VA ROI: the calculation, with the numbers founders forget
VA ROI = (hours delegated × your effective hourly value) − (hours delegated × VA rate + your management hours × your hourly value + one-off onboarding cost), expressed against the total cost. Most founders overstate ROI by forgetting ramp-up (weeks one and two run at roughly 50-70% output) and ongoing management time. A realistic first-quarter ROI for a well-documented 10-hour-per-week delegation is positive but modest; the compounding shows up in months three to twelve.
Your effective hourly value
Not what you charge — what you actually produce. Take the profit you personally influence over a year, divide by hours worked. For most founders it lands well above their billable rate once revenue work is included, and well below their fantasy number.
The four cost lines
- Direct rate × hours
- Onboarding: 15-30 one-off hours of your time and theirs
- Ramp-up: 30-50% lower output for the first two weeks
- Ongoing management: 1-3 hours a week, falling as documentation improves
Break-even in practice
With a $15 per hour assistant taking 10 hours a week and 2 hours of your management time at an effective $120 per hour, you spend roughly $390 a week and recover roughly $1,200 of founder capacity — provided you actually redeploy those hours into revenue or recovery rather than absorbing them into more admin.
The redeployment rule
ROI only exists if the recovered hours go somewhere specific. Decide in advance what fills the freed time — sales conversations, product, or genuine rest — and book it before the hours arrive.
Common follow-up questions
How long until a VA pays for itself?
With documented processes, typically three to six weeks. Without documentation, often never, because management time replaces the delegated time.
What ROI should I expect?
Model it yourself with your own numbers rather than trusting a benchmark. Our calculator shows the full cost including ramp-up and management.