A Founding Growth Partner plan is $349/mo. A Growth plan is $799/mo. Here's how that stacks up against hiring someone to answer the phone — modeled, with the assumptions shown.
| Factor | Petunia | $20/hr office hire |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $349 (Founding) or $799 (Growth) | ~$3,500+/mo fully loaded (modeled) |
| Concurrent calls/texts | Handles simultaneous leads | 1 at a time |
| Answers after-hours & weekends | Yes — always on | Only if paid overtime |
| Sick days / PTO / turnover risk | None | Real cost — coverage gaps + rehiring |
| Confirms a booking only after it is real | Yes — no soft confirmations | Depends on training/discipline |
Labeled assumptions below — not live revenue figures. Your numbers will vary.
Petunia, effective hourly
~$0.48–$2/hr
Founding at $349/mo ÷ 730 always-on calendar hours ≈ $0.48/hr, or ÷ ~173 office-equivalent hours ≈ $2/hr. Growth is $799/mo at the same math.
Office hire, fully loaded (model)
~$3,500+/mo
$20/hr × ~173 hrs/mo (~$3,460) plus payroll tax, benefits, PTO, and management overhead — a labeled band, not fixed accounting. One person also covers ~40 hrs/week, not 24/7.
Break-even, modeled
Founding ($349/mo) pays for itself with roughly one extra system sale or 3–5 extra service calls a month, using illustrative HVAC ticket sizes (service call ~$300–$600; system sale several thousand dollars). Your ticket sizes and close rate set the real number — this is the shape of the math, not a guarantee.
$349/mo. No credit card required to start a trial.