I just launched a brand-new €499/m service doing DFY email newsletters, and the feedback has been awesome.
You hired an email person to take email off your plate.
Instead, you're spending more time managing them than you would just doing it yourself.
They don't respond to messages.
They miss deadlines.
They wait for you to drive every strategy call.
The Professional Maturity Framework
Most founders hire for technical skills.
Can you write emails?
Do you know Active Campaign?
Can you segment a list?
The person interviews well.
They have experience.
You bring them on.
Technical skills without strategic thinking creates a glorified task executor.
They'll send the emails you tell them to send.
They'll build the automations you describe.
They'll manage the lists you ask them to manage.
But they'll never bring you ideas.
They'll never optimize without being told.
They'll never see the opportunities you're missing.
You hired someone to own email as a channel.
Instead, you're micromanaging another department.
Elite email marketers operate on three levels simultaneously:
They execute (the technical work)
They strategize (seeing opportunities and bringing solutions)
They own outcomes (treating your business like their business)
Most people only operate on level one.
They wait for instructions and complete tasks.
When someone only executes, you become the bottleneck.
Every decision flows through you.
Every strategy requires your input.
Every optimization waits for your direction.
The business can't scale because you can't scale.
But when someone owns outcomes, they're thinking about your revenue targets while building automations.
They're analyzing engagement data and bringing you solutions.
They're a week ahead instead of a day behind.
How This Plays Out
Last month, I talked to a CMO managing eight departments.
His email team required weekly strategy calls where he drove the entire agenda.
They'd show up waiting for instructions.
He'd assign tasks.
They'd execute and wait for the next call.
The team was technically competent.
Emails went out on time.
Deliverability was good.
Open rates hit benchmarks.
But they generated zero strategic value.
Every improvement required his time and attention.
He calculated he spent 3-4 hours weekly managing a team that should have been managing itself.
How to Fix This
Step 1: Interview for ownership, not just skills
Ask candidates what they'd do with a 700k list where only 50k are engaged.
The tacticians will talk about re-engagement emails.
The strategists will map out a revenue plan.
Step 2: Set outcome expectations, not task expectations
Instead of "send 3 emails per week," try "drive 100 booked calls this month through email."
Outcomes force strategic thinking. Tasks invite clock-punching.
Step 3: Build a 90-day probation with escalating ownership
In month one, they execute with oversight.
In month two, they propose, and you approve.
Month three, they own, and you review.
Watch how they handle each transition.
Step 4: Require proactive communication
If you message them about a performance dip, they should have already noticed and be working on a solution.
Reactive responses to your questions signal they're not monitoring outcomes.
Step 5: Pay for outcomes, not just time
Base compensation on execution.
Bonuses for results.
Equity on growth.
Structure reinforces behavior.
When you implement this, email becomes a profit center instead of a cost center that requires your constant attention.
What To Watch For
The "waiting for approval" trap - They ask permission for everything instead of making decisions and informing you. This signals they're afraid of ownership, not embracing it.
The "I didn't know you wanted that" excuse - If you have to specify every detail, they're not thinking about outcomes. They're waiting for task lists.
The vanishing act - Messages go unanswered for 24+ hours. Deadlines get missed without proactive communication. This isn't about time zones or workload. It's about treating your business like it matters.
What's the biggest gap between your email team's execution and the strategic value you actually need?
Reply and let me know (I reply to every subscriber).
Keep dominating,
Tanyo
How I Can Help
Reply to this newsletter if you have any questions - I respond within 24 hours to every reader.