Bearing It All EP 6: Courage, Identity & Execution with Heather Emerson

Kate Ginsberg:
Hi, y'all. I'm Kate Ginsberg. Thanks so much for joining us for Bearing It All, the podcast where entrepreneurs and business owners discuss the highs, lows, triumphs, and tumbles of building a business. If you're here for stories that inspire and keep it real, you're in the right place. On today's episode, I'm talking with Heather Emerson, founder and CEO of Offshore Launch, providing virtual assistant placements that streamline administrative work for US-based companies. Heather earned her bachelor's degree at UT, her master's at Harvard. She has a robust background in sales and entrepreneurship, was named to the Forbes Next 1000 list, and was honored as a member of Austin's Under 40 in 2021. Heather, tell us a bit about your background and what led you to create Offshore Launch.

Heather Emerson:
Hey Kate, it's so lovely to be here talking with you. Yeah, the journey to starting Offshore Launch is, I think the story we hear a lot, was kind of accidental. Previous to having Offshore Launch, my husband and I built a multi-million dollar farm-to-table meal delivery service that served Texas. It was Austin and Houston and we almost expanded to San Antonio and Dallas just before our closure. So having that company during the pandemic, I can honestly say that my experience during COVID was unusual because we were considered a, I think the word was "critical" or "essential."

Kate Ginsberg:
Essential workers.

Heather Emerson:
We were considered an essential business. And what that meant was that it was business as usual. It was just, don't get COVID and don't let all your employees get COVID or you're gonna have to close. And at the time we were serving food. And so in the beginning, they weren't sure if the virus was spread through food. We felt this deep need to protect our customers because a lot of our customers were immunocompromised and we were just, we were very scared, but we had to continue because this was our livelihood.

Also during COVID, along with moving everybody possible into remote work, inflation started to creep up and we were booming at the same time because people couldn't go to the grocery store. It was just wild.

Kate Ginsberg:
Weird time to be alive, that was.

Heather Emerson:
It was a weird time. We kind of felt like our backs were against the wall. We were navigating this remote workforce, but we had to have some people in person to make and deliver the food. Our leadership team stayed, but everyone else could be remote. Our margins were thin and getting thinner with supply chain demands. We were booming and needed to keep up with growth, but we couldn’t hire anybody stateside. It was just weird.

That’s what led us to the Philippines. We were skeptical, but it ended up working great. Over the next few years, we made it a scaling strategy and it worked beautifully during COVID.

When we closed that business at the end of 2022, we had a wonderful team of people in the Philippines and felt awful about not being able to employ them anymore—just like our stateside people. I needed a break. I was grieving the business, my identity, all of it. I had won awards, written about sustainability and saving farmers, health, and eating clean, and suddenly didn’t know who I was without that business.

But I knew I could help small businesses the way I helped ours. Requests from my network trickled in—they knew we had a Philippines-based team and that I’d spearheaded it. I became this consultant and recruiter, still grieving, not planning to start another business.

Then I had a moment of clarity. My husband and I were on a fertility journey, and I got pregnant in 2023—less than a year after closing the business. Once you know you're bringing another life into the world, you start to think differently. I started to think, “What kind of mom do I want to be?”

I went on a pre-planned yoga retreat, pregnant, writing and meditating. One journal question was, “What’s holding you back?” And I realized the only reason I wasn’t pursuing Offshore Launch fully was fear—fear of what people would think. My identity had been “save the earth, save the farmers,” and I felt people would judge me for moving into staffing.

But when I wrote down that fear was the only thing holding me back, I knew I had to do it. Fear is the roadmap to breaking what’s holding you back. And I didn’t want to do this business. But once I wrote it down, I realized I had to.

Kate Ginsberg:
I always joke that to be an entrepreneur, you need to be brave and a little stupid. Brave enough to not let fear stop you, and stupid enough to not realize how hard it’s going to be. That combination is critical to starting something new, especially when you’re pivoting from something that’s been your identity.

That really resonates with me. I’ve thought about it a lot—who am I if I sell the company and don’t have this? I started this with an eight-week-old baby. I’ve been an entrepreneur as long as I’ve been a mom. After almost 15 years, they’re both so integral to my identity that I don’t know what I’d do without them.

