What does it cost to run a business team?
Hiring the seven roles that keep a small business running costs about $465,000 a year. The AI equivalent costs $99 a month. Here's the full breakdown.
Hiring the seven core roles that run a small business — executive assistant, sales rep, social media manager, SEO specialist, performance marketer, web developer, and receptionist — costs roughly $465,000/year in US base salaries (2026), before benefits and overhead. The equivalent AI team on Delegated is a flat $99/month ($1,188/year) with unlimited usage — about $463,812/year less, or roughly 391× cheaper. That works out to about $170/year per role, versus tens of thousands each to hire.
Cost per role: human hire vs AI employee
| Role | Delegated agent | Human hire (US base / yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Executive assistant | Sage | $60,000 |
| Sales development rep | Scout | $65,000 |
| Social media manager | Blaze | $60,000 |
| SEO specialist | Lex | $65,000 |
| Performance marketer (paid ads) | Pixel | $75,000 |
| Web developer | Axel | $100,000 |
| Receptionist / front desk | Iris | $40,000 |
| Total — full team | All 7 agents | $465,000/yr |
| Delegated (Solo plan) | Same 7 agents | $1,188/yr ($99/mo) |
Methodology
Human figures are approximate US base salaries for 2026, using conservative round midpoints for each role. They exclude benefits, payroll taxes, software, and overhead, which typically add 25–40% — so the true cost of hiring is higher than the $465,000 shown. Sales roles often add commission; web developers and performance marketers vary most by region and seniority. The Delegated figure is the published Solo plan at $99/month ($1,188/year), a flat price with unlimited usage and no per-task or per-credit metering. Salary ranges are illustrative market estimates, not a citation of any single salary source.
What the $99/month actually does
Unlike a single chatbot, each agent owns a real function and runs on its own schedule — proactively, without being prompted.
Triages your inbox, drafts replies, takes meeting notes, and delegates work to the other agents.
Finds leads matching your ICP, runs personalised outreach on email and LinkedIn, and follows up.
Creates, schedules, and publishes content across LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
Keyword research, on-page optimisation, and publishing SEO content to your site.
Plans, launches, and manages ad campaigns and watches spend against revenue.
Builds full websites, lead funnels, blogs, and custom tools, deployed to your domain.
Answers inbound calls 24/7 on a dedicated number and books appointments (add-on).
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a team to run a small business?
Hiring the seven core roles that run a small business — executive assistant, sales rep, social media manager, SEO specialist, performance marketer, web developer, and receptionist — costs roughly $465,000 per year in US base salaries alone (2026). Benefits, payroll taxes, software, and overhead typically add another 25–40% on top.
How much does an AI employee cost?
On Delegated, a full team of seven AI employees costs a flat $99/month ($1,188/year) with unlimited usage — about $170/year per role, versus tens of thousands per year for the human equivalent. There is no per-task or per-credit metering.
Can AI replace employees for a small business?
AI agents can take over a large share of the repeatable work in roles like executive assistance, sales outreach, social media, SEO, paid ads, web development, and reception — running 24/7 without being prompted. They complement rather than fully replace senior strategic hires, but for a solo founder or small business they cover work that would otherwise cost roughly $465,000/year to staff.
Is an AI team cheaper than hiring or using freelancers?
Yes. At $99/month, Delegated's seven-agent team costs about 0.3% of the ~$465,000/year it would take to hire the equivalent roles — roughly 391× cheaper — and unlike freelancers there is no ramp-up time, no per-project invoicing, and the agents work around the clock.
Replace a $465,000 payroll for $99/month
Seven AI employees — executive assistant, sales, social, SEO, paid ads, web development, and a phone receptionist. One flat price, unlimited, always on. Cancel anytime.
Deploy your AI team — $99/month