Interactive Tool

The Hidden Cost of Manual Board Prep

Most leadership teams have no idea what board prep actually costs them. Plug in three numbers and find out.

5 min read •
TL;DR
  • → The hidden cost of manual board prep at a typical $50M ARR SaaS company is $180,000–$240,000 per year.
  • → That equates to roughly 6 weeks of executive time, plus the opportunity cost of slower strategic decisions.
  • → The calculator estimates total hours, total dollar cost, and Steerco's projected payback period using an 80% time reduction.
  • → The biggest cost of manual board prep is not the hours — it is what your most expensive people aren't doing during those hours.
  • → Steerco is the only platform that builds the entire board book from your live data — on-brand, executive-ready, in minutes instead of days.
On this page
  1. 1. Calculator Inputs
  2. 2. Calculator Outputs
  3. 3. What the Calculator Misses
  4. 4. What to Do Next

Calculator Inputs

  • • People involved in board prep (CEO, CFO, CoS, VPs)
  • • Average fully loaded hourly cost — default $200
  • • Hours per person per board cycle — default 25
  • • Board cycles per year — default 4

Calculator Outputs

  • • Total hours per year
  • • Total dollar cost per year
  • • Hours saved with Steerco (assume 80% reduction)
  • • Dollars saved with Steerco
  • • Payback period vs. Steerco list price
Sample Output

Your team spends approximately {X} hours and ${Y} per year on board prep. Steerco can return roughly {Z} hours and ${W} to your executive team — a payback period of less than {P} weeks.

What the Calculator Does Not Capture

  • • Stress and burnout
  • • Decision fatigue from Sunday-night reviews
  • • Quality loss from stale data
  • • Slower strategic decisions because the deck took too long

What to Do Next

  • • Share your number with your CFO.
  • • Compare to Steerco's annual cost (transparent on /platform/pricing).
  • • Start for Free and see the deck generated live. No slide decks. No sales calls.
Key Takeaway

The biggest cost of manual board prep is not the hours — it is what your most expensive people aren't doing during those hours.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is this calculator?

It uses industry medians from our 50-operator research study. Your exact number may vary.

Do you save my inputs?

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser.

Is there a more detailed version?

Yes — we can run a custom ROI analysis on a demo call.

What does a typical $50M ARR SaaS company spend on board prep?

Roughly $180,000–$240,000 per year — about 6 weeks of executive time.

See your savings, then see the product.

No slide decks. No sales calls.

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