Delegation Calculator: What’s Your Hour Really Worth? | Founders Don’t Realize They’re Leaking Thousands Every Month

Most founders would never throw away $10,000, yet they lose that (or more) every single month by doing low-value tasks that should have been delegated or automated.

Let’s talk about exactly what your time is worth based on your business’s revenue, and where you’re bleeding money by staying stuck in the weeds.

Smart founders use this calculator to:

• Identify hidden time leaks

• Get ruthless about what to delegate

• Free up 10–40 hours a week and scale without burnout

What’s a Founder’s Time Actually Worth?

If you’re making less than $25K/month, your time is worth at least $50–$100 per hour.

At $25K–$75K/month, your time jumps to $100–$250 per hour.

At $75K–$200K/month, your hour is now worth $250–$500 per hour.

At $200K/month or more, your time is easily worth $500–$1,500 per hour (or more if you’re focused on scaling strategy)

The more you grow, the more expensive it becomes to spend time on tasks someone else could own.

Example Time Sinks That Destroy Founder ROI:

• Spending 3 hours/week in your inbox → $1,200/month lost

• Posting social media manually → $800/month lost

• DIYing invoices and bookkeeping → $1,500/month lost

• Manually onboarding clients → $2,000/month lost

• Chasing team accountability → $3,000/month lost

• Scheduling and admin tasks → $1,000/month lost

• Not having someone lead projects → $2,500/month lost

Total: $12,000+/month in hidden costs (and that’s just for 10–15 hours/week of low-value tasks)

Example Walkthrough

Say you run a business making $50K/month. Your hourly rate is at least $125/hour

• You spend 8 hours/week on admin = $4,000/month in lost growth time

• You spend 5 hours/week doing basic project management = $2,500/month lost

• You spend 3 hours/week creating invoices = $1,500/month lost

Total Time Loss: $8,000/month or $96,000/year.

Delegation ROI = Fastest Way to Buy Back Time

Every SmartStart client gets:
✅ A personalized Delegation Cost Calculator
✅ An audit of time leaks that are holding back growth
✅ Fractional operators to immediately remove 10–30 hours/week
✅ Strategic systems that keep you focused on revenue-driving work

Want to Know Your Actual Hourly Rate?

Make a Copy of Our Calculator:
Get a detailed breakdown of your time leaks and financial losses here: SmartStart Delegation Calculator Sheet (Click to Make a Copy)

Or Let Us Do It For You

✅ Book a Free Founder Time Audit
✅ Get your time breakdown mapped for you
✅ Leave with a clear plan to reclaim hours and scale faster