Also: EA
What a Executive Assistant does.
A right hand for calendar, inbox, and travel — the now, this week to thirty days.
A founder or executive whose business day needs owning so they can do the work only they can do.
What they own.
- Calendar, inbox, and complex travel
- Meeting prep, follow-up, and gatekeeping
- Light project and vendor coordination
- The reliable operational backbone of the day
When you need one
- Your business calendar and inbox are chaos
- The need is now — this week, this month
- The work is mostly remote and digital
When you don’t
If your home is the mess, that’s a house manager or PA. If you need a strategic #2, that’s a chief of staff.
How to tell it apart
Questions.
- What does an executive assistant do?
- An EA owns an executive’s calendar, inbox, travel, and meeting logistics — the operational backbone of the working day.
- How much does an executive assistant cost?
- Market ranges run about $68–129K/year; family-office EAs command $140–240K at the top.
- EA or chief of staff?
- An EA is task and calendar ownership; a chief of staff is strategy and execution across the org — a true #2.
Not sure this is the one you need?
Take the 2-minute finder — it’ll tell you honestly, and it might say you need a system, not a seat.