hire—delegation unlocks growth.

    “If you’re waiting for wealth before you start delegating, you have it backwards. It’s by delegating that you allow yourself the time and mental capacity to grow your business and to bring more wealth.” (Nata, 14:32)

  • Jenna relates this to requiring experience for an acting union:

    “You need to know that when you bring that person on, they are going to make up what you're paying them and then some. And you have to take that step early.” (Jenna, 14:32)

Signs It’s Time to Hire or Get Support

• Don’t Wait Until You’re ‘Drowning’
  • Reach out for help at the first signs of growth, not desperation.
  • Build your business structure for the level you want to reach:

    “Build the structure of your business for the business that you want and not the business that you have.” (Nata, 17:28)

• The Cost of Not Delegating
  • Nata highlights that time spent on low-level tasks costs more than money—it also leads to missed strategic opportunities and exhaustion.

    “How many times have you missed a networking event because you’re just too exhausted because you spent the whole day working on low-level tasks?” (Nata, 15:22)

Getting Support and Next Steps

• Nata’s coaching programs and her course, “The CEO Delegation Method,” are designed to walk entrepreneurs through creating systems and mindsets for effective delegation.

  “My website is Accidental CEO Co. I have a lot of one on one coaching opportunities and I have a course called the CEO Delegation method that you guys can take advantage of.” (Nata, 18:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There’s a whole mindset that needs to happen, mindset shift in combination with this strategy.” (Nata, 05:03)
• “Adult babysitting is not fun, huh?” (Nata, 07:16)
• “Don’t wait until you get to that point, guys. Don’t wait.” (Nata, 12:06)
• “If you’re waiting for wealth before you start delegating, you have it backwards.” (Nata, 14:32)
• “Build the structure of your business for the business that you want and not the business that you have.” (Nata, 17:28)
• “Please help me, I’m dying.” (Jenna, 12:01)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:14 – The myth of irreplaceability and starting the delegation conversation
• 05:03 – Mindset and identity shifts essential for successful delegation
• 07:16 – The difference between delegating tasks and outcomes
• 09:23 – Why hiring someone ‘just like you’ is a mistake
• 12:52 – Systems and structures to prepare before hiring
• 14:32 – Reframing the financial mindset around delegation
• 17:28 – Building for the business you want, not just the one you have
• 18:41 – Where to get help and next steps

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Summary Tone

The episode is candid, practical, and supportive—mixing Jenna’s self-deprecating humor and real anecdotes with Nata’s actionable, empowering advice. Entrepreneurs are encouraged both to confront their own limiting beliefs and to act early, creating the structures and mindset necessary for sustainable growth.

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For more on delegation, check out Nata Salvatori’s resources at Accidental CEO Co, or her podcast, Accidental CEO.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Shiny New Clients, the marketing podcast that helps you attract shiny new clients to your business. We'll talk about social media, what makes people buy, how to go viral, and marketing psychology all in 20 minutes or less. Whether you're a coach, a stylist, or a wedding planner, if you've got a service based business to sell, this is the show you need to fill your calendar. I'm Jenna Warner, your new marketing coach, and this is Shiny New New clients. When I was a bartender at a bar that will remain nameless, one of the things that the owner of that bar said was, you are all replaceable. And at the time, it felt very cutthroat and I didn't like hearing it. But at the end of the day, he was right. As special as we thought we were, as integral to the organization as we thought we were, at the end of the day, we were all replaceable. Now cut to my life as an entrepreneur. When it came time to hire people for deliverables in my social media management agency, I was convinced I was the only one that could do everything to the standard that I wanted it done. So how come in my life in the service industry, I accepted I was replaceable, but my life as an entrepreneur, I thought, there's no way I could possibly hire someone who could do this to the caliber I want it done. We get so attached to what we do and we make it so precious. And I did learn over the years that, I mean, it is pretty stable standard, I think, in a lot of business books to accept that the quality of the work is going to be a little bit less when you start delegating. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Maybe there's an entirely new way to look at this. And so today we have Nada Salvatore, who is going to tell us all about delegating. And I'm so excited to hear your take on this. So Nada is a Freedom first leadership and Scaling coach and the host of the Accidental CEO podcast. So you might have seen her over there. She's got a doctorate in a decade in psychology driven healthcare systems. I've got a bio here a mile long. We can trust her. That's what matters. We can trust what this woman has to say. How you doing, Nada?

