"My calendar and my emails were conspiring to kill me and the business – and they were almost successful. I was losing work-life alignment and I knew I had to do something."
— Dethra U. Giles, CEO
The Challenge
As the CEO of ExecuPrep, an international Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training and consulting firm, Dethra U. Giles was experiencing the growing pains that success brings. As her business expanded, the volume of calls, emails, and calendar demands escalated beyond what she could manage alone.
The consequences were serious. Appointments were being booked with no systematic calendar management, emails were going unanswered, and revenue-generating opportunities were slipping through the cracks.
"My calendar and my emails were conspiring to kill me and the business – and they were almost successful. I was losing work-life alignment and I knew I had to do something."
With a small team made up mostly of consultants, Dethra had no internal resource to absorb the administrative burden. She needed help urgently — and she needed it fast enough that she didn't have time to be cautious about it. She reached out to BELAY.
The Solution
Dethra was paired with both a BELAY Client Success Consultant named Kyler and a Virtual Assistant named Jennifer — a match that Kyler made deliberately. Jennifer's extensive background in Human Resources and Project Management was specifically chosen to complement Dethra's HR consulting work.
"Every successful engagement starts off with a dynamic client who's eager to delegate and excited to welcome a strategic thought partner onto their team. Dethra is exactly that."
The trio held a detailed kickoff conversation to map out Dethra's frustrations and develop a prioritized plan: first, gaining control of her inbox; second, managing her calendar; and third, pursuing proactive revenue development. Jennifer grew quickly from organizing emails to actively participating in proposal conversations — identifying revenue-generating opportunities that had previously gone unnoticed.
Jennifer also took on responding to appropriate emails on Dethra's behalf, scheduling meetings, and managing LinkedIn invitations — freeing Dethra to focus on vision and strategy.
"The time we've been working together has allowed me to hear her voice and understand her vision so I feel confident in responding to her clients and interacting on her behalf."
"I believe Dethra's confidence in expanding her business has grown because she knows she has someone who has her back, is cheering for her success, and will handle all the small details so she can soar as she was called to do in life!"
— Dethra U. Giles, CEOThe Impact
The results for Dethra were immediate and tangible. With Jennifer handling the administrative details, Dethra was able to redirect her energy toward high-value, strategic work — the kind only she could do.
"Money. I can focus on making money and growing the business because I'm free to be strategic instead of tactical. I can write curriculum instead of booking an appointment."
The benefits extended beyond the business. The people in Dethra's personal life noticed the change too: she now maintains consistent, predictable work hours — a meaningful marker of restored work-life alignment. The relationship between Dethra and Jennifer is built on mutual respect, clear communication, and patience, with Jennifer appreciating the trust and autonomy Dethra extends to her.
For Kyler, watching the partnership flourish has been a reward in itself. The strategic pairing she made between Dethra and Jennifer set both client and assistant on a path of shared growth — proving that the right match, made thoughtfully, can transform not just a business but the life of the person running it.