---
title: Shotgun Partners | EA and Running Mates
description: Shotgun Partners places senior American right-hand people with founder-CEOs — an executive assistant, a chief of staff, or a true second-in-command. Vetted harder than anyone else does it. Every price published.
image: https://www.shotgunpartners.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/images/og-home.png
---

![A founder at the wheel at dusk, the seat beside him empty.](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/images/sole-founder.jpeg?portalId=247079914&buffer=true&updated=1787665249196)

[![Shotgun Partners](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/logo%20shotgun.png)](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/?hsLang=en)

[The Seats ▼](https://www.shotgunpartners.com#roles)

[The Right HandYour senior executive assistantThe $10-an-hour work, off your desk for good.](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/right-hand?hsLang=en) [The Chief of StaffYour senior operatorThe systems out of your head and into a machine.](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/chief-of-staff?hsLang=en) [The Running MateYour true second-in-commandThe company runs below you. You go build what is next.](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/running-mate?hsLang=en) 

[How We Work](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/how-we-work?hsLang=en)[Talent](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/talent?hsLang=en)[About](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/about?hsLang=en)

[Book A Consultation](https://www.shotgunpartners.com#apply)

# Nobody builds an empire *alone.*

We staff the seats around the CEO: **executive assistants, chiefs of staff, and running mates.** American, senior, and vetted harder than anyone else does it.

[Book A Consultation](https://www.shotgunpartners.com#apply)[See the three roles ↓](https://www.shotgunpartners.com#roles)

Built for founders doing about $10M and up who are finally ready to hand things off.

![Shotgun Partners](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/logo%20shotgun.png)

×

[The Seats](https://www.shotgunpartners.com#roles) [How We Work](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/how-we-work?hsLang=en) [Talent](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/talent?hsLang=en) [About](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/about?hsLang=en) [Book A Consultation](https://www.shotgunpartners.com#apply)

Start here

## You built this yourself. No handbook, no safety net, **no one to hand things to.**

That took something most people will never have. It also cost you something nobody warned you about — and it is the one problem every large company solved a hundred years ago.

![A founder’s yard at first light.](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/images/male-founder-working-isolation.jpeg?portalId=247079914&buffer=true&updated=1787665861658)

![The work he built with his own hands.](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/images/founder%20at%20night2.png)

![A founder working late, every decision still routing through him.](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/images/company-road.jpg?portalId=247079914&buffer=true&updated=1787667604186)

Now nothing moves without you.

Every approval, every quote, every small fire — it all waits on you. Which means the bigger you grow, the more you are the thing slowing it down. You spend the day doing $10 work in between $10,000 decisions. And you can have a whole crew under you and still have nobody to hand your own plate to.

What the big companies figured out a century ago

## The most important seat in your company is the one right next to you — **and it’s empty.**

When we say **“seat,”** we mean exactly that: the chair beside yours, and the person in it. No Fortune 500 chief executive answers his own calendar, chases his own vendors, or carries the whole operation in his head. They fill the seat next to them as a matter of course — nobody ever sold that to the man who built the company himself.

**There are three kinds of seat.** Each one takes different work off your plate, and the right one depends on what is actually breaking.

![An empty chair beside a founder’s desk.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1202259547/photo/tired-mature-man-working-late-at-night-in-office.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=AywUCiPq8FuTYitoeTkuEY4ArvLNdqrVRLus3qxJmjw=)

The three roles

## Three seats around the founder.

One thing worth knowing up front, because it explains the money: **the executive assistant is our employee**, trained and backed by our desk and placed with you on a monthly rate. **The chief of staff and the second-in-command become your own employees** — we find them, vet them, and stay through the handoff, for a one-time fee.

![An executive assistant’s desk at dawn.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/717169301/photo/businessman-drawing-on-glass-pane.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=xVAmfDH2kfZiHwWCsMFwNqfhOHLc7yKJDkIjmQJdi-0=)

The Right Hand

An experienced executive assistant who runs your day.

For the founder drowning in busywork.

