At some point every growing founder faces the same question. Do I hire someone full-time, or do I bring in a virtual assistant? The answer depends on your stage, your budget and what you actually need. Here's a straight comparison.
What an in-house hire really costs
In the US, a mid-level executive assistant typically earns somewhere between $55,000 and $75,000 a year in salary. Add benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, office space, onboarding time and the risk of a hire that doesn't work out, and the real cost is often closer to $90,000 to $110,000 a year.
Then there's the management time. A full-time hire needs regular feedback, reviews, HR processes and a steady workload. For a solo founder or small team, that's a lot to take on.
What a fractional assistant costs
A fractional assistant gives you senior-level support for the hours you actually need. No salary, no benefits, no equipment and no HR admin. Our plans start from $497 a month, and most of our clients get back 20 or more hours a week once things are running.
When hiring in-house makes sense
- Your business needs someone physically on site
- You consistently need more than 40 hours of support a week
- You're ready to build an internal operations team
When a virtual assistant is the better choice
- You need senior support but can't justify a full-time salary yet
- Your workload changes from week to week
- You want help now, without a long hiring process
- You work with clients in several time zones
The time difference
A typical in-house hire takes four to eight weeks from job post to first day. With Apex VirtualPro, you can be set up and working within 48 hours of your first call.
If you want your time back without the cost of a full-time hire, a fractional executive assistant is worth a conversation. Book a free 20-minute call and we'll help you work out which option fits.
Want to talk it through?
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