"I've tried other administrative support programs from temps that are local to one that was an offshore virtual assistant, and this is the only thing that's worked for me. BELAY has distinguished itself in both the quality of the staff they hire, but also just the way they onboard their clients."
— John Fees, CEO and Co-Founder
The Challenge
John Fees, CEO and co-founder of GradGuard — the nation's largest provider of insurance programs to college and university students — found himself drowning in the demands of a growing tech company. With 50 employees spread across offices in Boston and Phoenix, the volume of scheduling requests, contacts, and communications had become unmanageable.
"The number of contacts and requests to be on my calendar became overwhelming. I had too much complexity and BELAY has really helped reduce that."
For John, the greatest obstacle wasn't logistical — it was psychological. He had always maintained personal control over his inbox and calendar, and the idea of granting someone else access felt like a significant leap. He had never trusted anyone with that level of access before, and the transition required time and deliberate effort.
"I've never let somebody manage my calendar or even have access to my emails. That transition took me a few weeks but once I did it, it just made an enormous difference in terms of freeing up my ability to schedule appointments and reschedule them and be really as available as I always wanted to be."
The Solution
John turned to BELAY and was matched with Virtual Assistant Cori Sibley. Rather than navigating the hiring process himself, John placed his trust in BELAY's matching process — and BELAY delivered. Their attentive onboarding process listened closely to what John needed most: accessibility, availability, and a manageable pace of life.
"I could hire my own assistant, but BELAY found somebody that was a good fit for me to begin with that could be a helpmate to the initial challenges I was facing."
Cori quickly took ownership of what John calls the "three C's" — communication, calendaring, and contacts. But her scope expanded far beyond that. She took on recruiting and candidate screening, managed LinkedIn and the job board, and even coordinated a company-wide meeting for all 50 employees — most of whom she had only met over Zoom.
"It was like planning a three-day wedding with 50 people you don't know, and she did a great job of it."
Throughout the process, BELAY's support didn't end at placement. John noted that his Client Success Consultant continued checking in to ensure the partnership was working well — a level of ongoing care he hadn't experienced with other solutions.
"On a week-to-week basis, I really rely on [Cori] for the three C's of communication, calendaring and contacts."
— John Fees, CEO and Co-FounderThe Impact
The results for John Fees were both practical and profound. With Cori handling the operational load, John found himself with the one resource that's hardest to recover as a CEO: time to think. The weight of email, scheduling, and contact management lifted — freeing his attention for the leadership decisions that actually required it.
"As CEO of multiple companies, you need more time to think, and activities like email, calendaring, and contact management just suck time and take attention — when that attention is needed elsewhere. Getting more time back [has been a win]."
Beyond the time savings, John was struck by Cori's instincts and professionalism. She didn't just execute tasks — she anticipated needs, represented him well to others, and brought a level of judgment he hadn't expected.
"Cori demonstrated a level of confidence and judgment that surprised me. She anticipates my needs really well. She's friendly and professional and sets a good standard for those [with whom] she interacts. She's an extension of me."
Having tried local temps and offshore virtual assistants without success, John credits BELAY's differentiated approach — both the quality of its people and its structured onboarding — as the reason this solution finally worked. He encourages others who've struggled with similar support options to give BELAY a chance.