Start With Your Task Audit
Before deciding on hours, spend one week tracking every task you do that someone else could handle. Use a simple spreadsheet: task name, time spent, frequency (daily/weekly/monthly), skill level required. After five days, add it up. That total is your delegation baseline.
Part-Time (10 to 20 Hours/Week) Is Right When:
- Your delegation baseline is under 20 hours per week
- You are a solo operator or very small team (1 to 3 people)
- Your tasks are concentrated (all morning, or specific days of the week)
- You are testing the VA model for the first time and want to start small
- Your budget is tight and you want to prove ROI before scaling up
Cost at $8.99/hour: $1,800 to $3,600/month for 10 to 20 hours per week.
Full-Time (40 Hours/Week) Is Right When:
- Your delegation baseline exceeds 25 hours per week
- You need consistent daily coverage (phone answering, customer service, scheduling)
- Multiple team members will delegate to the VA
- Your business has predictable, ongoing admin needs
- You want to build a deep, long-term working relationship with one assistant
Cost at $8.99/hour: Approximately $1,560/month ($18,700/year) for 40 hours per week.
The Middle Ground: Start Part-Time, Scale Up
Most of our clients start with 20 hours per week. Within two to three months, about 60% scale up to full-time. Not because they planned to, but because once they see what their VA can handle, they find more tasks to delegate.
The beauty of working with an agency is flexibility. You are not locked into a full-time salary commitment. Start where you are comfortable, prove the value, then expand.
Quick Decision Framework
If you are spending more than 15 hours per week on tasks a trained assistant could handle, you need a VA. If those hours are spread across every day, go full-time. If they are concentrated in bursts, start part-time. Either way, stop doing it yourself.