What does business support actually cost? VA, OBM and BOP rates in the UK explained
If you're a fractional director or a founder trying to work out what support costs, you've probably found the internet unhelpful. Everyone quotes a different number, nobody explains what you're actually paying for, and the packages all sound the same until you read the small print.
So here's the plain version. What a Virtual Assistant costs, what an Online Business Manager costs, what a Business Operations Partner costs, and how to know which one you actually need. No jargon, no hiding the numbers.
The short answer
UK business support usually falls into three levels, and the price follows the level of ownership, not the number of hours.
Virtual Assistant (VA): roughly £25 to £45 an hour
Online Business Manager (OBM): roughly £45 to £75 an hour, or £1,500 to £4,000+ a month on retainer
Business Operations Partner (BOP): typically retainer or project based, priced on outcomes rather than hours
The cheapest option by the hour is rarely the cheapest by the outcome. That's the whole point of this post, so let's break it down properly.
What does a Virtual Assistant cost, and what do you get?
A Virtual Assistant takes tasks off your plate. Inbox, diary, travel, data entry, chasing invoices, formatting documents, the admin that eats your week.
UK VA rates typically run £25 to £45 an hour. General admin sits at the lower end. Specialist skills like bookkeeping, tech setup or marketing support sit higher. Many VAs offer retainer packages, and a monthly retainer usually works out better value than ad-hoc hours if your work is steady and ongoing.
A VA is the right choice when you know exactly what needs doing and you just need a capable pair of hands to do it. You stay the one holding the plan. They execute it.
Where people get caught out: hiring a VA and then expecting them to run the business. That's not the job. If you find yourself managing your VA more than they're saving you, you've outgrown the level.
What does an Online Business Manager cost, and what do you get?
An Online Business Manager runs the day-to-day so you don't have to. They manage projects, systems, processes and often your team. The difference from a VA is ownership. A VA does the tasks. An OBM owns the outcome and works out the tasks themselves.
UK OBM rates typically run £45 to £75 an hour, and most work on retainer, usually £1,500 to £4,000 or more a month depending on scope and how much of your operation they're holding.
An OBM is the right choice when the problem isn't "I have too many tasks," it's "I'm the bottleneck for everything." If nothing moves in your business unless you move it, that's an OBM shaped gap.
What does a Business Operations Partner cost, and what do you get?
A Business Operations Partner sits higher again. This is the level I work at. A BOP doesn't just run your operations, they look at the whole business, find what's actually holding it back, and build the support around that. Strategy and delivery in the same person, with a team underneath to make it happen.
Because a BOP is priced on outcomes rather than hours, it's usually retainer or project based and scoped to your business, not sold off a rate card. You're not buying time. You're buying the thing running properly without you in the middle of it.
A BOP is the right choice when you're a fractional director or founder who's brilliant at the work you're known for, and drowning in the business wrapped around it. You don't need more hands. You need someone to own the whole operational picture so you can go back to being brilliant.
VA vs OBM vs BOP: which one do you actually need?
Quick way to tell where you sit:
You know the tasks, you just need them done — Virtual Assistant
You're the bottleneck and need someone to run the day-to-day — Online Business Manager
You need someone to own the whole operation and fix what's broken underneath it — Business Operations Partner
Most people come looking for a VA because it's the cheapest line on the page, then wonder why they still feel stretched three months later. It's not that the VA did a bad job. It's that they hired for the wrong level. Cheap hands can't fix an expensive problem.
Why the cheapest option often costs the most
Here's the bit nobody tells you. When you hire below the level you need, you become the difference. You end up managing the person, filling the gaps, doing the thinking they can't, and calling it support. That's not saving money. That's paying twice, once in fees and once in your own time, which is the most expensive thing you have.
The right question isn't "what's the hourly rate?" It's "how much of this can I stop holding?" Price the answer to that and the numbers make a lot more sense.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a VA and an OBM? A Virtual Assistant does the tasks you give them. An Online Business Manager owns the outcome and manages the tasks, systems and often the team themselves. A VA works to your plan. An OBM makes the plan happen.
How much does a Virtual Assistant cost in the UK? Typically £25 to £45 an hour, depending on the skill level and whether you're on ad-hoc hours or a retainer. Retainers usually offer better value for ongoing work.
How much does an OBM cost in the UK? Around £45 to £75 an hour, or £1,500 to £4,000+ a month on retainer, depending on how much of your operation they're running.
What is a Business Operations Partner? A Business Operations Partner combines operational strategy and delivery. They own the whole running of your business, find what's holding it back, and build the support around it, usually with a team underneath. It's the level above an OBM and is priced on outcomes, not hours.
Which type of support is right for a fractional director? It depends on where the pressure is. If you have too many tasks, a VA. If you're the bottleneck for everything, an OBM. If the whole operation needs owning and fixing, a Business Operations Partner.
Not sure which level you actually need? That's usually the real question underneath the price one. At Goldspun we start with a proper look at your business before anyone quotes you a number, so you're buying the right thing, not the cheapest thing. Come and have a conversation.