The Work You Keep Putting Off Is Holding Everything Together

My whole business is built around helping founders and org leaders with the part they tend to dread: delegating admin work. Which is why it's a little funny that a few weeks ago, I had one of those quiet moments where I wondered if any of this was actually working.

Then, almost on cue, three discovery calls landed within three days. These values-aligned potential clients, all growing, all deciding to raise their hand for help. I sat with my coffee a little stunned. What a gift.

June has turned into a month of moments like that. It's my birthday month, it marks six months since Sparked Voice opened its doors, and it's Pride month.

That last one is personal for me. I think of my family, my friends, and everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community I love and stand beside. Not only this month, but all 365 days of the year. That belief is woven into how I built Sparked Voice, which welcomes purpose-driven founders and leaders of every gender identity, background, and lived experience.

Stumbled upon Property Of... B Corp travel store in Amsterdam

I'm also halfway through the Female Ventures mentorship program, which has quietly given me something I didn't know I needed: permission to slow down and notice the good. Last month my mentor, Karla, and I walked around Amsterdam talking about celebrating all wins. Not only the big, announce-it-on-LinkedIn ones. The small and the quiet ones too. So in that spirit, here are a few I'm holding onto.

Karla herself. Having someone in my corner who offers honest, judgment-free feedback has changed how I move through this solopreneur journey. I bring her my half-formed ideas and walk away with clarity. If you're building something on your own, I hope you find your Karla.

Clients who are a true fit. Those three discovery calls were not luck. They were time-starved founders who care about the same things I do, choosing to invest in support so they can focus on their mission and the things that energize them. I don't take that lightly.

A cause close to my heart. I've been volunteering locally here in the Netherlands, helping Nuthan Manohar, founder of The Happiness Tour, push her initiatives forward. Through some intentional outreach, she's now in talks to partner with a city in the Randstad to champion sustainable innovation and collaborative solutions, the kind that help people live physically, mentally, and socially healthy lives. Getting to play a small part in that is its own reward.

Now here's the lesson sitting underneath all of it, and I think it's worth naming.

In every one of these conversations, founders and org leaders told me the same two things about admin and behind-the-scenes work:

1. They don't have the time for it.

2. It doesn't energize them.

So it slides down the list. The irony is that this is often the exact work keeping their business alive. The outreach and follow-ups. The inbox. The scheduling. The systems that let everything else run. Important, yet quietly deprioritized week after week.

This is where Karla's lesson came back to me. We're taught to celebrate the visible wins, and the behind-the-scenes work deserves that same care. It's the work holding everything together.

That's the work I love taking off people's plates. It matters far too much to be left for whatever energy is left over at the end of the day.

If you're a growing founder and the behind-the-scenes work keeps slipping, I'd love to hear what's on your plate right now. Sometimes that first honest conversation is a win worth celebrating too. Let's connect. I'm here to support you!

Rica