Delegate to Accelerate with Virtual Assistants

Paul Guyon:
Delegation isn’t just a productivity hack. It’s a growth lever. In this episode, Alexis Schomer — is that correct? I should have asked you that. In this episode, Alexis Schomer reveals how virtual assistants can help founders stay in their zone of genius, eliminate overwhelm, and scale smartly.

Learn how to delegate first, how to avoid VA hiring mistakes, and why trying to do it all is slowing your business down. And we just got done talking about that.

Welcome to The Lead Machine Growth Show, where you will discover how to tackle your tech, master your message, and design your dream. Paul Guyon, the mastermind behind The Lead Machine, introduces you to trailblazers who inspire you to implement life-changing solutions and systems you can model to nurture your leads and get your offers seen by your ideal clients who will invest in themselves and you.

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Welcome to The Lead Machine Growth Show. I’m Paul Guyon, your host, Lead Machine Coach, and the founder of The Lead Machine Marketing Group and Mastermind. And I’m dedicated to helping you tackle your tech, master your message, and design your dream life. And whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your business and life to the next level, let’s get this conversation started and turn your dreams into reality.

Alexis Schomer is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder of Your Startup Operations, or YSO. It’s a remote agency helping founders scale by providing high-performing virtual assistants and operational support. With a background in tech, digital marketing, and process automation, Alexis has built and grown multiple businesses, including two health tech startups and a digital agency. She now helps business owners streamline operations, delegate effectively, and design businesses that support their lifestyle.

Alexis, thank you for coming to the show today. Welcome.

Alexis Schomer:
Thanks for that great introduction, Paul, and thanks for having me on the show. I’m excited to get into this topic of delegation and helping businesses scale.

Paul Guyon:
So let’s start with the big picture. What made you zero in on virtual assistants in the first place as a lever for growth?

Alexis Schomer:
I think the biggest thing for me was overcoming that barrier myself of delegation. For many years, I would say the first ten years of my entrepreneurial career, I did not want to delegate. I was scared to hand things off. I wanted to keep control of everything, and I felt like I could do it faster myself, and that is true.

So a framework that I like to give to other business owners if they’re scared to delegate is this idea that if somebody can do something 80 percent as well as you, it’s time to let it go. Once I was able to overcome that barrier, thanks a lot to my partner Jenna who taught me about getting over that delegation scare, I realized that the business could grow essentially exponentially because that freed up my time to work on the business instead of in it.

We found this niche of virtual assistants, mostly for service-based businesses, but really it can apply to any type of administrative work. Now I love helping other business owners overcome that same challenge so they can delegate, free up their time, and focus on growing and scaling.

Paul Guyon:
Why now, and how exactly does delegation become a lever for growth?

Alexis Schomer:
If you’re the one doing everything in your business, you’re limited by your own time. You only have 24 hours in a day. You still need to eat, sleep, and spend time with your family. If you have someone working 40 hours a week taking tasks off your plate, that gives you the ability to focus on scaling and growing the business.

If you’re spending even ten minutes a day doing work that should be ten-dollar-an-hour work, that’s time taken away from higher-level strategy, sales, or leadership. The lever is really getting the business owner out of the day-to-day admin and having someone follow a process and create repeatable systems that allow the business to grow.

Paul Guyon:
So what should business owners actually delegate first?

Alexis Schomer:
There are two ways to approach that. One is delegating the easiest tasks first, things like email management, calendar management, or data entry. The other approach is looking at what’s most impactful for the business, often revenue-related tasks like invoicing, follow-ups, or responding to leads.

For people who are more fear-based about delegation, I usually recommend starting with low-risk tasks. For example, the business owner should not be the first person touching a general inbox. That alone can save hours every week.

Paul Guyon:
That makes a lot of sense. Email alone can be such a time suck.

Alexis Schomer:
Absolutely. A really simple tip is creating inbox rules so newsletters and non-urgent emails go into folders automatically. That way your main inbox stays focused on what actually needs your attention day to day.

Paul Guyon:
That inbox tip alone is huge. What about communication beyond email? A lot of business owners are dealing with email, DMs, text messages, and different platforms all at once.

Alexis Schomer:
Yeah, that’s something we see all the time. My biggest recommendation is to limit communication channels as much as possible. Business owners often feel like they need to be available everywhere, but that creates constant interruption.

Another important boundary is not using your personal phone for business. Tools like Google Voice or similar platforms allow you to separate work and personal life. That way, you’re not getting business messages at all hours of the day and night.

In many cases, it’s actually more cost-effective to have a virtual assistant manage communications than to invest in expensive tools that consolidate everything into one inbox, especially if message volume isn’t extremely high.

Paul Guyon:
That’s a really interesting point. So how does escalation work? How do you make sure important messages don’t get missed?

Alexis Schomer:
That’s where clear processes come in. A VA should be responsible for managing day-to-day communication, but there should be very clear escalation rules. For example, if something is urgent, time-sensitive, or related to revenue, the VA flags it immediately for the business owner.

Everything else can be handled or queued. Weekly check-ins are usually enough unless the volume is very high. The key is clarity. When everyone knows what requires escalation and what doesn’t, communication becomes much easier to manage.

