Getting an assistant makes a lot of sense in most cases, but there is one area that you should never use an assistant.<p>Never let an assistant mediate meetings or contacts with clients, partners, investors, or anyone else. If you're at a start up, book your own meetings. Everyone else can do it, so can you.<p>Why?<p>1. It's rude. They wanted to talk to you but you've punted them to an assistant. For a tiny company, you aren't that important.<p>2. It cools the relationship before it started. Relationships are the core asset of any business. Prioritize them.<p>3. It distances you from the market. As a startup, you should be as close to the market as possible. Actively disintermediating from people around you is a bad sign of how out of touch you likely are.