"The win is that she's watching and learning. [My BELAY partnership is] bringing me a confidence level that I could easily find the clients and triple [or] quadruple very easily and effectively, increase and scale the business accordingly and still be very profitable."
— Jake Hammel, Founder and Principal
The Challenge
Jake Hammel, founder and principal of Just Jake & Co., had built a thriving digital marketing consultancy with global reach — producing work seen at CES, Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Coachella, and The GRAMMYs. But as his business grew, so did the demands on his time. While finishing his MBA, Jake was simultaneously running the busiest period of his professional life, and something had to give.
His greatest obstacle wasn't his workload — it was his mindset. A self-described overachiever, Jake struggled deeply with delegation and trusting others to handle the details of his business.
"I'm a millennial in the sense [that] I overwork myself. I work too hard. My biggest issue was delegating tasks. I tend to do things on my own."
Jake recognized that the only way to grow — as both a business owner and an individual — was to learn to let go. He began asking around for solutions and heard about BELAY.
"I reached out immediately and was like, I love the idea of this using a service to help provide a Virtual Assistant."
The Solution
BELAY matched Jake with Virtual Assistant Jessica Kimbrell, who quickly became a trusted extension of his professional identity. The onboarding required an investment of time — learning Jake's habits, communication preferences, and how he liked things handled — but the foundation they built made all the difference.
Jessica took over management of Jake's calendar and inbox, handled travel logistics for his hospitality clients, managed payments, and responded to clients on his behalf. Her responsiveness and warm personality resonated with everyone she interacted with.
"She's matching the energy [I needed]. She's understanding, she's there and she's just very sweet. I can send you a list of emails of people who've been like, 'By the way, I love Jessica.'"
The key to their success was open, ongoing communication. Jake and Jessica maintained a candid dialogue about his preferences, and she adapted quickly to mirror his voice and standards. "She responds to everything in the manner that I feel I would respond," Jake says. "She handles everything appropriately."
"It's helped vastly improve my day-to-day functionality in the sense of a work-life balance and happiness level. But beyond that, it frees up my time where I can focus more on new business and growing things."
— Jake Hammel, Founder and PrincipalThe Impact
What began as administrative support evolved into something far more valuable: a genuinely predictive working relationship. Jessica didn't just execute tasks — she observed patterns in Jake's work and proactively suggested improvements before he had to ask.
"As we work more and more together, get to know each other more, she is predictive for me. The way that she goes, 'Do you want me to start doing this? I've noticed that you've been doing this or saying this.'"
For Jake — someone who had always struggled to trust others with his business — this represented a meaningful personal breakthrough. He was able to take a full vacation, fully disconnect, and trust Jessica to manage operations and keep him informed. "There's so much more that I can do comfortably now that I never would've been able to do before," he reflects.
With the day-to-day in capable hands, Jake is now focused on growth. He estimates his BELAY partnership gives him the confidence to triple or quadruple his client base while remaining profitable — working smarter, not harder.
"[Jessica] has been a really valuable member of the team. She is taking on tasks and we've built a relationship and rapport, and I just trust her."