[B]

I am great. Thanks for having me. Jenna. Yes. That is a lie that we tell ourselves very often in entrepreneurship. So you are not the only one to feel like, oh, my gosh, there's no way nobody else can, you know, anybody else can do this as well as I can. And you know, the standards are going to be lower, and the quality is going to be lower, and this is my baby, and I have to do everything. So you are not alone.

[A]

The way that I learned it, and I don't remember what book this was, but I definitely have repeated this information. So tell me I'm wrong, but is that you should expect the work to be 80% as good when you start, like, having somebody help you with your deliverables. But what. What does it come down to? How do we hire people that are better than we are?

[B]

I mean, first of all, is to, I think, start being very honest on what is your real, you know, zone of genius? What are you really good at? Which is usually why we started our whole business. Like, you didn't start your business as a photographer, let's say, to be creating marketing campaigns with Facebook ads, or to be doing accounting and bookkeeping for your business, or in all the other things you have to do to run a business. So your zone of genius is that one thing that you are really good at, which is most likely what started this whole thing, and then everything else are just things you have to do as part of your business. You know, if you work for a corporate environment, it's very easy to see that you don't do it all. You have your job. And then there is a marketing department, there is an accounting department, there is a referrals department, and so on. So why do we think once we step into our own little world of entrepreneurship, that we should do it all? And in the beginning, you know, in the beginning, it's normal. You have to wear all these hats, and there is a season of hustle. And, like, you know, you get it, you get to learn your business, but then there is time to move on to the next level. And that's where a lot of us are like. And understanding that. And I don't know, you quoted some percentages there. I don't know if that's. That might be like, a generalization of maybe the quality of work, but I found many people that I've hired throughout the years that were better than me in a lot of the things that I delegated to them. And that sometimes can be hard to accept, right? Like, what do you mean you can do this better than I can? This is my business. And at the end of the day, you just have to understand what is your zone of genius and where you should be putting your time and energy, and what is that you need to be delegating in order to focus on that.

[A]

So it Sounds like there's a strategy piece to this and then there's also an ego piece to this. You know, like accepting that someone could be good and not sabotaging that because you're intimidated by someone's like, skill set or what do you think?

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. There's a whole mindset that needs to happen mindset shift in combination with this strategy. So I can give you all the delegation strategies all day long, but if you don't work through that identity shift of going from the operator of your business into the CEO of your business, you're going to continue to micromanage and try to get into every decision and try to waste your time where you shouldn't. So that's a lot of times where we see delegation fail is because that person didn't go through the work of that identity shift and they're still trying to be the operator in their business when they should be getting the heck out of that seat and go sit on their CEO seat and really do the things they're supposed to do.

[A]

Laughing because I'm so freaking guilty of that. I think I only have just begun that, like, not begun. I'm mid transition into what you said. Like, not just gripping all of the operations and actually being the CEO and the leader of IT and releasing micromanaging. And now at least I can also spot it when I'm doing it. And there are areas in my business where I couldn't run it if I tried. Like Marissa, who's in charge of, of client success. She's better at IT than me. She's better at customer service than me. A million percent. And like Jenna, her name's Jenna, who's in charge of operations. Like, I don't know how to use Zapier to that level. Like, she's better than me. So that now I'm, now I'm there, but still learning a big thing for me was also becoming fascinated with management because as that solopreneur bringing on your first few people, you're first trying to correct me if this isn't the process you see in other people. But it seems like the first thing you do is try and, you know, get tasks onto their plate. But you're still the mama of it, right? And then you, once you divvy up all of these tasks, now you're like, oh, great, now I have all these people to supervise and manage. And then you're bad at it because that was never what you started. That's, you know, that's akin to running Facebook ads too. Like the Skill of management.

