And first of all, what is the difference between the two? 

In short, think of your Chief of Staff as your right-hand guy or gal, a strategic thinking partner who can help you make your vision happen. You can discuss topics that you wouldn’t with your senior staff or even co-founder. They can help you grow as a leader, while also helping you grow your business. 

Your CoS is your go-to person for the most difficult challenges, and the secret weapon behind a well-oiled machine (your company). 

What do you need help with the most? Ask yourself these questions:  

• Do I need someone to take notes for me, capture my ToDo-s and help me get prepped for meetings? 

• Do I need someone to figure out whether it’s better to use Monday.com or Asana? 

• Do I need someone to draft nice-looking docs and slides with given input? 

• Do I need help with my meetings and work logistics (even if I have an EA)?

• Do I need someone to track down other people's / teams’ ToDos or deliverables? 
  

If you answered ‘yes’ to these, most likely you need a Founder’s Associate. 

Of course, you can give them a fancy title if that makes them happy. Their salary range won’t be as high as a Chief of Staff (exec level), but you don’t need such an expensive resource for the tasks above. 

Sometimes even a rockstar EA can do these types of tasks, so you might be better off investing there first.