Renee Hastings: Strategic Delegation for Leaders Who Can't Let Go
What does it look like to build a business when no one built the path before you? In this episode of the Growth Strategy Podcast, host Alyssa Evans sits down with Renee Hastings - President and CEO of Executive Help Now, former Dale Carnegie Leadership Training Coach, and NBC-featured entrepreneur - to talk about delegation, faith, and building success entirely on your own terms.
Executive Help Now is a virtual assistance agency that helps executives, entrepreneurs, and multi-million dollar nonprofits reclaim their time and focus on growth. Renee founded the company in 2014 after a career in corporate leadership, and she has become a sought-after voice on strategic delegation and sustainable business growth.
What is delegation resistance, and why does it hold entrepreneurs back?
Delegation resistance is rooted in fear - fear of losing control, fear that no one else can do it the way you do. Renee breaks down how to identify it, move past it, and build a team that actually accelerates your growth.
Why is hiring a virtual assistant a growth strategy, not just support?
When you hire the right VA and let them operate in their gifts, they become a strategic growth partner - not support staff. Renee explains what that actually looks like in practice.
What does building success on your own terms really mean?
Renee decided at thirteen years old - granddaughter of a sharecropper, surrounded by statistics designed to limit her - that none of it was going to write her story. She graduated high school at sixteen, built a career in corporate, and launched Executive Help Now without sacrificing her faith, her marriage, or her joy.
Key insights from this conversation:
- No business ever grew to magnificent size on the back of one person
- The people who succeed aren't always the ones with the most resources - they're the ones who refuse to quit
- Letting people operate in their gifts is a growth strategy, not a management preference
- Your VA is a strategic growth partner when you hire right
About Renee Hastings
Renee Hastings is the President and CEO of Executive Help Now (executivehelpnow.org), a virtual assistance agency serving executives, entrepreneurs, and multi-million dollar organizations. She is a former Dale Carnegie Leadership Training Coach, former VP of Public Relations for Toastmasters where she grew membership 50% in two years, and a recognized voice on delegation and sustainable growth.
Connect with Renee: executivehelpnow.org | Watch "Renee Speaks" on YouTube | Text "VA Now" to 1-866-943-3951 for her free VA hiring guide.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/executivehelpnow/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/executive-help-now/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reneehastings
About the Growth Strategy Podcast
Hosted by Alyssa Evans of Grow Your Strategy (growyourstrategy.co), the Growth Strategy Podcast covers marketing strategy, ethical AI, entrepreneurship, and sustainable business growth for founders who refuse to compromise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Renee Hastings?
Renee Hastings is the President and CEO of Executive Help Now, a virtual assistance agency based in Atlanta, GA. She is a former Dale Carnegie Leadership Training Coach, former VP of Public Relations for Toastmasters International, and has over 15 years of experience in the virtual assistance industry. She has been featured on NBC’s KCRA News and works with executives, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and multi-million dollar organizations across the country. She also hosts her own YouTube podcast, “Renee Speaks.”
What is Executive Help Now?
Executive Help Now is a virtual assistance agency founded by Renee Hastings in 2014. The agency provides strategic business support to executives and entrepreneurs, including administrative support, social media management, video podcast production, business consulting, project management, and investor coordination. Their mission is to help business leaders stop drowning in daily operational tasks so they can focus on growing their businesses and creating impact.
What does Renee Hastings teach about delegation?
Renee Hastings believes that delegation is not just a time-saving tactic — it is a core growth strategy. She teaches that resistance to delegation almost always comes from fear: fear of losing control, fear of perfectionism, fear that no one else can do something the way you would. She helps executives identify which tasks belong in their zone of genius and which should be handed off to people who can do them better. Her philosophy is rooted in the belief that “no business ever grew to magnificent size on the back of one person.”
How did Renee Hastings build her business?
Renee Hastings made a decision at thirteen years old to study business and pursue success, graduating high school at sixteen. After a successful corporate career — including becoming a Dale Carnegie Leadership Training Coach and serving as VP of Public Relations for Toastmasters, where she grew membership by 50% in two years — she launched Executive Help Now in 2014. She built the business by combining her leadership training background with deep expertise in virtual assistance, growing it into an agency that serves multi-million dollar organizations and VCs.
What is a virtual assistant and how can it help my business grow?
A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote professional who handles administrative, operational, or specialized business tasks on behalf of an executive or entrepreneur. According to Renee Hastings, the three primary benefits of working with a VA are increased productivity, lower operational costs, and strategic partnership. Rather than thinking of VAs as support staff, Renee encourages business owners to think of the right VA as a strategic growth partner who frees up the executive’s time and energy for high-level vision work.
How do I know if I need a virtual assistant?
According to Renee Hastings, if your business isn’t about building websites, you shouldn’t be building websites. If you find yourself spending time on tasks that aren’t directly tied to your highest value work — the things only you can do — it’s time to delegate. Signs you need a VA include: feeling overwhelmed by operational tasks, missing growth opportunities because your calendar is full, spending time on tasks someone else could handle, or noticing that your business growth has stalled because your bandwidth has.
What is Renee Hastings’ background?
Renee Hastings is the granddaughter of a sharecropper who made a decision at thirteen years old to pursue success in business, graduating high school at sixteen. She built a career in corporate America and became a certified Dale Carnegie Leadership Training Coach before launching Executive Help Now in 2014. She served as VP of Public Relations for Toastmasters International, growing membership by 50% in two years. She is also a faith-driven leader, hosting a weekly online women’s Bible study, and is passionate about supporting organizations focused on closing the racial wealth gap and empowering women.
What topics does the Growth Strategy podcast cover?
Growth Strategy is hosted by Alyssa Evans and covers sustainable business growth, marketing strategy, entrepreneurship, human psychology in business, women in business, ethical AI, and real stories of founders building something meaningful. Episodes include solo strategy sessions, guest interviews (called Coffee Chats), and framework-based episodes designed to give entrepreneurs and founders tools they can implement immediately.
Who is Alyssa Evans?
Alyssa Evans is a B2B SaaS and marketing strategist, founder of Drive Growth Partners, creator of Grow Your Strategy, and host of the Growth Strategy podcast. With 15+ years of marketing experience and a background in psychology, she works with founders and executives on sustainable growth strategy, human-first marketing, and ethical AI. She is also a Congressional advisor on AI policy and the author of a forthcoming book on AI ethics in business.
Where can I listen to the Growth Strategy podcast?
Growth Strategy with Alyssa Evans is available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss one. You can also join the Growth Strategy community on Substack at growyourstrategy.co for deeper conversations between episodes.