A little clarity before you build
Is this automation
worth your time?
Put a value on the work you could get back. See what it takes to make the investment worthwhile.
Scenario · Your automation
Pays for itself in 1.4 months.
Returns an estimated $7,586 in first-year net value after all startup and running costs.
- Task time saved
- 5 hours per week · 260 a year
- First-year net value
- $7,586 after all first-year costs
- First-year ROI
- 345% net value / first-year costs
- Payback
- 1.4 months to recover the initial investment
How the first year adds up
| Value of time saved260 hours × $37.64/hr | $9,786 |
|---|---|
| Setup and other startup costsone time | $0 |
| Your development time20 hours × $50/hr | −$1,000 |
| Software and service fees12 × $50/mo | −$600 |
| Maintenance time12 × 1 hour × $50/hr | −$600 |
| First-year net value | $7,586 |
Estimates from your own inputs, assuming steady savings and costs from launch. Scenarios, full assumptions, and method follow.
What would you love to take off your plate?
Start with the time this task takes today. We’ll work out how much of it you could get back.
BLS, June 2026: employer compensation including benefits at private-industry establishments with 1–49 workers. The founder rate is an example, not a statistic. Use your actual value when known.
Working schedule and cash savings
Your time, returned
Estimated · USD5 task hours saved each week
10 hours × 50% reduction = 5 hours saved
After all startup costs, running fees, and the value of development and maintenance time.
- First-year time-value ROI
- 345%
- Time-value payback
- 1.4 months
Show the numbers
- Startup fees and other initial costs
- $0
- Development time (20 hours)
- $1,000
- Total initial investment
- $1,000
- Monthly software and service fees
- $50
- Monthly upkeep (1 hour)
- $50
- Monthly net time value
- $716
- First-year costs, including time
- $2,200
What about actual cash savings?
Freed time creates capacity. Payroll only falls if paid hours, overtime, or other labor spending actually decrease. These views are not added together.
- Time value converted to cash savings
- 0%
- Monthly net cash benefit
- -$50
- First-year net cash benefit
- -$600
- Cash payback
- No payback
Calculation assumptions
- Hours saved = weekly task hours × expected reduction × 52 working weeks
- Time value = hours saved × value of each hour
- First-year costs = initial investment + 12 months of fees and upkeep
- First-year net value = first-year time value − first-year costs
- First-year ROI = first-year net value / first-year costs
- Monthly net value = monthly time value − monthly fees and upkeep
- Payback = initial investment / monthly net value
- ROI isn’t applicable when there are no costs.
- There’s no payback when the monthly net value is zero or less.
- Assumes steady savings and costs from launch. Excludes extra sales, taxes, financing, and discounting.
- Your development and maintenance time are valued costs, not automatic cash payments.
- All time reductions are estimates until measured.
Compare your scenarios.
Each cell shows your first-year net value: the value of time saved in year one minus all first-year costs. Rows change current task hours per week; columns change monthly software and service fees. Everything else stays at your numbers.
- Covers all first-year costs
- Doesn’t cover them in year one
- Your current numbers
| RowsCurrent task hours per week ↓ | ColumnsMonthly software and service fees → | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $50 | $200 | $400 | $600 | $800 | $1,000 | |
| 5 hrs | $3,293 | $2,693 | $893 | -$1,507 | -$3,907 | -$6,307 | -$8,707 |
| 10 hrs | $8,186 | $7,586 (your current numbers) | $5,786 | $3,386 | $986 | -$1,414 | -$3,814 |
| 15 hrs | $13,080 | $12,480 | $10,680 | $8,280 | $5,880 | $3,480 | $1,080 |
| 20 hrs | $17,973 | $17,373 | $15,573 | $13,173 | $10,773 | $8,373 | $5,973 |
| 25 hrs | $22,866 | $22,266 | $20,466 | $18,066 | $15,666 | $13,266 | $10,866 |
| 30 hrs | $27,759 | $27,159 | $25,359 | $22,959 | $20,559 | $18,159 | $15,759 |
Every cell includes startup fees and development time, plus monthly fees and maintenance.
Your assumptions
Your time
- Current task hours per week
- 10 hours
- Expected time reduction
- 50%
- Value of each hour
- $37.64/hr
Building it
- Paid setup or implementation fee
- $0
- Your development hours
- 20 hours
- Value of your development time
- $50/hr
- Other startup costs
- $0
Keeping it running
- Monthly software and service fees
- $50/mo
- Maintenance hours per month
- 1 hour
- Value of maintenance time
- $50/hr
Schedule and cash
- Working weeks per year
- 52 weeks
- Time value that reduces actual labor spending
- 0%
Method and sources
- First-year ROI = first-year net value / first-year costs. Payback = initial investment / monthly net value.
- Initial investment includes paid setup, other startup costs, and your development time. Running costs include fees and maintenance time. Your own time is valued, not paid in cash.
- Excludes extra sales, taxes, financing, and discounting. Time reductions are estimates until measured.
- Hourly benchmark: June 2026 average employer compensation, including benefits, for private-industry establishments with 1–49 workers. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.t06.htm
Keep the numbers handy.
Save a copy for yourself, or bring it to the conversation.
Ready to get 5 hours a week back?
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