From Babysitting VAs to Building DualSkills

I didn’t start this to build a brand.
I started this because of what I experienced.

I ran a local business.
We were growing fast, and I did what most do—I hired help.

But what I got in return was inconsistent show-ups, average work, call-offs during peak season, and a growing HR headache that ate up my focus: taxes, sick time, PTO, all of it.

So we tried a VA.

On paper? Easier. No employee taxes. No HR.

In practice? Worse.
We had to hand-hold everything. Constant questions. Constant reminders. Months in—and they still didn’t get it.
It was like paying someone to shadow you, not support you.

We offered feedback. Bonuses. Encouragement.
Nothing changed. It got so bad, customers noticed. Some even complained. One day, the VA literally woke up on the phone. That was it.

I let her go. But I didn’t let go of the idea that there had to be someone better.

Then came the turning point.

My wife introduced me to a former classmate—top of her class, sharp, disciplined. She didn’t just do the work—she understood it. And when I told her what we went through, she wasn’t surprised.

She said:

“Most VA agencies don’t screen for skill. They screen for availability.”
“You’re not hiring a partner—you’re hiring a placeholder.”

She introduced me to one of her friends—a professor and business advisor with experience in admin support, marketing, and insurance. This woman didn’t need to be told twice. She didn’t need a checklist. She just got it.

That’s when I realized what I actually needed.
Not a VA. A specialist.
Not a doer. A dual-skilled thinker.

And just like that—the idea of DualSkills was born.