"Before when I've hired people, I've been a little bit picky – I may get one or two people to actually interview out of 50 applicants. I'm also slow to respond. [But] she handles all the responses and the applicants feel engaged because they're getting an immediate response. We're now on our second round of interviews and we're making big progress with it – and it's all because of the work Penny's done."
— Jason Pond, Co-Owner
The Challenge
When Jason and Tashara Pond acquired Grizzly Broadband two years ago — a 20-year-old technology and internet service company in Montana — they stepped into leadership of a tight-knit team of 16 long-tenured employees. With a computer store, repair shop, and internet service operation to run, Jason quickly found himself buried under hundreds of emails each day.
The inbox overload was causing real strain. Staring down unread messages created undue stress and pushed Jason into long working hours, making it increasingly difficult to protect his evenings with his family. He knew he needed someone to take over his calendar and email — but the path forward wasn't obvious.
The idea of hiring a virtual employee raised additional concerns. With 99 percent of his staff local and accustomed to years of direct access to leadership, Jason worried about how they would respond to a remote colleague. More personally, he feared that introducing a virtual gatekeeper would create an unwanted barrier between him and a small, close-knit team that had always been able to reach him directly.
The Solution
Still uncertain about the virtual staffing model, Jason and Tashara initially decided to hire a local employee to manage his schedule. Though the hire ultimately wasn't the right fit, Jason had grown accustomed to having dedicated support — and wasn't willing to return to managing everything alone.
After careful research and deliberation, Jason hired a BELAY Virtual Assistant and was matched with Penny. From the start, he was deliberate about integrating her into the team. He set up a regular meeting cadence, added Penny to the company's Slack channel for real-time communication, and handed her full ownership of his email and calendar.
"She was able to do things with my calendar quickly that I didn't even know how to do. So that worked out well!"
Jason also brought Penny into their monthly all-staff meetings — sessions she and Jason now co-run together. The intentional inclusion paid off: before long, every member of the team knew Penny by name, knew how to reach her, and understood that she was the fastest way to get on Jason's calendar.
"She was able to do things with my calendar quickly that I didn't even know how to do. So that worked out well!"
— Jason Pond, Co-OwnerThe Impact
What started as calendar and email support quickly evolved into a broader partnership. Jason and Penny found such an effective rhythm that her responsibilities expanded well beyond the original scope — including taking on one of Jason's most dreaded tasks: managing new hire recruiting and applicant communications.
"Before when I've hired people, I've been a little bit picky – I may get one or two people to actually interview out of 50 applicants. I'm also slow to respond. [But] she handles all the responses and the applicants feel engaged because they're getting an immediate response. We're now on our second round of interviews and we're making big progress with it – and it's all because of the work Penny's done."
With Penny owning the hiring pipeline, applicants receive timely, professional responses that keep them engaged throughout the process — a dramatic shift from the slow, inconsistent outreach Jason had managed on his own. The team is now deep into a second round of interviews, progress Jason attributes entirely to Penny.
But the win that matters most to Jason is far more personal: he is home in time for dinner every night with his family. The anxiety of an overflowing inbox and an unmanageable schedule has been replaced by balance, structure, and the confidence that his business is in good hands.