Become a WBN Professional

Do you Need a Full-time or Part-time Assistant?

Do you need a part-time or full-time assistant with rob levin

At WBN, we believe that every business owner—and many executives and managers—needs an assistant. 

Having an assistant enables you to give administrative and various other business tasks to someone else so you can focus on high-value tasks, such as business development, strategy, and mentoring your team. 

Our friend Jack Daly, CEO of Professional Sales Coach and top international speaker, says it best: “If you don’t have an assistant, you are one.” 

Part-Time vs. Full-Time

After you’ve decided to hire an assistant, you’ll need to decide if you want to hire a part-time or full-time assistant. 

Many business owners think they won’t be able to keep a full-time assistant busy and opt to start with a part-time assistant. This may seem like a compelling option if you’re hesitant about the workload or the cost (but I’ll talk more about the cost later). 

The biggest benefit of a full-time assistant is that they’re able to dedicate their time and energy to you and your business. They’re fully focused on learning and improving with your business, and are more readily available to you than a part-time assistant. As a full-time member of your team, they more easily assimilate into your culture and become an integral part of your team, resulting in a bigger impact to you and your company. 

If you’re still unsure which option is best for you, my own personal experience may provide some insight.

My Experience

In 2013, I took Jack Daly’s words to heart and realized I needed to hire an assistant. I had doubts that I could keep a full-time assistant busy, so I hired an assistant for twenty hours a week. 

Here’s what happened:

By the end of the first week, my assistant was busy for about three hours a day. By the end of the second week, she was busy for four hours a day. And by the end of the third week, as I was getting more comfortable with giving her tasks (and realizing that her capabilities went way beyond basic tasks like managing my calendar), she had more work than could be done in 8 hours. It was unbelievable how quickly the tasks I could delegate to her started to pile up. 

It became obvious I needed to hire a full-time assistant. Unfortunately, my assistant had another client, so I interviewed a new set of candidates—which took some time (as did onboarding the new assistant).

But most importantly, my life changed that month. At work, I was spending time where I wanted-–and needed—strategizing, spending time with customers and employees, and doing productive work that moved the needle. I felt like I had unleashed my business and it was free to grow without the shackles of the administrative tasks that had taken up so much of my time. I was also able to head home earlier and stop working weekends—all while my business was growing faster than before.

Looking back, I did see some benefit in those few weeks that I had a part-time assistant. But the benefits of having an assistant grew exponentially when I hired a full-time assistant. The biggest benefit was that I no longer had to wait until my assistant had time for me. 

At the end of the day, I only wish I’d hired an assistant sooner and, quite frankly, that I started with a full-time assistant. I would have saved a lot of time and reaped the benefits more quickly. And I hear similar sentiments from clients.

When Part-Time Makes Sense (and When it Doesn’t)

There are two situations when part-time assistants make sense:

  • Project work – when you need someone for a certain period of time to handle 1 or 2 specific tasks. In reality, this is just a freelancer.
  • If you are sure* that you only need someone for X hours a day to handle a specific task.

(*For business owners, this means that you are not letting go of tasks that can be handled by someone else, therefore not freeing up as much time as possible to work on high-value activities.)

Remember that with a full-time assistant, you have someone that:

  • Thinks about your business only (at least for 8 hours a day)
  • Is available during all business hours (you are not competing for their time)
  • Integrates seamlessly with your team because they are a part of your team.

These are the main reasons that WorkBetterNow only provides full-time talent that is 100% dedicated to each of our clients.

Also keep in mind that when looking overseas for an assistant, the cost of full-time might be a lot less than you think.

Can WorkBetterNow Help?

If you’re considering hiring a full-time assistant, schedule a free consultation with us. WBN works with talent from Latin America where the cost of living—and therefore the cost of talent—is lower, which could impact your decision about hiring part-time or full-time. 

Strategic Coach founder Dan Sullivan said, “The best investment in your own productivity, bar none, is a direct assistant who will handle your schedule and hundreds of other small but important details that clutter up your life and mind—and when added up, cost you hours of our time.” 

We couldn’t agree more. Hire an assistant and watch your business grow.

Share it on social media

Related articles

WorkBetterNow Logo

Outstanding nearshore talent for $2350/mo.

Get In Touch

Address:

1120 6th Ave 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036

We Run On EOS

Work Better Now 2023 © All Rights Reserved

Before we get started, we want to make sure:

Are you looking to apply for a job with us?