[B]

Yeah. Adult babysitting is not fun, huh? So I think when you really do this the right way, which again, why so many of us try, you know, quote unquote, delegation and fail, and you're like, oh, I've tried this before, it doesn't work for me, is very likely because there wasn't a solid process behind the whole thing and that piece of the identity shift didn't happen. So usually those are the two things that I find that people didn't work on and then it resulted in poor outcomes. So when you are starting this delegation journey, a lot of times what we do is we delegate tasks, just like you said. But the true delegation that creates the freedom that we're talking about, it goes way beyond that is understanding how to delegate outcomes and how to help the people that you hire understand that what they're. How what they're doing connects to the big vision of your company. Right. That's the. A lot of the missing piece. So helping them understand the consequences of finishing this task that you just gave them, what does that mean in the big picture of the business and how important that is? And that allows you to then step out of that micromanaging kind of style and value what they do and help them really shine in what they're really good at, which then connects them to the purpose of the company and the business and have them grow this feeling just like you have, of like, belonging and love for your business. And then all of a sudden you're not micromanaging people and you're not managing people. You are working as a team.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. I'm having flashes of like, things that have happened over the last few years. I'm like, yes, that is exactly what happened. How early in our journey are we able to start looking at it that way? If you're bringing on your first va, are we already using process and, and delegating outcomes or do we start with tasks and grow to there and then when does the switch happen?

[B]

In the perfect world of Not a Salvatore, we would all be so smart and knowledgeable and understand that we start with that from the get go. So that's my mission, is to spread, you know, this understanding as far and wide as I can, which is why I'm talking to you today. And I talk to many people in and present as many conferences as I can because I want people to understand. I don't want you to go through this whole thing and fail to then come back and go through it again. I want you to understand that number one, you need to hire the right person from the get go. And that doesn't mean what we tend to do a lot of times is to hire somebody that is just like us. And that is a huge mistake because you're just hiring another one of you that probably has the same kind of blinds and limitations that you do have.

[A]

I have an episode on that. I did that too.

[B]

Nada.

[A]

I've made every mistake. You name it, I've done it. But I have an episode on that where I hired somebody. We were so similar and I thought we could be such good friends.

[B]

Yeah, that's great. When you're not hiring friends, you're probably hiring somebody to do work, right? So, yeah, it doesn't need to be that way. And then we're also sometimes trying to find a unicorn, which is that person that quote unquote, does everything and is good at everything and does everything, which is also a huge trap because they ended up being just as overwhelmed and lost as you are. Because that's technically what you were doing right now when you're running your business on your own, you're trying to do everything. So why are you hiring somebody that is doing the exact same thing? Like, it's just bad strategy from the get go. So really understanding who to hire, what kind of skills they need to have, how to train them, how to help them understand, you know, how they going to work with the task that you give them, how to make sure that you delegate properly so they understand what they're supposed to do do. So there's, you know, having the system to back up everything and to support everything, and then allowing yourself to step out now, out of all these things and understand, what do you do with this time now? Now all of a sudden you have all this time in your hands and you're like, what am I supposed to be doing? So there's a lot of strategy, mindset, kind of combination that to me needs to happen from the get go. Fortunately, what happens is a lot of times when I work with clients, they have either tried this and failed miserably, or they're at a point where they're like, please help me, I'm dying. And I wish I could put this on everybody's head now before they get to that point. But, you know, here we are.

[A]

Please help me, I'm dying. Please help me, I'm dying.

[B]

I mean, it's true, like how many times we were talking to friends and we're like, I am drowning. Like, I. I just, I don't know If I can go on like this. And. And sometimes we wait until we're at that point to ask for help. And. And that's hard to, like, get out of. Right? There's a lot of backpedaling that needs to happen and a lot of work. And usually you're already overwhelmed and you're tired, you're exhausted, you're just done. And then I'm like, well, now we gotta do all this work to even get you out of this hole and get you to where you need to be. So don't wait until you get to that point, guys. Don't wait.

[A]

True or false, when you bring someone on, it's always a little bit more work at the beginning for reward once they rock and roll.

