"I'm surprised almost weekly because [Alaina] is ahead of me on a lot of things. She sees things I don't see, which is absolutely perfect. She picks up on stuff, and she helps me focus on what is most important when I'm wandering."
— Bill Edgar, CEO Coach
The Challenge
Bill Edgar, a CEO Coach with Vistage Florida, chairs two private advisory boards for CEOs, business owners, and executives — helping 24 members step out of the day-to-day, think differently, and generate meaningful results. Running a high-touch coaching practice demands flexibility and foresight, and Bill had long known he needed an assistant who could keep up with — and even get ahead of — his fast-moving workload.
The search had not been easy.
"My history with Virtual Assistants goes back almost eight years and it's been a rollercoaster in terms of success,"Bill recalls. Over nearly a decade, he had worked his way through many different VA services, consistently finding the same gap: no one took the time to ensure a genuine match between client and assistant.
By the time Bill reached BELAY, his patience had worn thin. He told his Client Success Consultant plainly what he required:
"I want somebody who can see around corners. I want somebody who's ahead of me, not behind me."He needed a partner in the truest sense — someone who could anticipate needs, not just execute tasks after being told.
The Solution
What set BELAY apart from every service Bill had tried before was its commitment to finding the right match. Rather than simply pairing two people and moving on, BELAY invested time in understanding what Bill needed and who would complement him best.
"None of them spent time to find two people who work well together,"Bill says. "That was the difference."
Enter BELAY Virtual Assistant Alaina Jones. From the very first month, Alaina and Bill worked to build a strong foundation — meeting almost every other day to understand his workload, establish processes, and clarify priorities.
"We met the first month almost every other day just trying to learn what he had going on, what needed to be done and setting up different processes that we could put into place to make things easier,"Alaina explains.
Alaina's responsibilities quickly took shape: managing Bill's calendar, rescheduling appointments, supporting monthly member meeting logistics — including room reservations — and organizing and filing documents. The collaboration evolved naturally, and now the two connect weekly by meeting, with ongoing communication by call, text, and email throughout the week. As Alaina puts it, BELAY's approach meant that instead of "throwing two people together," the pairing was thoughtful — and it showed from day one.
"It is fun building a company with Alaina. I don't feel [past] frustrations working with her. It's fun. It's fun going to work."
— Bill Edgar, CEO CoachThe Impact
The results have been transformational — not just operationally, but personally. Bill describes a marked shift in his daily experience since partnering with Alaina.
"I have a much lower level of panic — and I feel a lot more supported — than I did two years ago."The anxiety and micromanagement that defined his past experiences with VAs have been replaced by a deep, functioning trust.
What stands out most is Alaina's proactive instincts — exactly what Bill had asked for.
"I'm surprised almost weekly because [Alaina] is ahead of me on a lot of things. She sees things I don't see, which is absolutely perfect. She picks up on stuff, and she helps me focus on what is most important when I'm wandering."For a CEO Coach who spends his days helping others gain clarity, having that same clarity reflected back at him has been invaluable.
The relationship has grown beyond the professional.
"It's definitely the relationship we've built. I consider [Bill] a friend. He supports me in everything I do for him — and personally,"Alaina says. Bill echoes the sentiment, describing their partnership as genuinely enjoyable:
"It is fun building a company with Alaina. I don't feel [past] frustrations working with her. It's fun. It's fun going to work."