She owns the calendar, the inbox, the travel, the follow-ups and the family logistics — and decides what reaches you and what never should have.

She works for us, dedicated to you

Starts around $6,250/month · monthly, no payroll on your side

[See how it works →](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/right-hand?hsLang=en)

![An operating floor mid-cadence.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1198235923/photo/businesswoman-working-late-in-the-office.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=1Rj4g-adgTaix7rZmTULVkXNhPmc8V7nQZczM6nBFXo=)

The Chief of Staff

A senior operator who runs your projects and your team’s rhythm.

For the founder whose plates are all spinning — and dropping.

He owns the projects, the operating cadence and cross-team accountability: who owes what, by when, without you chasing it.

Becomes your employee, day one

One-time fee, based on their salary · full numbers on the role page

[See how it works →](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/chief-of-staff?hsLang=en)

![Two chairs in one office at dusk.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1717027906/photo/business-partners-working-late-in-modern-loft-office.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=zLy6wwlqAIks-EWTuBL1LXlg6SJRUxMv7mH7heORlds=)

The Running Mate

A true second-in-command — your president, COO, or number two.

For the founder who has hit his own ceiling.

She owns the leadership team and everything you hand over — and we stay for months afterward making sure the partnership actually holds.

Becomes your employee, day one

One-time fee, based on their salary · full numbers on the role page

[See how it works →](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/running-mate?hsLang=en)

What it actually buys you

## Then you get your Saturdays back — and your next move.

The first month feels like relief: the calendar runs without you, the follow-ups happen, the plates stop dropping. The month after that is the one that matters. You get back the twenty hours a week you were spending on $10 work, and you point them at the one move only you can make.

That is how a founder goes from $10M to $50M, $100M to $1B. Not by working more. By finally having room to work on the right things.

![A founder with room to think.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1566500130/photo/public-baseball-field-school-sports-field-with-chainlink-fence-in-rural-small-town-america.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=4zhCuowJRS6cue5vFbIAK9ox0ckWIaMHka9fKBYPyVw=)

## Five reasons this is not a VA shop.

01

American and senior

Your time zone, your customers’ language, real careers behind them.

02

A desk behind every assistant

A manager and a bench watching in real time, so nothing waits on one person.

03

Straight about the level

We’ll tell you which role you actually need, even when it’s the cheaper one.

04

Real employees

W-2 with benefits. No payroll or compliance risk lands on you.

05

We install, not just place

We’re paid on whether the partnership works, not on whether an offer got signed.

![A candidate being tested in a live simulation.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2229986919/photo/close-up-of-a-person-reviewing-and-discussing-document-in-office-environment.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=RLtcvnaXJe87NRQ_BoHBREjcJMObCzR09r_HaRuBjC0=)

How it actually happens

## How a placement works.

STAGE 01

The first conversation

Fifteen minutes of straight questions with a partner. Both sides find out whether this is a fit.

STAGE 02

Defining the role

A working session where we decide exactly what this person owns — before anyone is approached.

STAGE 03

The gauntlet

Six stages, including a live simulation of a real founder’s Tuesday. We turn away excellent people here.

STAGE 04

The chemistry match

Matched to how you’re wired — your pace, your directness, how much interruption you tolerate.

STAGE 05

Handing it over

The part everyone skips. We sit with both of you and work out what they take, what stays yours, and in what order — so the first ninety days are decided, not improvised.

STAGE 06

We stay on it

Scheduled check-ins through the first year, while problems are still cheap to fix.

The part nobody says

## What you’re actually worried about isn’t the money.

[Every question, answered straight →](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/faq?hsLang=en)

[“They’ll have the keys to everything.”→](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/faq?hsLang=en) [“My business is too messy for someone like that.”→](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/faq?hsLang=en) [“They won’t understand my world.”→](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/faq?hsLang=en) [“I’ll end up managing the person I hired to unmanage me.”→](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/faq?hsLang=en) [“What if I pick wrong?”→](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/faq?hsLang=en)

![Two people in an honest working conversation.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2150897703/photo/businesspeople-listening-to-a-presentation-in-their-office.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=p3e0nIkIpNYdmLVddnWRsN0pN2i5N3jArdwPEBkPIOE=)

The part nobody else will tell you

## Half of this is your leadership.

We’ve placed and coached these right-hand people for years, and here’s the truth the staffing agencies won’t say out loud: a great one can only do miracles for a founder who deserves one. When it doesn’t work out, it’s rarely all the assistant — and the firms that just send you a replacement are selling you the same failure twice.

