In the fast-paced world of business leadership, time is the ultimate non-renewable resource. Yet many entrepreneurs and executives hesitate to invest in executive support, viewing it as an expense rather than an investment.
This perspective overlooks a crucial question: What is your time worth?
At MySigrid, we've helped countless business leaders transform their productivity by quantifying the true value of their time and strategically reallocating it.
In this article, we'll walk you through a practical framework to calculate your own time's value and determine the real return on investment (ROI) that proper executive support can deliver.
The decision to hire executive support often comes down to simple arithmetic: does the value they create exceed their cost? However, many leaders miscalculate by focusing only on direct cost savings rather than the complete ROI equation.
The true calculation must include:
When all factors are considered, executive support routinely delivers returns of 2-5x the investment—sometimes considerably more for high-value executives.
Before you can determine if executive support makes financial sense, you need to understand what your time is truly worth. Here's a step-by-step framework:
This straightforward calculation provides a baseline value:
For example, an executive earning $250,000 annually who works approximately 50 hours per week (2,400 hours per year) has a baseline hourly value of $104.
However, this method only captures your cost to the company, not the value you create—which is typically much higher.
This more sophisticated calculation considers the actual business impact of your work:
For a founder or senior executive who influences $5 million in annual revenue with a 20% attribution, the hourly value becomes:
This represents a more accurate picture of your time's true worth to the business.
Perhaps the most powerful calculation considers what you're not doing when preoccupied with administrative tasks:
For example, if an hour spent on business development typically leads to $1,500 in new business, but you're spending that hour on email management instead, the opportunity cost is $1,500 per hour.
To identify the highest-leverage delegation opportunities, conduct a time audit:
Our clients often discover that 30-40% of their time is spent on tasks that could be effectively delegated, freeing 15-20 hours weekly for high-impact work.
Now let's put everything together with practical examples based on MySigrid's subscription plans:
Executive Profile:
Executive Assistant Investment:
Monthly ROI Calculation:
This calculation shows a 2,000% return on the investment in executive support—and that's before considering quality improvements, decreased stress, and enhanced work-life integration.
Entrepreneur Profile:
Executive Assistant Investment:
Monthly ROI Calculation:
Even with a more modest value calculation, the ROI remains compelling at nearly 900% return on investment.
Solopreneur Profile:
Executive Assistant Investment:
Monthly ROI Calculation:
Even at the entry-level plan, the return on investment exceeds 500%, demonstrating that executive support makes financial sense at various business stages.
While the financial analysis makes a compelling case, the full ROI extends beyond calculable metrics:
For Business Growth:
For Personal Well-being:
For Team Performance:
Many executives hesitate to invest in support despite the compelling ROI. Let's address the most common objections:
"I can't afford it"
This perspective usually ignores opportunity cost. If your time is worth $300+ per hour and you're performing $25/hour tasks, you're already paying—just in a less visible way.
"Nobody can do these tasks as well as I can"
While you might excel at these tasks, the question isn't whether someone can do them exactly as you would—it's whether they can be done adequately while you focus on work only you can do.
"I don't want to lose touch with the details"
Effective delegation doesn't mean disconnection. A good executive assistant keeps you informed without requiring your direct involvement in every process.
"I don't have time to train someone"
The initial time investment in onboarding support is quickly repaid. Modern services like MySigrid minimize this investment with proven systems and pre-trained professionals.
If the ROI analysis shows that executive support makes financial sense, here are the next steps to implement this insight:
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Identify the specific tasks that would deliver the highest ROI if delegated |
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Establish how you'll measure the value of your freed-up time |
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Develop basic processes for effective delegation |
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Build confidence in the delegation relationship before moving to more complex responsibilities |
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Treat the delegation relationship as an evolving partnership that grows more valuable over time |
The ROI framework we've outlined provides a clear decision-making tool. If your calculations show a positive return, the decision becomes straightforward from a financial perspective.
For most executives and entrepreneurs leading growing businesses, the math is compelling: professional executive support doesn't cost money—it makes money by unlocking your highest-value contributions.
MySigrid offers multiple subscription plans designed to match your needs at different business stages:
The right plan depends not just on your budget, but on your time value calculation and the opportunity cost of your current task allocation.
Ready to discover the true ROI potential of executive support for your specific situation? Schedule a consultation with our team to receive a personalized value assessment and explore how strategic delegation could transform your productivity and work-life integration.