BELAY FAQ - What’s the difference between an executive assistant and a virtual assistant?

Q: What’s the difference between an executive assistant and a virtual assistant?

There’s no functional difference—just perception. A virtual assistant is simply an executive assistant who works remotely. BELAY matches clients with U.S.-based, high-performing executive assistants to provide leadership-level support without the overhead.

Why people think there’s a difference

The term virtual assistant has been watered down. When people hear it, they think of task-rabbit freelancers overseas, chatbot pop-ups, or low-skill help from Fiverr.

Meanwhile, executive assistant sounds higher-caliber—someone who’s professional, proactive, and embedded in your business. The truth? That’s exactly what a good VA is supposed to be. But not all VA services deliver that.

What really matters: the quality of the assistant

Forget the label. Here’s what you should actually care about:

Are they U.S.-based and fluent in your language and culture?
Do they have experience supporting leaders like you?
Can they manage your calendar, inbox, travel, priorities, and follow-ups without handholding?
Do they work proactively and understand what matters to you before you even ask?

If the answer is yes, you’ve got an executive assistant—whether they sit in the next office or log in from a few states away.

Where BELAY fits in

BELAY only matches clients with experienced, U.S.-based executive assistants.
No bots. No overseas call centers. No endless list of unvetted profiles.

We hand-pick one assistant for you—someone with the professionalism, communication skills, and executive-level experience to actually make your life easier. And we back them with a dedicated Client Success Consultant to ensure it works.

So when you hear virtual assistant and think “less than,” just know:
With BELAY, ‘virtual’ just means remote. Everything else is premium.

Summary

There’s no real difference between a virtual assistant and an executive assistant—unless you’re buying the cheap version. BELAY matches you with U.S.-based, high-performing executive assistants who happen to work remotely. That means less admin, more focus, and leadership-level support—without the overhead.

What We Offer

A BELAY Virtual Assistant is the expert in:

Research & Reporting
Inbox & Schedule Management
Book Travel & Expense Reporting
Project Coordination
Social Media Assistance
Light Bookkeeping

Stop trying to do it all. Accomplish More by Hiring a BELAY Virtual Assistant.

A BELAY Accounting Specialist can provide:

Bookkeeping
Accounting Clerks
Full-Service Payroll
E-Commerce Support
Tax Services
CFO & Controller Services

Your Books. Done Right. Accounting Services from BELAY.

A BELAY Marketing Assistant can help:

Develop Calendar & Schedule Posts
Create Content
Develop Strategy
Drive Engagement
Email Marketing
Provide Reporting

Twitter and LinkedIn and Facebook. Oh, My! Let a BELAY Marketing Assistant Help.

How it Works

Step 1

Sales Call

Meet with your Solutions Consultant to identify your exact needs and pain points and determine the right hire for you. If BELAY is a good fit, we’ll send you an agreement to sign, and you’ll be paired with a Client Success Consultant.

Step 2

Discovery Call

Meet with your Client Success Consultant to deep dive into your tasks, tools, culture, and personality requirements to ensure we match you with the right BELAY Professional.

Step 3

Placement Process

Now for our Secret Sauce: Your Client Success Consultant will vet and interview top candidates from our bench of nearly 2,000 U.S.-based Professionals. They’ll select the best match for you—in an average of just one week.

Step 4

Kickoff Call

You, your Client Success Consultant, and your new teammate will have a kickoff call—the official start to your partnership—to meet each other, set initial goals, discuss communication plans, and set yourselves up for success.