Paul Guyon:
What are some of the biggest mistakes you see people make when hiring a VA?

Alexis Schomer:
One of the biggest mistakes is expecting perfection too quickly. There’s always a learning curve. No one comes in knowing your business exactly the way you do.

Another big mistake is not having a clear onboarding plan. VAs need structure just like any other team member. We always talk about a ninety-day onboarding period where expectations are clearly set.

The third mistake is being afraid to repeat yourself. Business owners assume they’ve explained something once and it should stick, but repetition and documentation are critical. That’s where SOPs come in.

Paul Guyon:
Let’s talk more about SOPs. How detailed do they need to be?

Alexis Schomer:
They don’t have to be perfect. Most business owners already have processes in their head, they’re just not documented. The easiest way to start is to record your screen the next time you do a repeatable task.

You don’t need to create extra work. Just capture what you’re already doing. That recording can be turned into a step-by-step SOP later. Over time, those SOPs evolve and become more refined, but the important thing is getting started.

Paul Guyon:
That makes SOP creation feel much more approachable.

Alexis Schomer:
Exactly. People think SOPs have to be these long, polished documents, but that’s not the case. Even a short video with notes is better than nothing. SOPs allow you to scale because they make your processes repeatable and transferable.

Paul Guyon:
How do SOPs tie into delegation and growth long term?

Alexis Schomer:
SOPs are what allow delegation to actually work. Without them, every task requires constant back-and-forth and correction. With SOPs, you can train once and scale many times.

They also protect the business. If someone leaves, the knowledge doesn’t leave with them. Another VA or team member can step in and follow the documented process.

Paul Guyon:
That’s huge, especially for growing teams.

Alexis Schomer:
Absolutely. We’ve evolved our SOPs over time. We started with long documents and screenshots, and now we build SOPs directly into task management systems like ClickUp. That way, processes live where the work actually happens.

Paul Guyon:
You mentioned onboarding earlier. What should business owners realistically expect in the first few months of working with a VA?

Alexis Schomer:
The first two weeks are very hands-on. That’s when we’re extracting processes, creating SOPs, and training the VA. It does take time upfront.

By the end of the first month, the VA is actively working and processes are being refined. By month two, the VA is mostly autonomous. And by month three, business owners often find they’ve gained ten to twenty hours a week back.

Paul Guyon:
Getting ten to twenty hours back a week is life-changing for a lot of founders. I want to talk about AI for a minute, because it’s such a big topic right now. How are you using AI with virtual assistants?

Alexis Schomer:
We look at AI as a tool, not a replacement. We train our entire team to use AI tools like ChatGPT to support their work, but everything is always reviewed by a human. AI can help with efficiency, research, spelling, and even brainstorming, but it’s not something we rely on without oversight.

We encourage our VAs to use AI as a second set of eyes, not as the final decision-maker. It’s there to enhance productivity, not replace people.

Paul Guyon:
That’s a really healthy approach. Have you seen real results from delegation with your clients?

Alexis Schomer:
Absolutely. One of the biggest results we see is improved response time. In many industries, if you don’t respond to a lead the same day, you lose that lead.

We had a client who was overwhelmed and missing inquiries. Once we put admin support in place to handle responses and follow-ups, their business grew nine times in one year. Delegation didn’t just save time, it directly impacted revenue.

Paul Guyon:
That’s incredible. It really shows how operational support ties directly into growth.

Alexis Schomer:
Exactly. Delegation allows founders to stay focused on what they do best. It also creates consistency for the business, which builds trust with customers.

Paul Guyon:
Culture and values are something you talk about often. How does that play into hiring and managing VAs?

Alexis Schomer:
Culture is huge for us. We live our core values daily through onboarding, training, and performance reviews. Skills can be taught, but values are harder to change.

If there’s misalignment, we address it quickly. That protects the client, the team, and the business as a whole. We want our VAs to feel like true extensions of the businesses they support.

Paul Guyon:
What advice would you give to someone listening who wants to start delegating but feels overwhelmed?

Alexis Schomer:
I would say start small. Don’t try to delegate everything at once. Document what you’re already doing, set clear expectations, and communicate often.

Delegation is a skill. It gets easier with practice. And once you experience the freedom it creates, it’s hard to go back.

Paul Guyon:
That’s great advice. If people want to connect with you or learn more, where should they go?

Alexis Schomer:
They can visit yourstartupoperations.com or find me on LinkedIn or Instagram and send me a message.

Paul Guyon:
As we wrap up, remember faith and action go hand in hand, so keep the pedal to the metal. Until next time on The Lead Machine Growth Show, I’m Paul Guyon. Alexis Schomer, thank you so much for coming today. I’ve really enjoyed our discussion.

Alexis Schomer:
Thanks, Paul. This was a great episode. Thanks for having me.

Thank you for tuning in to The Lead Machine Growth Show with Paul Guyon, where we show you how to tackle your tech, master your message, and design your dream so that you can transform your vision into reality. Remember to visit www.leadmachinegrowthshow.com
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