productivity Archives | Team Delegate

Hiring an Executive Assistant Is an Investment, But What Are You Getting Back?

By Tonya Thomas October 2, 2026

As a business owner, you likely make many financial decisions, and your team is part of that. So, when you’re considering hiring an executive assistant, the cost likely comes to mind. However, many factors go into the decision to hire an EA beyond cost, and I’m breaking them down below.

You’re Buying Back Your Time

Without an executive assistant, you’re the executive assistant. This means you’re spending your time being your own EA, handling things like scheduling, follow-ups, travel coordination, managing email, etc. Your time is valuable, so hiring an EA gives you that time back to spend elsewhere in the company.

What Could You Do With That Time?

When you bring on an executive assistant, it frees up time to do other things. Support gives you time to build better relationships with your network, speak more, attend more conferences, and do so without returning to an overloaded inbox. You can do a myriad of things with your newfound time when someone else is handling your administrative work.

Doing It Yourself Isn’t Free

You may feel as though you’re saving money by handling everything yourself. You don’t get an invoice when you do your own administrative work, so it feels free. However, you’re paying with your time. As the owner of your company, you may not think about how valuable your time is, but it’s worth a lot. That said, how you spend your time matters. As your company grows, your time becomes more valuable, and that tradeoff matters more.

The Return Isn’t Always a Dollar Amount

When you think about spending money in your business, you most likely consider the ROI. When it comes to hiring an executive assistant, ROI isn’t always a specific dollar amount. The return can also be fewer dropped balls, better follow-through, protected time, less stress, more consistency, and more. All of these things are important for both you and your company.

When you look at executive assistant support only as an expense, it’s easy to focus on what you’re spending. But it’s just as important to think about what you’re getting back. Your time is one of your most valuable resources, and the right support lets you spend more of it where it makes the biggest difference in your business.

If you’re considering executive assistant support but wondering whether the investment makes sense for you, let’s have a conversation. We can talk about where your time is currently going and what having the right support could give back to you and your business.

You Don’t Have to Have Everything Figured Out Before Hiring an Executive Assistant

By Tonya Thomas September 17, 2026

I speak with many small business owners and entrepreneurs about the importance of working with a virtual executive assistant. One thing that often comes up is the feeling that they need to have it all together before making the hire. Have you felt this way? You may think you’re too disorganized to hire an assistant or that you don’t want to bring someone into your chaos. This is the wrong way to look at the situation, and this line of thinking may actually be holding you and your business back.

I Need to Get Organized First

If you think you need to have documented processes, a perfectly organized inbox, a complete task list, etc., before hiring, you don’t. Remember, you’re hiring support so that you can create documented processes, get your inbox organized, and more. If you could accomplish all of these things on your own and still have time to think about strategy and grow your business, you probably wouldn’t need the support in the first place.

Why Waiting Doesn’t Fix the Mess

If you’re like most leaders, you have a mental to-do list that never seems to get completed. That mental to-do list likely includes everything you feel you need to do to prepare to hire. Meanwhile, your workload keeps you busy, so you never get around to deciding what you want to delegate, documenting those tasks, or preparing to onboard your new EA.

You Don’t Need to Hand Over Everything at Once

Let’s take some pressure off of you. You don’t have to know everything you plan to delegate before getting started. This is another common misconception when working with a virtual executive assistant. This is also where working with a good virtual EA agency can help. They can help you decide what to delegate and where to start.

What You Actually Need to Be Ready

Don’t let the stress of thinking you have to have it all together before bringing on support stall your progress. The biggest thing you need is a willingness to release tasks that don’t require your full participation. Another thing to keep in mind is to be open to communicating with your EA and allowing the relationship to develop over time.

Having the right executive assistant support is an important step toward reducing your stress and giving you more time in your day and week, which can ultimately help your business grow. So, don’t let getting ready for help become another reason to delay the support you need.

If you know you need help but feel like you need to get everything organized first, let’s talk. We can help you decide where to start and what executive assistant support could look like for you, even if you don’t have everything figured out yet.

You’ve Built a Team — But Who’s Supporting You?

By Tonya Thomas September 3, 2026

You’ve built a great team, but is it complete? Growing a business is hard work, but you’ve managed to accomplish it by recognizing that you couldn’t do it alone. You’ve done what many entrepreneurs struggle with: hiring a team. You clearly understand the importance of having the right people in the right roles.

However, as business owners, we sometimes think about everyone else and neglect ourselves. You may still be managing your own calendar, reading every email that comes into your inbox, handling follow-ups, and taking care of other administrative tasks. You’ve made sure your business has the support it needs, but who’s supporting you?

Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

Of course, you can schedule your own meetings. You can manage your email. You can book your own travel. You can handle follow-ups. But should you be handling these things? Are they the best use of your time? How would you feel if you had an extra 10 or 15 hours in your week? These are great questions to reflect on. Think about what having that time back could look like for you.

Your Business Grew — Did Your Support Grow With It?

As your company has grown, your workload has most likely grown with it. You likely have more meetings, decisions, people, relationships, and opportunities competing for your attention. This can creep up on you without you even realizing it.

Who Is Supporting You?

