It’s that time of year again, and normally I’d give you a whole list of gifts guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face.
But this year I have only one recommendation.
Time.
And the way you gift yourself time is simple, hire an assistant.
After selling W+R Studios and starting Giant Steps Advisors, I knew I still wanted to contribute to the industry by doing “meaningful work.” I’m still sorting out exactly what “meaningful” means, but I knew I had a lot I wanted to build and explore. What I didn’t have was the bandwidth to do it all alone.
I first heard about Athena on a podcast. They pitch themselves as a service where you can hire elite assistants.
Some of you already have executive assistants and know how truly impactful they are for your time and productivity. I’d never had one, and honestly, the idea of hiring one felt a little pretentious. That was something I had to get over…and I’m glad I did.
The magic with Athena is you can get an incredible executive assistant for $3,000 a month.
If you want a deeper look, check out a recent episode of the a16z Podcast where they interview Jonathan Swanson, Athena’s founder. The host, a16z General Partner Erik Torenberg, uses an Athena assistant himself. My thinking was pretty simple: if it’s good enough for a GP at one of the best VC firms on the planet, it’s probably good enough for me.
My assistant’s name is Tabby, and she’s had a huge impact on my life this past year. Now, like any new hire, you need to ramp them up. Tabby didn’t instantly know my business, my industry, or my preferences. And if you’ve never had an assistant, you’re also going to have to learn how to delegate effectively. I’m still learning, and Athena has tools to help both of us get better.
Here’s a link if you want to give them a try. I think you get a pretty good discount.
Happy Holidays everyone!
