Is a virtual assistant worth it? An honest answer

Yes, a virtual assistant is worth it for a small business when you hand over work that repeats and the system comes first. Through Skale Bak, that is $13 an hour, about $1,127 a month at 20 hours a week, against about $3,793 a month for a local executive assistant at the same hours.

You built your business by doing everything yourself. That is a real strength, and it is also why so many owners end up stuck. On discovery calls, owners tell Even Baklid, who founded Skale Bak, that they are so busy, working way too much, and still not getting done what they need to get done.

The honest answer has a condition, though. Here is when an assistant pays off, what it really costs, and when it is not worth it yet.

Is a virtual assistant worth it for a small business?

A virtual assistant is worth it for a small business when 3 things are true: the work repeats, you know what done looks like, and you give it some of your time at the start. When those hold, your assistant is doing real work in the first week, and the hours come back as each job is handed over.

Even puts the condition plainly:

"If you have the system right and the foundation right, you can do so much with a virtual assistant."

That is the belief Skale Bak is built on: systems first, then plug in the best talent. So the yes is real, but it depends on what you hand over and how you hand it over.

What does a virtual assistant cost compared with an employee?

A virtual assistant through Skale Bak costs about $1,127 a month at 20 hours a week. A local executive assistant for the same 20 hours costs an employer about $3,793 a month, once benefits, equipment and hiring are added to the wage.

The wage and benefits figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including its employer cost report. The equipment, software and hiring lines are our own modest estimates. Every line is worked through on how we work out the savings. They leave out office space, the time you spend interviewing, and the cost of starting again when someone leaves, so the real gap is wider.

What the price depends on: the hours you choose (20 or 40 a week) and nothing else. Every role is $13 an hour. For the full breakdown, read how much a virtual assistant costs, or see the pricing page.

What are the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant?

The main benefit of hiring a virtual assistant is time: the hours you spend on repeat work go back to the work only you can do. The second is consistency. Work that used to wait on you gets done every day, even when your week falls apart.

Here is what that looks like for owners Skale Bak works with:

• A fractional CFO. His first assistant was a marketing associate who built landing pages, ran ads, made lead magnets and helped bring in new clients. Together they brought in a lot of business, and he stayed far more consistent than he had been alone. Not long after, he added a second assistant for outreach and the admin side, booking clients through Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. He has since referred other owners to Skale Bak.
• A technology company in San Francisco. The company hosts events, with housing for the people who come. Its assistant sets up the events and the housing, communicates with everyone attending, and manages the community. In Even's words: "He's doing so well." The company then brought on a second assistant to write copy in its own brand language: newsletters, blog posts, community engagement and social media.

Notice the pattern. Both owners started with one clear area, saw it work, and came back for a second assistant.

The benefits owners feel first:

1. Hours back every week. At 20 hours a week, that is about 11 working days a month you stop spending on work somebody else can do.
2. Consistency. Follow ups, posts and bookings go out on schedule, not when you find a spare evening.
3. A clear head. You stop carrying the whole list in your mind, because someone else owns part of it.
4. Room to grow. Your time goes into winning and keeping clients.

When is a virtual assistant worth it?

A virtual assistant is worth it when the same jobs fill your week and you can describe how each one should go. The clearer the job, the faster it pays off.

It is worth it if:

• You do the same tasks several times a week: the inbox, scheduling, invoices, follow ups, posting, data entry.
• Your growth has stalled because your hours go to admin instead of clients and sales.
• You catch up on work in the evening, after dinner, most nights.
• You can explain what a finished job looks like, even if the steps are not written down yet.
• You are willing to spend real time with your assistant in the first weeks.

You do not need perfect processes to start. Skale Bak assistants bring Skale Bak's SOPs and write your versions as they learn the job, and you approve them. What you need is the work, and a willingness to show it.

What are the disadvantages of a virtual assistant?

The biggest disadvantage of a virtual assistant is the time it takes at the start. For the first weeks you are showing someone how you work, and that feels slower than doing it yourself. The other downsides are real too, and each one has a fix.

Even is clear that owners have to be part of the start:

"Owners need to be involved, especially at the beginning, with a clear foundation and a clear framework for systems, delegation and leverage."

If you hire through a freelance marketplace instead of an agency, the search, the screening and any replacement are yours to run. Agency vs freelancer compares the routes side by side.

When is a virtual assistant not worth it yet?

A virtual assistant is not worth it yet when every task needs your judgment, or when you expect the assistant to build a brand new system alone. In both cases the foundation is missing, and no assistant can fill that gap alone.

It is not worth it yet if:

• Almost everything you do is a decision only you can make.
• You want someone to work out what your business needs without your input.
• You cannot give your assistant time in the first 2 weeks.
• You cannot list the jobs you would hand over.

One objection Even hears is that an owner tried a virtual assistant before, and it did not work. His answer:

"Usually it was missing 2 things: a foundation and the right talent. That is exactly what we help with. We create the system and we find the best talent."

He holds a view that runs against a lot of advice online:

"Most people think you can hire any assistant, hand over a full role and they will pick it all up. I strongly disagree. Get the foundation and the system right first, stay involved at the start, then plug in the best talent."

If you are not ready yet, that is useful to know. Start with the list under how to start small, below. It is the same first step either way.

Is it worth it to have a virtual assistant from the Philippines?

Yes. A virtual assistant from the Philippines is worth it for a small business that wants a skilled, steady person on its own working hours. Skale Bak works only with talent from the Philippines.

For Even, the reason is the people, before the price:

"Some of the best working relationships I have ever had are with my own assistants in the Philippines. When you work with them, you are really helping a family on the other side of the world."

If you are wondering about the time difference, Skale Bak assistants work your working day, so you are not waiting overnight for an answer. How Philippines assistants cover US hours shows the time zones and the routine.

How do you start small with a virtual assistant for a small business?

Start with one area of your week, not your whole job. Pick 2 or 3 repeat jobs, hand them over well, and add more once they run without you.

1. List a week. Write down every job you touched for 5 working days, however small.
2. Mark the repeats. Circle anything you did more than once that follows the same steps.
3. Keep your secret sauce. Cross off the client relationships and decisions only you should make.
4. Pick one area. The inbox and calendar, client admin, or marketing. What to delegate first has a list to choose from.
5. Walk your assistant through each job. Your assistant turns it into the written process, and you check it.
6. Judge the first week. If it makes no difference, Skale Bak refunds that week.

This is how it works with Skale Bak: you make 2 decisions, which jobs come off your desk and which assistant takes them, and the search and the handover are handled for you. If the first area is your inbox and calendar, what an executive assistant does shows the role.

Where should you start this week?

Start with the list. The free Handover Playbook walks you through everything an assistant can take off your plate, and the order to hand it over in, so you know exactly what you would give away.

If you already know which jobs you want gone, book 30 minutes. You will go through your week with us and leave with a straight answer on which 2 or 3 jobs should come off your desk first, whether or not you go ahead.