Most weeks someone in County Durham asks me a version of the same question: what does business support actually mean, and is it something a business my size should be paying for? It is a fair question, because the phrase covers everything from a virtual assistant answering emails to a consultancy writing your five year plan, and it is almost impossible to compare prices when nobody is describing the same thing.
So here is the plain version, from someone who does this every day from Durham for owner run businesses across the North East.
What business support covers
I split it into five areas, because those are the five places small businesses tend to run out of hands.
Operations: the processes, systems and suppliers that keep the business running, including all the jobs that only happen because you remember to do them.
Marketing: your website, your Google Business Profile, social media, blogs and email, kept going every week rather than in bursts when you find a spare evening.
Finance: bookkeeping in Xero, VAT returns, payroll and the monthly numbers you actually need to see.
Business development: finding the next clients, following up, proposals and, for the right businesses, public sector tenders.
Admin: the inbox, the diary, invoicing, documents and keeping the customer list in order.
Most owners do not need all five. They usually have one area that is quietly eating their evenings, and one that is costing them money because it is not being done at all.
What it costs
I can only speak for my own pricing, and I publish it because you should be able to see it before you pick up the phone.
Maintain, £850 a month: one function kept running to a professional standard, with a monthly report and check in.
Optimise, £1,500 a month: one or two functions run and actively improved month on month, with a fortnightly check in.
Growth Partner, £2,500 a month: the whole back office and growth function in one place, with a weekly check in and a quarterly strategy review.
There is no timesheet. You hand over a function, I keep it running to a standard, and the monthly report shows you exactly what was done. Notice is 30 days. If you only need one thing sorted, a One Week Build is £950 fixed, and if you would like a prioritised plan before committing to anything, the Business Systems and AI Audit is £1,200 fixed.
Everything I run sits on systems I have built with AI, which is how one person covers what would normally take a small team. The AI page explains what that looks like in practice and what I do not let it near.
How to tell whether it is worth it
Three questions usually settle it.
What is your hour worth when you are doing the work only you can do? If you bill £60 an hour, or a good hour on the tools or in front of a customer is worth more than that, every evening spent on invoices and follow ups has a price on it.
What is not getting done at all? Enquiries that sit for three days, invoices that go out late, a Google profile that has not been touched since it was set up. Those gaps cost more than the admin you can see.
Would a part time employee actually solve it? An employee comes with holidays to cover, payroll, pension, equipment and your management time, and still only brings one set of skills. A retained function brings the skills you need that month without any of that.
Why being local still matters
A lot of what I do happens remotely, because that is how it stays efficient. Being based in Durham still matters, though. I know the North East business community, I can sit in your office when a conversation needs it, and I understand the councils, networks and buyers your customers deal with. I work with businesses in Durham, Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, Middlesbrough and Northumberland, and further afield when it suits.
Where to start
If you are not sure which area to hand over first, that is the conversation worth having. It costs nothing, and you will come away knowing whether I am the right fit or whether you need something different. Get in touch here, or see the full list of services and prices.