Executive Assistant for Agency Owners
Get out of the weeds. Get back to growing your agency. Exec Assistants recruits executive assistants for owners of marketing, creative, digital, web development, and PR agencies.
- Your EA guards your calendar and sorts client email.
- Your EA chases client assets and tracks every proposal.
- Your EA follows up on unpaid invoices and retainer renewals.
$1,997 USD one-time recruitment feeYou hire and pay your EA directly. No long-term contract.
When Should an Agency Owner Hire an Executive Assistant?
Most agency owners run sales, delivery, hiring, and finance at once. Admin fills every gap between client calls. You’re ready for an EA when you see two or more of these signs:
Admin eats your week. You spend 10 or more hours a week on scheduling, proposals, and chasing people.
Client assets hold up projects. Work stalls while you wait for logos, copy, approvals, or ad account access.
Proposals go cold. Proposals take days to send, and nobody follows up after the prospect opens them.
Invoices slip. Unpaid invoices pile up, and retainer renewals catch you by surprise.
What Does an Executive Assistant Do for an Agency Owner?
Your EA takes over six areas of agency admin. You keep the creative, pricing, and client decisions.
Client Onboarding and Asset Collection
- Sends intake forms and books kickoff calls
- Sets up each new client’s shared folder and project board
- Chases clients for brand assets, copy, approvals, logins, and ad account access
- Flags late client responses that put your timeline at risk
New Business and Proposals
- Logs leads, call notes, and deal stages in HubSpot, Pipedrive, or GoHighLevel
- Books discovery calls and sends pre-call questionnaires
- Builds proposals and statements of work (SOWs) in PandaDoc or Proposify from your templates
- Tracks proposal opens and follows up before deals go cold
Your Calendar and Client Email
- Protects time for strategy, sales, and deep work
- Sorts your inbox and drafts routine client replies for your review
- Sends meeting recaps with next steps within the hour
- Books quarterly business reviews (QBRs) and flags retainer renewals 60 days out
Scope and Retainer Tracking
- Logs every client request against the signed SOW
- Flags out-of-scope requests to you before your team starts work
- Tracks retainer hours used each month and warns you before a client runs over
Billing and Finance Admin
- Sends retainer and project invoices from QuickBooks Online or Xero on schedule
- Follows up on overdue invoices with polite reminder emails
- Pulls hours from Harvest or Toggl for monthly billing
- Cancels unused software seats before they renew
Team and Freelancer Admin
- Posts jobs, screens resumes, and books interviews
- Sends contracts and NDAs to freelancers through Deel or DocuSign
- Sets up new hires in Slack, ClickUp, Asana, or Monday.com
- Keeps team capacity current in Float and flags anyone who’s overbooked
How Does EA Support Change by Agency Size?
| Agency size | Your biggest bottleneck | Where your EA focuses |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 5 people | You do sales, admin, and account management yourself | Inbox, calendar, proposals, client asset chasing |
| 6 to 15 people | Team coordination and sales follow-up | Proposal tracking, freelancer onboarding, invoice follow-up, CRM upkeep |
| 15 or more people | Leading managers and keeping key accounts | Leadership team logistics, capacity reports, QBR scheduling, offsites |
Executive Assistant vs Project Manager: What’s the Difference?
Many agencies hire an EA before a second project manager. The owner’s time sets the pace for growth.
| Project manager | Executive assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Client delivery and the creative team | The owner’s time, inbox, and operations |
| Sales role | Estimates hours for proposals | Drafts proposals, tracks opens, and books discovery calls |
| Client role | Runs status calls and deliverables | Sends onboarding forms, chases assets, and books QBRs |
| Success looks like | Projects on time and on budget | Hours returned to the owner each week |
What Stays With the Agency Owner?
| Area | Your EA handles | You decide |
|---|---|---|
| Sales and pricing | Proposal drafts and CRM updates | Final scope, custom pricing, and pitch calls |
| Creative direction | Collects client feedback and updates tasks | Concepts and campaign strategy |
| Finance | Invoices, expense logs, and overdue payment follow-up | Outgoing payments, payroll, and banking |
| Contracts | Sends NDAs, agreements, and intake forms | Signing master service agreements (MSAs) and SOWs |
Illustrative Candidate Profiles
These profiles show the backgrounds we screen for. They describe no real person. Your shortlist reflects your agency and tools.
