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. They struggle with working on the wrong things.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: - Why short-term thinking is quietly shaping long-term burnout - How routines can trap you into doing work you’ve outgrown - The hidden cost of doing “just 10 hours” of low-value work every week - Why being your own assistant is the most expensive role you can take on - Hiring the right VA isn’t just about now; it’s about your future - The mindset shift that moves you from operator → owner

HIRING RESOURCES: - Cameron Scott – A Practical Path to Financial Freedom by 2030 - The PVA Self-Assessment Podclass: https://thepvaselfassessment.com/ - The PVA Interactive Hiring Workbook: https://thepva.com/complimentary-hiring-workbook/

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

Website: https://thepva.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/ X: https://x.com/thepva YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepva

Show Notes: Most business owners think they need better interview questions. They don’t. They need better preparation.

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. It’s about finding someone who fits your workflow, your expectations, and your business.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

- Why most “top VA questions” online are misleading (and what to ask instead) - How to identify the tasks that are draining your energy - The truth about part-time vs. full-time VAs - Why hiring for your biggest project first is a mistake - The difference between hiring a VA vs. hiring the right VA - How to determine if your needs require one VA or multiple - The 3 interview questions every business owner should ask

HIRING RESOURCES: - The PVA Self-Assessment: https://thepvaselfassessment.com/ - The PVA Interactive Hiring Workbook: https://thepva.com/complimentary-hiring-workbook/ - Book a consultation with Melissa Smith, The PVA: https://go.oncehub.com/thepva

Website: https://thepva.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/ X: https://x.com/thepva YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepva

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:

• Why “no rhythm” in your business creates repeated decisions, interruptions, and work that multiplies
• How a weekly focus hour (sacred time) can save 10 hours of doing
• The 3-part sacred time framework: Close out the week (10 min): unfinished “must-do” items + open loops that steal mental space
• Plan like a CEO (40 min): your top 3 outcomes, what defines a “win,” and what the business needs most from you
• Batch decisions (10 min): yes/no/postpone/delegate/doesn’t matter—decide once, not all week
• Why open loops create anxiety and scattered effort
• The “Never Again” list: the tasks you should stop doing because they masquerade as “small things”
• How the right VA multiplies your sacred time by turning decisions into follow-through and vision into momentum

HIRING RESOURCES: The PVA Self-Assessment: https://thepvaselfassessment.com/ The PVA Interactive Hiring Workbook: https://thepva.com/complimentary-hiring-workbook/ 1:1 Consultation with Melissa Smith The PVA

Website: https://thepva.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/ X: https://x.com/thepva YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepva

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:

• You likely have closer to 200 real working days a year
• Time scarcity isn’t the problem—misalignment is
• A VA doesn’t save time, but expands capacity
• Urgency comes from deadlines you choose, not pressure you inherit

Resources: Eliminating Time Debt: Spending Your Time To Invest In Your Future: https://youtu.be/UKYt190pLas

HIRING RESOURCES: The PVA Self-Assessment: https://thepvaselfassessment.com/ The PVA Interactive Hiring Workbook: https://thepva.com/complimentary-hiring-workbook/ 1:1 Consultation with Melissa Smith The PVA

Website: https://thepva.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasmiththepva/ X: https://x.com/thepva YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepva

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: The PVA Self-Assessment: https://thepvaselfassessment.com/ 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

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: The PVA Self-Assessment / https://thepvaselfassessment.com/ 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

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: The One Thing by Gary Keller Books by Dan Pink – including Drive, When, and To Sell Is Human

HIRING RESOURCES: The PVA Self-Assessment / https://thepvaselfassessment.com/ 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

Amateurs Save. Pros Invest. In this episode of Hire Your VA, Melissa Smith, The PVA, unpacks the mindset shift that separates amateurs from pros in business. Whether you’ve been in business for 2 years or 20, your approach to time, energy, and hiring a VA reveals which side you’re on.

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:

• The difference between saving and investing in both business and life.
• Hiring a VA is as essential as your laptop, internet, or software subscription.
• How pros use VAs not just to save time, but to create new revenue streams.
• The hidden cost of burnout and energy drain when you try to do everything yourself.
• Why Melissa “drinks her own juice” by investing in her own VA team and podcast production.

HIRING RESOURCES: The PVA Self-Assessment / https://thepvaselfassessment.com/ 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