"I would say I'm much more informed now. My story isn't just about bringing [Latonya] on and achieving greater success — though we have. It's really about creating sustainable growth and ensuring we maximize the value of what we've built."
— Dr. Donyelle Clark-Kennedy, CEO and Clinical Director
The Challenge
When Dr. Donyelle Clark-Kennedy founded Rise Behavioral Services in 2019, she was already carrying an extraordinary workload — leading a clinic providing ABA therapy to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, training the next generation of therapists as an adjunct professor at Northwestern State University, and managing all aspects of a growing practice. But it was the financial side of the business that ultimately became unsustainable.
Back in 2022, with the organization at roughly half its current size, Donyelle found herself solely responsible for every financial task the business required. She was keeping up with payroll, reconciling payments, and managing the books entirely on her own — and by her own admission, she wasn't keeping up.
"I was pretty much handling everything on my own when it came to books and finances. Keeping up with payroll, reconciling checks that had been paid — I was doing all of that and honestly, not doing a great job."
She recognized that continuing to wear so many hats was both exhausting and limiting what Rise Behavioral Services could become. After seeing BELAY mentioned on LinkedIn and hearing about it from a mentor, she decided to make the call.
The Solution
Donyelle was matched with BELAY Bookkeeper Latonya Hunter, who immediately set to work streamlining Rise Behavioral Services' financial operations. One of the earliest wins was automating bill pay through Bill.com — removing an entire category of administrative burden from Donyelle's plate.
"Our first success was bill pay. That has been taken care of through Bill.com. I don't even see it anymore. Latonya is just amazing. She's been super patient with me, and along with our Operations Manager, she's created processes that I don't even know about. She has set up our vendors, all the invoices, and they're paid once I approve them — that's been a dream."
What set Latonya apart from previous bookkeepers wasn't just task completion — it was her commitment to financial education. Early in the engagement, she met with Donyelle to walk through how to read the balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and monthly and year-to-date figures, building the financial literacy Donyelle needed to lead with confidence.
"Latonya explained the reports early on. She took the time to meet with me and go through what I am reading on those reports — the balance sheet and profit and loss statement and, you know, the month-to-date, year-to-date — she just let me know what I was reading. So that education piece in the beginning was so helpful, and I didn't get that working with other bookkeepers."
"It's the autonomy. I haven't had to check in much at all. If there are times when reports are late, it's 100% my fault. I've never had to contact a higher-up. I've gotten the quality services that I was promised since the beginning."
— Dr. Donyelle Clark-Kennedy, CEO and Clinical DirectorThe Impact
The results of partnering with BELAY have been nothing short of transformational for Rise Behavioral Services. With Latonya managing the books and delivering accurate monthly reports, Dr. Clark-Kennedy was able to redirect her energy toward clinical leadership and strategic growth — and the numbers reflect it clearly.
"In 2022 [before partnering with BELAY], we served about 10 to 12 families. We had about eight employees. But we've been able to grow because I've been able to focus on the business. So now we have 30 employees, 26 center-based clients, and we serve three school districts. That's hundreds of students across the three districts that we serve. Those results came with me being able to free up my time and work in the area that I know best, which is not bookkeeping."
Beyond the growth metrics, Donyelle describes a new relationship with her financial data — one built on clarity and trust rather than anxiety. Each month, Latonya delivers reports that allow Donyelle to make informed pivots based on real numbers, not guesswork.
The value has been so clear that Donyelle is now actively planning to expand her BELAY team, with conversations already underway about adding a Virtual Assistant, a Fractional CFO, and marketing support — building toward what she describes as a full team of BELAY professionals supporting Rise Behavioral Services as it continues to grow.