- Skills: HubSpot, Slack, Harvest, client onboarding
- Experience: 4 years supporting the owner of a 20-person digital agency
- Useful fit: Agencies with clients in the US and Europe
- Skills: ClickUp, Monday.com, Toggl, Deel
- Experience: 3 years in operations at a performance marketing agency
- Useful fit: Agencies that work with many freelancers
- Skills: Pipedrive, PandaDoc, QuickBooks Online, Xero
- Experience: 5 years supporting agency leadership with sales and billing
- Useful fit: Owners who want steady proposal follow-up and invoice collection
Which Agency Tools Can You Hand Over?
Your EA works inside your accounts. They learn any other tool during onboarding.
How Much Does an Agency Executive Assistant Cost?
One time. You hire and pay your EA directly. The savings protect your margins.
What the fee covers
Sourcing, vetting, a shortlist in 7 to 10 days, and a 3-month replacement guarantee.
What you pay after that
Your EA’s monthly salary, paid directly to them. No agency markup and no long-term contract.
| Option | Yearly cost | Hours and overlap | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| US in-house EA | $95,000 USD to $100,000 USD with benefits | Local hours | In-office work and errands |
| Remote EA, South Africa | $18,000 USD to $30,000 USD | 6 to 7 hours ahead of New York. Covers the US morning and the full UK workday. | Agencies with clients in the US and Europe |
| Remote EA, Philippines | $12,000 USD to $24,000 USD | Night shift matches US hours | Live Slack presence and client follow-up |
For pay levels and labor rules, read our complete guide to hiring an executive assistant in the Philippines and our EA salary and cost guide by country.
How Do You Hire an Agency EA Through Exec Assistants?
- 1
Consultation
We learn your agency, clients, tools, and time zone.
- 2
Shortlist
You receive pre-vetted candidates with agency or client service experience within 7 to 10 days.
- 3
Interviews
You test your top picks and choose one.
- 4
Direct hire
You hire and pay your EA directly.
- 5
Guarantee
If the hire doesn’t work out within 3 months, we find a replacement.
How Do You Keep Client Data and Brand Assets Safe?
No Payment Authority
Your EA drafts invoices and logs expenses but never sends payments or wires.
Password Manager and 2FA
You share logins through 1Password or Bitwarden and turn on two-factor authentication.
Limited Access
Add your EA to only the Slack channels and project spaces they need.
Signed Agreements
Your EA signs an NDA and a data protection agreement before day one.
Staged Access
Calendar and Slack in week one, CRM and project tools in week two, finance tools last.
Vetted Candidates
We screen every candidate before you see a profile. See our guide to vetting, NDAs, and data security.
How Do You Onboard an Agency EA? A 14-Day Plan
Set up
Set up 1Password, Slack, and a company email. Write a one-page “How I Work” doc. Record 3 to 5 Loom videos of your proposal format and inbox rules.
Calendar, inbox, and assets
Your EA takes over your calendar and starts draft-first email. Hand over client asset chasing for stalled projects.
CRM and proposals
Add your CRM and PandaDoc or Proposify. Your EA drafts SOWs from past templates and tracks proposal opens.
Billing and capacity
Add view-only QuickBooks or Xero, plus Harvest or Toggl. Your EA sends the first weekly capacity report. Hold a review on Day 14.
KPIs to Track
| Area | What to measure |
|---|---|
| Your time | Hours returned to you each week |
| Client assets | Days to collect everything for a new project |
| Proposals | Time from proposal open to follow-up |
| Cash flow | Total overdue invoices |
| Scope | Out-of-scope requests caught before work starts |
Agency Executive Assistant FAQs
Can my EA talk to clients directly?+
Yes. Your EA handles scheduling, recaps, onboarding, asset collection, and routine updates. Questions about strategy, results, scope, or pricing go to you.
What’s the difference between an EA and a project manager?+
A project manager moves client work through your team on time and on budget. An EA protects your time and runs your calendar, inbox, proposals, and billing admin.
Can my EA build proposals?+
Yes. Your EA builds proposals and SOWs in PandaDoc or Proposify from your templates and pricing rules. You review the scope and price before anything goes out.
How does an EA help prevent project delays?+
Missing client assets often hold up agency projects. Your EA follows up with new clients on a set schedule until your team has every logo, file, login, and approval it needs.
Can one EA support me and my team?+
Yes, in a small agency. Your EA supports you first and helps the team with scheduling and admin.
Will my EA sign an NDA?+
Yes. Your EA signs an NDA and a data protection agreement before getting access to your tools or client accounts.
What if my EA doesn’t work out?+
If the hire doesn’t work out within 3 months, we find you a new EA.