You Can’t Scale Alone: The Operational Power of Strategic Executive Support

“Having an EA gave me back control of my bandwidth — and helped me operate like a true CEO, not just a high-performing marketer.”— Catherine Gutierrez, Founder & CEO, The CMO Agency

When Catherine Gutierrez launched The CMO Agency, she didn’t expect her calendar to become her biggest competitor. As a veteran marketing executive and fractional CMO for high-growth B2B companies, Catherine had mastered the art of delivering results — but managing her time was another story.

She had clients to advise, a business to scale, and a vision to execute. Yet her days were being swallowed by logistics, follow-ups, Slack threads, and admin details that, while important, didn’t need to be hers to handle.

That’s when everything shifted.

What started as hiring an Executive Assistant became something much bigger: a high-functioning, multi-layered support system that unlocked the clarity, speed, and strategic energy Catherine needed to lead like a CEO.

This is the story of how one founder and two EAs came together around a sense of purpose  — and why more executives should be getting support to hit their lofty goals.

*This story is part of a series that features women who work together to accomplish big things. It’s presented with support from our partner Base – a company that matches high-performing executives with exceptional U.S.-based Executive Assistants (the kind who don’t just manage calendars, but become trusted strategic partners).

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Your time is your greatest asset

Like many executives, Catherine hit a point where the scale of her role outgrew her individual capacity. Despite spending her days on strategic work, she was still being pulled into admin, coordination, and follow-up — draining hours that should’ve been focused on higher-level decisions.

“I wanted to stay focused on what only I could do: building strategy, closing deals, and mentoring teams.” - Catherine

To unlock that next level, she first brought on Jessica Foots, a sharp, systems-minded EA with a talent for translating chaos into clarity. Not long after, she added Adriana Chavaz — another EA with deep operational instincts and a strong bias for action.

Together, they formed a powerful support structure that gave Catherine something no tool or template could offer: bandwidth.

Now, Catherine doesn’t waste time on scattered workflows or dropped threads. Instead, she focuses on what moves the business forward — while her EAs anticipate, streamline, and deliver everything behind the scenes.

Support That Thinks Strategically — Not Just Tactically

One of the biggest misconceptions about Executive Assistants is that they’re just there to take things off your plate. But as Catherine quickly learned, a great EA doesn’t just “do the work” — they elevate it.

Adriana manages client communications, builds Asana boards, preps agendas, and aligns cross-functional workstreams. Jessica, meanwhile, focuses on optimizing operations, identifying bottlenecks, and ensuring systems are built for scale.

What sets both of them apart is how they think — proactively, strategically, and always with the end goal in mind.

“Modern EAs aren’t just generalists — we’re jacks of all trades with specializations in each one,” Jessica says. “We’re the ‘get it done, nothing is impossible after my second cup of coffee’ multipliers you need on your side.”

It’s not just about lightening the executive’s load. It’s about creating excitement, reducing friction, and acting as an extension of leadership.

The Emotional Intelligence Behind the Role

What makes an EA truly invaluable isn’t just their technical skill — it’s their emotional intelligence.

Adriana, for instance, thrives in the eye of the storm. “Chaos lights me up,” she laughs. “When something’s messy, my brain clicks into gear. I want to fix it, organize it, make it work better.”

But it’s not just about organization — it’s about understanding people. Great assistants manage far more than calendars and email. They manage relationships, context, communication styles, and even emotional tone.

Jessica puts it this way: “You don’t have to share your life story, but you do need to communicate your pet peeves, your goals, your mission, your why, what drives you daily, and what drains your energy. Your EA is there to help you reach your goals — the way you want.”

This kind of attunement builds trust — and it’s the trust that unlocks transformation.

More Than One: Building a Team-Based Support Structure

For some leaders, a single EA can make a world of difference. But for Catherine, the complexity of her business required more.

With multiple client engagements, hundreds of tasks in motion, and a business to scale, she knew one assistant couldn’t cover it all — at least, not well. So she invested in a team.

Adriana leads on project management. Jessica leads on operations. They meet regularly, align on systems and tools, and build shared SOPs that evolve with the company’s growth. They aren’t backups for one another — they’re co-leaders in creating structure and continuity.

“Having both me and Jessica means Catherine has full coverage — from operations to project delivery,” Adriana explains.

That team-based model means Catherine has not just coverage, but confidence — the kind that allows her to step fully into her CEO role.

From Vision to Velocity: What Happens When Leaders Let Go

At the heart of it all is a mindset shift. Catherine doesn’t see her EAs as helpers — she sees them as partners. That’s what makes the relationship work so well.

Jessica highlights that it’s not just about assigning tasks, but about alignment: “When you're in sync on vision, priorities, and how you work together, everything else flows from there.”

This foundation of trust allows Catherine to hand off not just execution, but ownership. When she has a new idea, she drops it in a call or message. Adriana and Jessica know how to run with it — whether that means building an agenda, creating a client pitch deck, or reworking a system for better clarity.

And while it may seem counterintuitive, doing less has helped Catherine accomplish far more.

“I can now dedicate the majority of my time to strategic thinking, business development, and creative work,” she says. “Having an EA gave me back control of my bandwidth — and helped me operate like a true CEO.”

The Multiplier Effect of Great Support

Every executive hits a ceiling eventually — the question is whether they choose to stay there. Catherine didn’t.

By building a strategic, collaborative support system — one that includes not just one assistant but two, working in tandem — she’s created the space to lead with clarity, vision, and intentionality. And that decision has ripple effects. It’s not just about time saved or meetings run more efficiently. It’s about reclaiming the mental and emotional energy to focus on what really matters.

“There’s nothing like seeing an overwhelmed leader finally break free and get back to the work only they can do,” says Jessica. “That’s the magic — and that’s where real transformation begins.”

So if you’re a CEO, founder, or executive trying to do it all — it might be time to ask: What if you didn’t have to?

Because the right support isn’t just helpful. It’s transformative.

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Do you have the right support team in place to ensure you hit your goals?

Wednesday Women is proud to work with our partner Base — the company pairing high-performing executives with high-caliber, U.S.-based Executive Assistants who go beyond task management to become true strategic partners.

Even the Founders of Wednesday Women work with our own EA from Base — so we know firsthand how transformational the right support can be!

If you’re ready to focus on what only you can do, it’s time to find out how BASE can handle the rest. Learn more at basehq.com →