Michelle Penczak

Named Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay Military Spouse of the Year 2019, Michelle is a virtual assistant by trade and a military spouse by love. Her husband Sean is a pilot in the Marine Corps. Through multiple relocations and deployments, Michelle has built a vibrant, thriving independent virtual assistant business for herself over the past 5 years. Her own experience as a military spouse gives her unique insight into the multitude of challenges facing other military spouses who want to have a career of their own, but struggle to find gainful employment local to their latest duty station.

This pool of unique & talented personalities is where a significant amount of our assistants are chosen. The drive and dedication of our assistants is astounding & we know we have a great fit for your team!

Press

NBC

This Military Spouse couldn’t find anyone to hire her-so she created a company that would.

“Penczak officially launched her company, Squared Away, two years ago—on Veterans Day in 2017. The business connects highly skilled military spouses with companies who need extra hands on deck. Penczak noted her 70 team members aren’t just virtual assistants. “They’re chief executive assistants—our clients’ right hand. They’re project managers, they’re the social media team, they’re human resources…” said Penczak.” –Rosie Colosi, NBC Writer

Business Insider Prime

A military spouse shares how she grew her 6-figure virtual assistant business to over 80 employees and 100 clients in just 2 years.

“She wanted to take this idea to the next level at Squared Away and has built what she calls an incredibly supportive network among the assistants. They’re in daily communication on Slack, have regular video check-in calls, and are encouraged to reach out to each other when working on projects or tasks they’re not familiar with.”

“They really collaborate together with different ideas for clients, which is great for them, and good for the client, because they have access to 75 different minds,” she said — minds that include former teachers, attorneys, paralegals, nurses, and all kinds of corporate employees. (An example from my own life: I needed a last-minute photographer to be a source for an article, and my virtual assistant found one in 15 minutes through the Squared Away network. I can’t imagine that happening so quickly if I only had access to one person.)” – Adiran Granzela Larssen, Business Insider Contributor

Business Insider

27 founders share how they knew what type of company to start.

“My Company: We are a team of remote chief executive assistants. We work with anyone who needs more time, and can handle any task you throw our way!

Why I started it: This entire journey started because no one wanted to hire me due to being a military spouse. Everywhere I went, I met other highly educated spouses with the same story. I was so thrilled to start Squared Away because it meant that I could help give spouses a purpose other than mom/dad/spouse.

My advice for starting a company like mine: Stay focused on why you started your business in the first place. Always come back to that with every decision you make.” – Dreamers // Doers, Business Insider Contributor

Forbes

How These 19 Founders And CEOs Are Leading During The COVID-19 Crisis

“Though I’m fortunate that my fully-remote team of 90+ military spouses is no stranger to adversity, the pandemic has required me to lead with more compassion and confidence than ever. To support my team and our network of 150+ clients, I’m committed—through the increased use of tools like Zoom and Slack—to keeping lines of communication open, to creating a ‘safe space’ for discussion, and to ensuring that everyone is pouring from a full cup. Every member of my team and each of our clients has my personal cell phone number, and I make myself available to them at all times—really, even at 3 AM!” – Laura Garnett, Forbes Contributor on Leadership Strategy

Adobe’s 99U

How to Lead Your Team Remotely

“With eight years experience working remotely, the CEO of Squared Away, Michelle Penczak, has managed a team of 100 people around the globe, from Japan to Germany and the US. Her team checks in daily and is on Slack during working hours, however that doesn’t mean her team is always available. With Michelle’s support, her team is able to block time throughout the day for personal tasks and caring for kids as needed. “Most of our staff are extremely driven perfectionists. Having kids at home and tasks to complete can increase anxiety. Reminding them that family comes first, no matter what, has given them the confidence to handle both without worrying about the professional side.” ⁣
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“Even with the never-ending demands of work, Michelle encourages her team to have patience with themselves as they attempt to balance a long list of personal and professional demands. Knowing they will have time to take care of their personal lives allows them to show up more fully to work when they are on the clock.” – Tina Essmaker, New York City-based coach, writer and speaker.