Episode Details

What if scaling your business isn't about doing more, but getting the right people doing the right work?

In this episode of ScaleX Insider, Brendan McGurgan is joined by Anne Lackey, Co-Founder and CEO of HireSmart Virtual Employees, to explore how remote staffing can help business owners create capacity, delegate effectively and build a business that doesn't depend on them for everything.

Anne's entrepreneurial journey began more than 20 years ago after watching a close friend become seriously ill and seeing the financial impact on his family.

It changed how Anne and her husband, Mark, thought about work, money and freedom — and eventually led them to build multiple businesses together.

But creating a business didn't automatically create freedom.

Like many founders, Anne struggled to let go. A cancer diagnosis in 2022 accelerated a transition already underway and reinforced an important lesson: freedom requires trust.

Anne and Brendan explore why founders often remain trapped in low-value work and why being busy doesn't necessarily mean being productive.

Through HireSmart, Anne regularly sees highly paid employees spending time on tasks that could be handled by remote support. She even has a list of 47 things CEOs and senior leaders should never be doing.

But successful delegation isn't simply about hiring someone.

It starts with clarity.

Leaders need to know why a role exists, what problem that person is solving and what great performance actually looks like.

Anne also shares her perspective on AI, why businesses need clear policies around its use and why she believes human support will continue to play an important role as technology evolves.

Ultimately, her approach to scaling is simple: solve a real problem, serve others and stay focused on your prime directive.

00:00 – Introduction: Anne Lackey 01:00 – What Scaling With Purpose Means 04:00 – The Experience That Sparked Anne's Entrepreneurial Journey 09:00 – Entrepreneurship, Freedom and Learning to Let Go 13:00 – How Cancer Accelerated Anne's Leadership Transition 18:00 – Why You Need to Be Ready for Mentorship 23:00 – How COVID Changed the Business 28:00 – Turning Expensive Mistakes Into Lessons 32:00 – Why Anne Wishes She Had Bet on Herself Sooner 36:00 – What HireSmart Virtual Employees Does 41:00 – The Hidden Cost of Low-Value Work 46:00 – 47 Things CEOs Should Never Be Doing 51:00 – Why Founders Struggle to Delegate 55:00 – Define the Role Before Hiring the Person 59:00 – The Leadership Clarity Most Businesses Are Missing 1:03:00 – What Makes Remote Staffing Work 1:06:00 – AI and the Future of Remote Work 1:09:00 – Anne Lackey's Three Timeless Takeaways 1:10:00 – What's Next for Anne Lackey

Anne Lackey is the Co-Founder and CEO of HireSmart Virtual Employees and founder of HireSmart Cares.

With more than 20 years of entrepreneurial experience and seven companies under her belt, Anne helps businesses scale through smarter staffing models, workforce planning and remote team development.

Through HireSmart Virtual Employees, Anne and her husband, Mark, help US businesses build remote support teams in the Philippines across administration, sales, marketing, accounting and customer service.

Anne is also a best-selling author, former Forbes Business Council contributor and frequent speaker on business efficiency, remote teams and scaling through smart staffing.

Website: HireSmart Virtual Employees LinkedIn: Anne Lackey