A McKinsey study estimates that business owners spend nearly 60% of their workweek on administrative tasks such as bookkeeping, emails, scheduling, and payroll, leaving only 40% for strategic growth. QuickBooks surveys found that small business owners spend an average of 4.9 hours per week on accounting, translating to more than 250 hours annually. For solopreneurs and small business founders, this imbalance is crippling. Unlike corporations with teams of specialists, the founder often is the marketer, the accountant, the HR department, and the visionary rolled into one.
In 2025, the scarcest resource for entrepreneurs isn’t funding; it’s time. Money can be raised, borrowed, or reinvested. Time, once lost, is gone forever. The entrepreneurs thriving today aren’t the ones with the deepest pockets; they are the ones who’ve mastered how to reclaim their hours. And that’s where automation comes in.
This is the automation dividend: every hour freed from repetitive tasks becomes an hour reinvested in innovation, customer relationships, and growth.
Why Time Is More Valuable Than Money in 2025
Traditional thinking tells us that entrepreneurs must protect capital. But in practice, time is the multiplier of opportunity:
Key features of the compliance crunch:
● Capital is replaceable. Global venture capital investment surpassed $450 billion in 2023, signaling that money, while competitive, is accessible.
● Time is not. Deloitte estimates that workers lose 20% of their productivity each week to repetitive tasks. For solopreneurs, that’s a direct hit to growth.
Harvard Business Review argues that time is a company’s scarcest resource (HBR). For solopreneurs, that scarcity is amplified. One decision, whether to spend the afternoon reconciling expenses or pitching a new client, can define the trajectory of the business.
Automation reframes the equation: time saved = growth gained.
Automation isn’t just about cost savings; it’s about compounding returns on time.
What is the Automation Dividend?
● Saved hours: Reducing manual tasks like payroll, invoicing, or HR compliance.
● Reinvested hours: Using that time to develop new offerings, nurture client relationships, or refine strategy.
Example1: Bookkeeping & Tax Filing
Businesses spend up to 120 hours annually on tax compliance. Instead of spending 8 hours a week tracking expenses and reconciling receipts, entrepreneurs can automate bookkeeping and tax preparation with platforms like OneCo. The dividend? One day per week is dedicated to strategy and client acquisition.
Example2: Payroll & HR
The American Payroll Association reports that manual payroll processing can take 5–10 hours per pay cycle. Automated payroll and HR management not only frees up this time but also reduces compliance risks, which is valuable in regions where labor law penalties can cost thousands. Those hours can be reallocated to marketing campaigns or product development.
Example3: Marketing Automation
HubSpot research shows that businesses using marketing automation see a 14.5% increase in sales productivity and a 12% reduction in marketing overhead. From scheduling social posts to running drip campaigns, marketing automation ensures outreach continues in the background. Founders can step away from the keyboard to engage in strategy sessions or customer conversations.
In all cases, the automation dividend compounds. The more tasks automated, the larger the time surplus becomes.
Case Studies: Where Entrepreneurs Invest Their Automation Dividend
The payoff of automation isn’t theoretical. Entrepreneurs are already reinvesting their time:
● Innovation: A solopreneur coach uses saved hours to launch a new digital product, creating a fresh revenue stream. A Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report found that time invested in innovation directly correlates with higher revenue growth.
● Customer Relationships: A boutique consultancy automates invoicing, freeing its founder to meet with five additional clients monthly. Bain & Company research shows that a 5%increase in customer retention can boost profits by 25% to 95% (Bain).
● Scaling: A small e-commerce store leverages automated inventory tracking, enabling its owner to expand product lines without increasing workload. Statista notes that the e-commerce automation software market is projected to grow at a 15% CAGR through 2030 (Statista).
Each dividend adds up, not in saved dollars, but in accelerated growth.
How OneCo Unlocks the Automation Dividend
At OneCo, we have built an automation-first platform designed for solopreneurs and small businesses. Instead of piecing together separate tools, OneCo consolidates the essentials:
● Bookkeeping Automation: Expense tracking, reconciliation, and real-time dashboards.
● Payroll & HR: Automated payroll runs, benefits administration, and compliance updates.
● Tax Filing: Year-round tax preparation with filing automation built in.
● Workflow Integration: A single hub to manage business operations end-to-end.
By removing the friction of repetitive admin, OneCo helps entrepreneurs shift their energy back to growth. It’s not just about running leaner, it’s about running smarter.
Explore OneCo’s features here: <Insert landing page>
The Future Outlook: Time as the Currency of Entrepreneurship
In the next 5–10years, entrepreneurship will be defined less by capital access and more by time leverage. The World Economic Forum projects that by 2030, over 70% of new jobs will be created by small businesses and startups, many of which are run by solopreneurs.
For these founders, success won’t hinge on working 100-hour weeks. It will come from how effectively they compound their hours:
● AI-driven tools: Gartner predicts that by 2030, AI will eliminate 80% of routine project management tasks.
● Global connectivity: Remote-first work models already enable entrepreneurs to scale beyond borders without physical offices.
● Time arbitrage: Deploying freed hours into creativity and connection will separate thriving businesses from struggling ones.
Automation is no longer optional; it’s the new foundation of entrepreneurial growth.
Conclusion: Automation as Growth Strategy
Entrepreneurs must stop thinking of automation as a “cost saver” and start seeing it as their most valuable growth strategy. The automation dividend is not measured in dollars; it’s measured in hours, focus, and momentum.
The real ROI? Reclaiming your time to:
● Innovate boldly.
● Build meaningful relationships.
● Scale without burnout.
If you are a solopreneur or small business owner, the time to rethink your currency is now. Automation isn’t the future of work, it’s the future of growth.
.png)
.svg)
