Blogs

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When you charge £1,000 for a one-hour webinar, it can feel like a big number.

But it’s worth understanding where that money actually goes, and how much of it is really take-home pay. Let’s break it down.

That £1,000 is not what ends up in your pocket. First, there are business costs.

Even a lean speaker has expenses: software, platforms, insurance, marketing, accountancy, tech, professional development, admin support, and more. Let’s assume they’re efficient and spend around 15% on running their business.
That leaves 85% → £850.

Next comes tax. This varies hugely depending on setup, but let’s be conservative and say 20% needs to be set aside.
Now we’re at 65% → £650.

Unlike employees, self-employed people don’t get paid holidays. If they want to take the UK statutory minimum (around six weeks including bank holidays), they need to plan for that. That’s roughly 12%.
Now we’re at 53% → £530.

Then there’s the rainy day fund. Tech fails. Laptops die. Bookings cancel. Life happens. Setting aside 10% brings us to 43% → £430.

Finally, there’s pension savings. Optional, yes, but important. Let’s allow another 10%. That leaves 33%.

So from that £1,000 invoice, the amount that’s actually available for personal spending is around £330.

This is exactly why pricing can feel confusing, and why so many speakers and trainers undercharge without realising it.

If you’re unsure whether your fees truly support the life and business you want, the Fox Virtual Assistants Profit and Pricing Audit can help you step back and look at the numbers properly. It takes the emotion out of pricing and replaces it with clarity, structure, and confidence.

If this has made you pause and rethink your rates, feel free to get in touch and we can talk it through.

When business owners start feeling overwhelmed, the first instinct is often:

"I need to hire someone full-time"

But employing a full-time member of staff is a much bigger financial commitment than most people realise.

Salary is only part of the picture.

Once you factor in pensions, National Insurance, software, equipment, holiday pay, training, HR support, and operational overheads, the true cost of employment can rise significantly.

In many cases, employing someone full-time can cost a business upwards of £68,000 per year once additional employment and operational costs are taken into account.

This is one of the reasons many consultants, coaches, trainers, and speakers are now turning to Fox Virtual Assistants for operational support instead.

Not simply because it can be more cost-effective, but because it’s often more flexible, scalable, and aligned with the way modern businesses operate today.

Many businesses don’t actually require 37.5 hours of support every single week.

What they really need is:

• someone ensuring operations run smoothly 
• someone keeping on top of client communication 
• someone managing systems and processes 
• someone making sure important tasks don’t fall through the cracks 

An experienced Virtual Assistant can often complete tasks faster and more efficiently because operational support is their speciality.

Combined with smart systems and managed workflows, businesses can access high-level support at £40 per hour without taking on the long-term financial commitment and overheads of full-time employment.

At 40 hours a month, a Virtual Assistant will only cost £19,200 a year to provide experienced operational support, client communication management, systems oversight, and day-to-day business support, less than a third of the potential cost of employing a full-time member of staff.