---
title: "Executive assistant: Meaning for Small Business Owners"
description: "An executive assistant is a professional who supports a senior leader or business owner by managing their calendar, communication, projects, meetings and many..."
url: https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/executive-assistant
publisher: Peachtree VA
book: https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/contact
---

Virtual Assistants

# Executive assistant

An executive assistant is a professional who supports a senior leader or business owner by managing their calendar, communication, projects, meetings and many day-to-day decisions.

An executive assistant (EA) acts as a right hand to a founder or executive. The work goes beyond clerical tasks. An EA screens email, protects the calendar, prepares meeting notes, tracks projects and often makes small decisions on the leader's behalf. Trust and judgment matter as much as skill.

For a small business owner, an EA can be the first hire that frees real time. Many owners lose hours each week to inbox triage and scheduling. A strong EA gets those hours back and keeps important follow-ups from slipping. Our [guide to hiring an executive assistant](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/guides/how-to-hire-an-executive-assistant) walks through the steps.

An EA may sit in your office or work remotely. If you want part-time help, see [fractional executive assistant](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/fractional-executive-assistant) and [virtual executive assistant](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/virtual-executive-assistant).

[Peachtree VA can helpU.S.-based virtual assistants for small business](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/va-services)

## Related terms

-   [Fractional executive assistant](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/fractional-executive-assistant)
-   [Virtual executive assistant](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/virtual-executive-assistant)
-   [Delegation](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/delegation)

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