[B]

Yes and no.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

If you're prepared ahead of time, the work that you're having to do when you're hiring somebody is a lot less than you think it's going to be. And the time you gain on the back end, it's amazing. So what I talk through with clients is understanding how to build that training before you even get there. So I was having a conversation with somebody actually a couple of days ago at a networking event, and her company is at a point where they're. They're growing. They're having to turn down clients because they just don't have the capacity right now. And she's like, we need to grow. You know, I need to. I know I need to hire people. And I was like, yes, sounds like it. You leave your money on the table. We're having this whole conversation. She's like, well, I'll reach out to you when I, When I start hiring. Like, I'm not ready to start hiring yet. I'm like, girl, that would be way too late already. We need to build this whole structure before you even put a job description out there, because you need to know how to build that correctly. So when you are doing interviews, you're not wasting your time and their time. You're actually looking for the right person and you have the structure already built for when you onboard that person, things are smooth and you're not having to do double work. So it starts way before you think. A lot of times people talk about like, oh, I don't have money to delegate yet. I'm like, that's. That's backwards. Like, if you're waiting for wealth before you start delegating, you have it backwards. It's by delegating that you allow yourself the time and. And mental capacity to grow your business and to bring More wealth.

[A]

And I think that is so important. It reminds me of how as an actor, I was an actor before this and I don't know how many people are going to relate to this, but the theater kids will. In order to get union jobs, you have to be in the union. But to get in the union you need three union credits exactly. At the beginning of your career you're just like, wait, so I just need to like weasel my way into auditions that don't want me. I'm not supposed to be at like get favors pulled. Like you have to be bootstrappy because there's no other way to get like it's such a backwards process and it, and, and hiring especially right at the beginning is just like that. Like you need to know that when you bring that person on, they are going to make up what you're paying them and then some. And you have to take that step early.

[B]

Yeah, I mean it's in. I get it. It's hard to see that and it's hard to swallow. And especially when you're like hustling and you want to grow and you're like what do you mean I have to spend money on like bringing somebody now? But when we really look through the math, right. Of like how much you cost to your business by not delegating is very clear to people. Once I sit down and we, and we put the numbers together, they're like, oh yeah, that, yeah, I definitely have to hire somebody. It makes sense once you understand what you cost your business by not delegating. And it's beyond the money is like the fatigue and the, the lack of growth. And how many times have you missed a networking event because you're just too exhausted because you spend whole day working on low level tasks than you shouldn't have and now you don't have the energy to go network with people which will really bring on more revenue and help you grow. That is the task you should be focused on not answering emails and sending out contracts. There is other things that you need to be focusing on that you are missing those opportunities if you're doing the day to day work. But I, but I totally get it. I get it that it's hard to see, but it is so needed. It's so crucial to your growth.

[A]

This makes me think about a new thought that I had not occurred to me is when I had my agency, I was never short on clients. I constantly had a wait list but I couldn't provide. And so if I would have had these skills that you teach Then I probably would have had a million dollar agency years ago. Yeah. Like, but I, I had to kind of hash it out and listen to business books and figure this stuff out and fail a whole bunch. And then, and then we kind of went a different direction with teaching instead of facilitating.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, we leave so much money on the table when we are not building the structure to support that business that, you know, it's bringing in the revenue and the clients because we're just trying to do it all.

[A]

So where should someone be at and how do they know it's time to reach out to someone like you?

[B]

I think when you're starting to have the feeling of like, all right, I'm seeing more people come through the door. I'm seeing the growth starting to creep in. Right. So I don't want you to wait until you're drowning. Like I said, you're like, please help me. I'm dying over here. But I want you to be one of those people that recognize there's some. I see potential, I see things. I'm working on things for next year. Let me build the structure before I get to the point where I'm drowning. So I give people the analogy of, you know, how we hear all the time, dress for the job that you want, not the job that you have. I say build the structure of your business for the business that you want and not the business that you have. So if you know you're going to grow, if you have the desire to grow, take the time to put the structure together in place to accommodate that growth when it comes, you know, that is the time to really put the effort into building the whole process and having, you know, your library of SOPs and everything else that you need before you even have to go hire that first person.

[A]

And if somebody knows that they're in that position you just described, where should they go? Should they go to the. Listen to the Accidental CEO?

[B]

Do you think they can. They can listen to Accidental CEO podcast. My website is Accidental CEO Co. I have a lot of one on one coaching opportunities and I have a course called the CEO Delegation method that you guys can take advantage of is self paced. There are six modules in there that you can go through the process yourself and then we can do some one on one work after that if you need.

[A]

Beautiful. Thank you so much for everything you shared.

[B]

Nada. Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

[A]

Easy breezy, speedy epi.