In the early stages of building your business, you take pride in doing it all, replying to emails at midnight, managing bookings on the go, and sending invoices between meetings.
But there’s only so much one person can do.
Stretching yourself thin might feel like the only way forward. After all, who else understands your business like you do? Who else can handle the details with the same care? So, you keep going, multitasking and trying to make everything work.
But when you stretch yourself too thin, the signs become obvious. One or two errors here and there eventually lead to losing one or two customers at some point.
Did you know that according to HoneyBook, 19% of independent business owners have lost business due to a lack of organization or administrative errors?
Another report by HoneyBook found that 59% of independent business owners say they spend more time on administrative tasks than they ever anticipated.
If this is hitting a little too close to home then it might be time to consider reducing the administrative work you handle.
In this article, we’ll highlight five clear signs that it’s time to bring in an Administrative Assistant and how doing so can improve the way you run your business.
You’re Spending Too Much Time on Low-Value Tasks
Let’s be honest, when you’re just starting out, doing everything yourself is part of the hustle. You’re replying to emails, creating spreadsheets, booking meetings, sending out invoices, etc.
In the early stages, this kind of hustle feels necessary. It even feels productive. But as your business begins to grow, the weight of those low-value tasks starts to show.
What once felt manageable now feels like it’s slowing you down. Instead of planning new products or nurturing client relationships, your time is being consumed by repetitive admin work.
These are what we call low-value tasks, work that is important but doesn’t require your expertise, and when your schedule is filled with them, it becomes harder to focus on high-value activities like serving your clients at a deeper level, or exploring new growth opportunities.
It’s a common trap, mistaking being busy for being productive. But not all tasks are created equal. Just because you’re working hard doesn’t mean you’re working smart.
You’re Burnt Out or Close to It
It’s the weekend, and instead of resting, you’re about to process some invoices and schedule emails that are meant to go out on Monday. You told yourself you’d take a break, maybe even unplug completely but here you are, laptop open, ticking off admin tasks.
The thing about burnout is that you might not even realise it’s happening. You might just think you’re tired. You’ll tell yourself a quick nap will fix it, or that once this week is over, things will settle down. But once your body and mind are exhausted, they’re exhausted and a single 8-hour nap isn’t going to fix it.
According to a report by Indeed, over 50% of small business owners have experienced burnout, with long hours and administrative overload being major contributors. Entrepreneur and wellness advocate Arianna Huffington put it best: “Burnout is not the price you have to pay for success.”
Yet, too many business owners wear exhaustion like a badge of honour, proof of how hard they’re working. They go on LinkedIn and write long text essays about how they spent countless hours building their brand, answering emails at midnight, skipping meals, and pushing through “just one more task.”
It may sound so inspiring at first, but when you really think about it, you ask yourself if it’s a sustainable way to live?
It’s best to remember that there is a major difference between working hard and running yourself into the ground.
If you feel close to being burned out or already are, then it’s time to consider hiring an administrative assistant who will help with some of the tasks at hand and finally give you a chance to really rest.
You’re Avoiding or Delaying Strategic Work
One of the most glaring signs that you need an administrative assistant is when you start to avoid or rather delay doing strategic tasks that will help elevate your business.
You start delaying them to “make room” for day-to-day admin. That new service offering you were supposed to map out? Pushed to next week so you can respond to four client emails. The meeting with your consultant to refine your pricing model? Postponed, because you need to update your calendar and follow up on two unpaid invoices. You keep telling yourself you’ll get to it, but somehow, it never gets done.
In the UK alone, research from the Federation of Small Businesses found that 55% of small business owners say administration is holding back growth, and 67% say it prevents them from focusing on their core business purpose
It’s not that you don’t know what needs to be done, it’s that you no longer have the time or bandwidth to do it. You’re not avoiding strategy because you lack ideas. You’re avoiding it because there’s no space to execute.
If the work that would truly elevate your business keeps getting postponed, it’s a sign that something in your operations needs to change and fast!
Lack of Structure or No Schedule
Think to yourself and ask yourself this question “What does your morning look like?
Are you jumping straight into emails the moment you wake up? Do you go from one task to the next without any real plan, just putting out fires as they come? Is your calendar mostly blank with no task in sight?
An absence of structure is a clear sign you need support especially when your workload is heavy. If your day doesn’t follow any kind of structure, and you often feel like you’re reacting rather than leading, that’s a problem.
Having control over your day will lead you to be more productive and get things done. Structure gives you clarity. It tells you what to focus on, what can wait, and what should be delegated.
When you hire an administrative assistant from Arwana, one thing we can guarantee is exceptional performance starting with bringing structure to your day. Starting with organising your calendar.
Your Business is Growing
The small business you started yesterday is finally growing. The client base is expanding, your reputation is building, and more opportunities are coming your way. Life is good.
But with more growth comes more responsibility. More clients means more communication, more follow-ups, more scheduling, more documents, more administrative work.
The previous system you had in place could fly because you had less clients, but now, with more clients, the system feels like a bit of a letdown. Suddenly, you’re exhausted and feeling like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
According to Capital One’s Small Business Growth Index, 60% of business owners say growth has added more stress than expected, while 42% admit they feel overwhelmed managing everything alone.
Growth should feel exciting. A little exhausting? Sure. But not to the point where it drains your energy and dims your momentum.
This is the moment where many business owners realise that the only way forward is to restructure how they work, and often, that starts with getting the right support.
Conclusion
Sometimes the signs are very clear that you need administrative support, other times maybe not.
But the truth is, doing it all on your own isn’t a long-term strategy. As your business grows, so should the systems and support around you. You don’t have to wait until you’re overwhelmed to ask for help, noticing the early signs is already a step in the right direction.
At Arwana, we connect growing businesses with highly skilled administrative assistants who get to know your business like the back of their hand so that they can support you effectively.
So, if you are finally ready, then what are you waiting for? Book a free discovery call today and let’s get started.