Part of what you’re paying us for is the honesty to tell you when the problem is on your side of the desk — because fixing that is what actually changes your life.

The quality of your life comes down to your level of leadership. We’ll help you with both halves.

Built for the ones who built it

## HVAC. Logistics. Contracting. Home services. Real businesses, real payrolls.

 Built for founders doing about **$10M** and up who are finally ready to hand things off. Not sure that’s you yet? We’ll tell you straight.

![A founder on site at golden hour.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1470968820/photo/electric-minivan-at-sunset.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=cKN4P2ghvqOk_0Bm0LypqwUPem3DBsdun5VpjlVbaks=)

![A fleet lined up at sunrise.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1195261708/photo/long-haul-semi-truck-rolling-down-a-four-lane-highway-at-dusk.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=WA6El1YraGL5SDQ5Ob5bu6ak5n3clkeeka9wceCIjco=)

![A crew huddle before the day.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/80298804/photo/three-people-in-a-warehouse.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=v8EHA0EhFxmY158aF6poZRf5N8jzn0VjrAJc562p1js=)

![Service van detail.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/78753083/photo/working-in-a-warehouse.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=kHyuVq0R2L9U_8AXNyQPHPiR2_xtcEpY7kW4Dnnt83c=)

![A warehouse floor in motion.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1042342584/photo/investors-and-contractors-on-construction-site.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=dfpqU0nr9BccCHOdHNyI1UanHGLt1nD2t6jZp95YUe4=)

![Hands over a blueprint.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1408186844/photo/engineer-is-working-on-the-roof-of-building-surrounding-with-high-building.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=psqsGZqtzBWobYfV5a8gFGTIPodfkgCvO4dXSnXB0cs=)

![A service bay at end of day.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1944772735/photo/closeup-of-team-of-industrial-engineers-meeting-analyze-machinery-blueprints-consult-project.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=ztBo9tQdQHN7ibdtIeO1MqFcq_F4NguT6Qe_Cwjck1s=)

![A partner across the table, listening.](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/678823287/photo/close-up-of-a-smiling-businessman-face-partially-obscured.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=MBQvmvi1pz7LWRTLfNDnUDiKe2vUOKTflIA8tM1tIbM=)

Think you’re ready?

Fifteen minutes with a partner. We look at your company, your team and how you lead — then tell you straight whether we’ll take you on, and which seat you actually need.

Name Email Company Which role are you thinking about Choose one…Executive assistant (The Right Hand)Chief of staffSecond-in-command (The Running Mate)Not sure yet

Submit for Review

The best of these partnerships go both ways — so part of our job is being straight with you about your half. Founders who want that get miracles. Founders who don’t probably shouldn’t apply.

[![Shotgun Partners](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/logo%20shotgun.png)](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/?hsLang=en)

Nobody builds an empire alone.

#### The Seats

[The Right Hand](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/right-hand?hsLang=en)[The Chief of Staff](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/chief-of-staff?hsLang=en)[The Running Mate](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/running-mate?hsLang=en)

#### The Firm

[Which Seat Do You Need?](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/which-seat?hsLang=en)[How We Work](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/how-we-work?hsLang=en)[About](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/about?hsLang=en)[Questions Founders Ask](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/faq?hsLang=en)

#### Operators

[Work With Us](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/talent?hsLang=en)[Earn the Seat](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/talent-apply?hsLang=en)

© 2026 Shotgun Partners. All rights reserved.[Privacy](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/privacy?hsLang=en)  ·  [Terms](https://www.shotgunpartners.com/terms?hsLang=en)

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