Episode 22
Stop Doing Everything Yourself!
Biljana Dimitrievska
Founder, SkillSpotterZ
The conversation
Milan Savov talks with Biljana Dimitrievska, founder of SkillSpotterZ and a former senior executive assistant, about why founders struggle to delegate. Biljana says delegation is really a control and trust problem, and that founders must get clear on what to hand off before they hire anyone. A great assistant is a strategic extension of the founder, built through daily check-ins and shared context.
She makes the case for hiring global talent from Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia for reasons beyond cost, such as time zone coverage and cultural fit. She also argues that hiring cannot be handed over to AI. Her practical advice: before hiring, write down what you enjoy, what drains you and what frustrates you, and use that as your hiring strategy.
What came up
Introduction to Biljana Dimitrievska and SkillSpotterZ
What SkillSpotterZ does and why it was built
Why founders struggle to delegate
The origin story: from executive assistant to founder
The hardest unexpected challenge: building trust
Inside the founder's world: what Biljana saw as an EA
When is the right time to hire a VA or EA
How to give access and build trust with someone remote
The biggest mistakes founders make when hiring their first VA
What separates a good assistant from a great one
What breaks founder and assistant relationships
Why recruitment must stay human-centred despite AI
How AI is making it harder to identify real talent
Quality applications vs volume: advice for job seekers
Which global regions are producing the strongest remote talent
Why US and UK companies are hiring internationally
What separates founders who scale from those who stay stuck
What personal growth really means
The one thing founders must understand before hiring a VA
About the guest
Biljana Dimitrievska
Founder of SkillSpotterZ, which connects US and UK companies with skilled remote professionals. Before that, she was a senior executive assistant to a CEO.
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