It’s great to have other areas of your company being handled by others. You couldn’t have grown your business to where it is today without delegating in those areas. But what about getting support for yourself? Having someone like an executive assistant handle your calendar, inbox, meeting coordination, and other administrative responsibilities can be a game-changer by giving you back valuable time each week.

What Changes When You Have Your Own Support

With strong executive assistant support, your time is better protected. Small administrative details aren’t constantly competing for your attention. You have more time for the work that actually requires you. And you’re finally benefiting from the same delegation you’ve already put in place throughout your company. You shouldn’t be the only person in your company expected to do your primary job while also handling all of your own administrative work.

You’ve built support around your business. Maybe it’s time to build support around you. If you’ve built a strong team but are still handling your own administrative workload, let’s have a conversation. We can help you explore what dedicated executive assistant support could look like for you and how it could give you more time back.

The Cost of Waiting Until You’re Desperate for Help

By Tonya Thomas August 20, 2026

What’s holding you back from hiring executive assistant support? If you’re like many business owners, there may be a myriad of things. A few of the things we tell ourselves are, “I’ll wait until things slow down. I’m too busy to deal with it,” or “I’ll hire after this quarter.” But if we really think about it, the timing may never feel right. And all the while, waiting may quietly be costing you in ways you don’t realize.

Why We Wait

One of the biggest reasons people wait usually comes down to finances. When we hire for any position in our business, we tend to think of it as an expense. And while it is an expense, we have to remember that it’s also an asset that can help our company grow. Another reason we hold off on getting support is thinking things aren’t bad enough yet or that we don’t have enough work to delegate. The right support and guidance can address both concerns.

What Waiting Actually Costs

We tend to know what not delegating costs us, but it’s good to be reminded. Not having executive assistant support can have the biggest impact on your time. Time is everything for a business owner. There are only so many hours in the day, and using those hours wisely by focusing on what matters most is what will ultimately help your business grow. Not having someone to take tasks off your plate can keep you from focusing on strategy and spending time on the work you do best.

A Better Approach

Hiring support before everything is on fire or before you’re feeling the stress of working long hours is a better approach. Not waiting until you’re pressed for time gives you the opportunity to plan your onboarding and get off to a great start with your executive assistant. It also gives you time to gradually hand things over instead of trying to delegate everything at once because you desperately need relief.

Getting support doesn’t have to be a decision you make because you’ve reached your breaking point. If you already know that too much of your time is being spent on work that someone else could handle, that may be the sign you need. If you’re wondering whether now is the right time to bring on executive assistant support, let’s have a conversation. We can talk about what’s currently on your plate and whether support makes sense for where your business is today.

Why You Don’t Need to Be Involved in Everything for Things to Go Well

By Tonya Thomas July 16, 2026

Many leaders stay involved in everything because they care deeply about their business. If you’ve ever thought, “It’s just easier to do it myself,” you’re not alone. Your business is important to you, and you want to ensure things are done right. After all, this is your livelihood. You’ve built your business from the ground up, and it’s a representation of you. But over time, being involved in everything becomes exhausting. Still, it can be hard to let go for a variety of reasons.

Why Your Executive Assistant Still Isn’t Taking Work Off Your Plate

By Tonya Thomas June 18, 2026

You’ve brought on a virtual executive assistant to help you, but you’re still involved in all the tasks you’ve delegated to your EA. Nothing is done without your involvement, whether that means answering the same questions about tasks, double-checking work, or checking in on things that should already be completed. If these things are happening, you’re still managing the process, essentially doing 50% of the work instead of your EA fully owning the tasks.

What Strong Executive Assistant Support Actually Looks Like

By Tonya Thomas June 4, 2026

Whether you’re thinking about hiring a virtual executive assistant for your business or you’re already working with one, keep in mind that support runs deeper than just the tasks. If you think managing your calendar, inbox, travel, etc., is all that your EA will handle for you, think again. Strong support from a virtual executive assistant requires much more than simply completing tasks.

Executive Assistant vs Automation: Why Tools Aren’t Enough

By Tonya Thomas May 21, 2026

Technology tool or an executive assistant? If you’ve ever found yourself in this position, which did you choose? I’ve encountered many people who believe that automation and technology tools can replace the need for an executive assistant. However, there are a few things to consider before making that decision.

AI vs Executive Assistant: Why AI Can’t Take Work Off Your Plate

By Tonya Thomas May 7, 2026

AI is a hot topic across all industries; it has everyone’s attention. At conferences, sessions on AI are overflowing with attendees. I’m often asked how it’s impacting our industry, and I’ve even been asked if it will shut down my company. People are still learning about AI and its impact. Many believe it will save them money by eliminating the need to hire an executive assistant, some are even referring to AI as their VEA (virtual executive assistant).

What to Delegate First When You Don’t Know Where to Start

By Tonya Thomas April 16, 2026

“I know that I need help, but I don’t know what to delegate.” I hear this phrase often in my conversations with leaders. They’re feeling the pressure of having too much on their plate and know they need support, but they don’t know where to start. They’re already overwhelmed, and the thought of figuring out how support should work for them adds another layer.