Time is Money: How Outsourcing Can Free Up Your Most Valuable Resource

Sarah Clarkson • March 28, 2024
A group of miniature people are standing around a gear.

Time is the one thing we can't replenish. Each person has a limited amount of time; your time bank cannot be re-filled once it's spent. As a result, the concept of time is surrounded by a sense of preciousness and urgency. 


  • Am I wasting my time?
  • Where did the time go?
  • How much time do I have left?


At some point, everyone should take a hard look at how they are spending their time. 


This is especially true for small business owners who are often caught spending their precious time building and maintaining their business. Limited financial resources mean you have to draw from your time bank again and again and again. 


There comes a point when you need to ask yourself:

What is my time actually worth?

Time and "The Grind"

A man is sitting at a desk using a laptop computer at night.

A prevailing theory in the business world suggests that success depends on relentless effort. It can feel like you are wasting potential earnings and growth opportunities if you aren't "all in on the grind" at all times. Many double down on investing passion and determination—and time—to get things done on a lean budget. Wearing all the hats, from CEO to sales to treasurer to marketer to data entry, can lead to grinding relentlessly. 


While juggling multiple roles is an essential part of entrepreneurship, the passion that drove you to become an entrepreneur and your incredible drive to succeed can lead to spending too much of your valuable time on endeavors that drain your energy. 


If you don't reassess how you allocate your time and energy "funds," you risk wiping out your passion and determination savings account.

When you realize you are spreading yourself too thin and sacrificing your precious time to endeavors that aren't paying you back, it is time to look into re-investing your resources.

Time is Money

"Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money but you cannot get more time" - Jim Rohn

A one dollar bill with a watch on top of it

"Time is money" speaks to the relationship between effective time management and financial success. Every hour spent can directly impact your business's success. Consider:


RESOURCE ALLOCATION: Because you wear all the hats, you must optimize your time to ensure resources are paid into activities that yield the highest returns.

INNOVATION AND GROWTH: Time invested in development and innovation can lead to new products, services, or processes that drive business growth. If you understand the value of your time, you are more likely to invest it in activities that look toward long-term success (whatever that may look like to you.)

OPPORTUNITY COSTS: Time spent on non-productive activities represents a lost opportunity to generate revenue or grow the business. You must instead prioritize tasks that directly contribute to business growth and profitability.


Even with limited finances, you should learn to treat your time as the valuable resource it is. Be strategic about how and where you allocate it! 


Grinding relentlessly by yourself becomes a losing proposition - especially when there is a clear and obvious way to boost efficiency and productivity for a small monetary investment. 

The Benefits of Outsourcing to a Virtual Assistant

When the cost of the grind begins to outweigh the benefits, it is time to consider strategic outsourcing to a virtual assistant. 


A virtual assistant can become a valuable ally when you are ready to stop spending your most precious asset: time. Outsourcing support tasks to a virtual assistant offers a wide range of benefits, including increased productivity, enhanced scalability, and more flexibility within your day-to-day schedule. By delegating time-consuming administrative tasks like email and calendar management, data entry, social media management, and customer follow-up, you can free up valuable hours to focus on strategic initiatives and revenue-generating activities or re-energize yourself by hanging out with family and friends. 


When you bring a specialized virtual assistant onto your team, you suddenly gain access to high-quality and efficient support.


Tasks that might have taken you an hour to complete can now be done in half the time and at a fraction of what your time is worth.


That is an excellent return on your investment.

Maximizing Efficiency and Productivity:

Outsourcing administrative, operational or creative tasks to a virtual assistant will also allow you to use your time more effectively because a) you suddenly have more of it, and b) your mental load is lightened. You can now pour your energy into areas that align with your strengths, like refining product offerings, nurturing client relationships, or exploring new market opportunities. With a virtual assistant on your team, handling day-to-day administrative burdens and ensuring operations run smoothly, you can now pay more attention to the things that drive business growth and innovation. 


Or, take a few hours off in the afternoon to spend more time with your loved ones.


When efficiency is maximized, energy and productivity skyrocket.


Unsure What Tasks To Outsource?

What lingers on your to do list?

Are there tasks you just dread doing?

What can you outsource to a virtual assistant?

How Virtual Assistants Are Cost-Effective

Spending a small amount of money on a virtual assistant to save time also saves you time, energy, and money.


Virtual assistants are independent, self-employed contractors who file 1099 taxes and provide their own medical insurance. They work remotely,  own their equipment, and are accountable for most expenses they incur. They have already acquired the skills and training needed to execute your tasks, and they train on platforms on their own time. You can choose what virtual assistant best fits your needs and only contract with someone who already has experience on the platforms you want them to use. 


Virtual assistants are self-driven and independent. They are skilled time managers and know that dedicated, focused, error-free work leads to success and a positive reputation. They are motivated and capable of being proactive and productive; they do more in less time than traditional employees. Many virtual assistants create time blocks to ensure they are efficient and work with time-tracking tools that ensure diligence through transparency. Because they work from a remote location, they are inherently less distracted and can accomplish tasks quickly and without error.


At $40+ per hour, the pay rate for a skilled military virtual assistant may initially seem high. But remember: you are saving yourself the cost of having to pay taxes, benefits, office equipment, and vacation and sick time. What's more, virtual assistants love what they do, and they enjoy the value they add to the business that employs them. 


As skilled, experienced workers, virtual assistants know what their time is worth.


Can you say the same?

Blogs On Sale

A bunch of red balloons with the word sale on them

Let's say your hourly rate as the owner and CEO of your own company is $150. 


With a budget of $150, you can now buy over three hours with a dedicated support person to handle some of your admin.


Want to think of it another way? If it takes you 2-3 hours to write a blog, the time you spend writing it will cost you $450. If you hire a creative and experienced virtual assistant to write your blogs for you, each blog your website posts now costs $120.


In addition to being a monetary savings, strategically outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant is a cost-effective solution because they work on a flexible, pay-as-you-go basis. Freedom Makers Virtual Services does not require you to commit to a rigid monthly plan, which allows you to scale your support as needed. This accommodates fluctuating workloads or seasonal demands, and enables you to adapt your resource allocation to whatever circumstances may make your bottom line change from month to month (or even week to week).


As you work hard to achieve your dreams of small business ownership, it is difficult not to lose sight of the true goal of success: more time to spend doing the things you love. If you embrace the concept of time is money and strategically outsource tasks to a virtual assistant, you will free up irreplaceable hours and invaluable energy. 


It takes a lot of time and energy to keep the administrative side of your business running… do you really want to your human capital that way? 


With a relatively small investment in a virtual assistant, you can stop pouring your precious time into the grind and re-invest your energy into the areas that matter most to you.

When you are ready to stop withdrawing from your time and energy bank, contact our Discovery Team to discuss how a Freedom Maker virtual assistant can help you achieve your goals.

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