Transitioning from in-home personal assistant to CEO has helped with that, but who are we without our businesses when we’ve poured so much into them? It’s hard.

Heather Emerson:
Yeah, I’ve never had a business for 15 years, so I can imagine that’s even more. What I can say is that any decision that makes you ask “Who am I?” means growth is coming. The people who love and support you will always do so, and the people who judge you will always judge you. It’s just your decision to make your next move. That’s how Offshore Launch got started.

Kate Ginsberg:
You did. That was the easy part—the introduction. Nailed it. Next, pick a number one through ten.

Heather Emerson:
Seven.

Kate Ginsberg:
I’m excited to hear what you think about this. What’s one piece of advice entrepreneurs often hear that you completely disagree with?

Heather Emerson:
That’s a great one. The advice I hear most from older entrepreneurs is, “Don’t share your idea.” It’s rooted in fear—fear someone will steal it or beat you to market. But that’s outdated.

The internet changed everything. Ideas aren’t the currency anymore—execution is. You can Google a thousand ideas in any industry, but what matters is who executes best. Be open. Talk about your ideas. It builds connection, content, marketing, and accountability.

Thirty years ago, whoever had the idea had control. Now, there’s a low barrier to entry. It’s not about being first—it’s about being best.

Kate Ginsberg:
Exactly. I was just talking with a friend about how much has changed. In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, women were pitted against each other. There was only “room for one woman at the top.” Now, I see collaboration and community among women entrepreneurs. It’s not about gatekeeping—it’s about lifting others up.

Heather Emerson:
Yes! I love that. I once heard, “Be a library, not a vault.” That sums it up.

Kate Ginsberg:
Yes. That’s how we’ve built Queen of To Do. We’re not gatekeeping—we’re a company that shares collective knowledge. Twenty brains are better than one. No one knows everything, but together we know a lot.

And honestly, Heather, I’ve wanted to tell you this: I admire how you handled an issue we had with our first virtual assistant. You reached out proactively, called me, and said, “That’s not the type of service we want to provide.” It showed integrity.

That’s rare. Seeing our values reflected in a partner company was validating. It reminded me there’s a way to build a business as women that doesn’t sacrifice our values. That was meaningful for me.

Heather Emerson:
I’m just soaking that in, friend. Thank you. My version of that moment was fear—I was scared to make that call. I didn’t want to lose you as a client. But fear is the roadmap, right? At the end of the day, I didn’t want your satisfaction to be “it’s okay.” I wanted you to say, “This is incredible.”

Kate Ginsberg:
Exactly. In our industry—personal assistants versus virtual assistants—sometimes even great candidates aren’t a fit. It’s better to move on quickly than force it. Your authority in saying, “A yellow flag this early is a red flag,” gave me permission to trust that instinct.

You showed integrity and that builds trust. It’s the kind of CEO I want to be too.

Heather Emerson:
Thank you for saying that. You made my day. And honestly, Kate, your job is taking care of everyone else—but that day, it was my job to take care of you. That’s what you were paying me for.

Kate Ginsberg:
I’m not great at letting other people do that.

Heather Emerson:
I know. So thank you for letting me.

Kate Ginsberg:
Taking care of people is what we do—but sometimes that means saying, “We’re not the right fit.” The only way to get to the right answer is through honesty, curiosity, and integrity. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way.

Heather Emerson:
Yeah.

Kate Ginsberg:
Anything else you’d like to share with our listeners today?

Heather Emerson:
It’s been lovely to connect with you. I always enjoy our time.

Kate Ginsberg:
Same. Where can people find you and Offshore Launch?

Heather Emerson:
LinkedIn is our main channel. You can find me at Heather Emerson and my company Offshore Launch. There are a lot of Heather Emersons, but look for the one based in Austin.

Kate Ginsberg:
Perfect. Thank you so much. That’ll do it for us today on Bearing It All. As always, keep living those genuine, vulnerable moments together—and like, comment, do all the things for us. Thank you again, Heather, and we’ll see you next time on Bearing It All.

Heather Emerson:
Thanks, Kate. Bye.