""Jackie has just been a huge alleviation, giving me headspace and freedom to work without getting mired in other things. They're important things, but you have your strengths and you want to really leverage those strengths and not get distracted.""
— Michael Taggart, COO and CTO
The Challenge
Michael Taggart wears many hats at Envoy Media Group — COO, CTO, programmer, AI practitioner, and HR leader all at once. As the company began adding headcount at the start of 2021, the pace of work caught up with him in the most visible way possible: his inbox.
"I'm looking at my email inbox – it's 4,000 unread messages deep plus. It was just a lot. And you start to get overwhelmed to the point [where you] don't even know how you're going to get out of this thing."
The consequences were real. Michael was missing messages from clients, losing track of important tasks, and spending time on low-value work — like manually updating pixels across 40 websites — that had no business being on a COO's to-do list. He was self-aware enough to recognize the problem, but needed the right solution. Fortunately, trusted friends had already pointed him toward BELAY.
The Solution
When Michael reached out to BELAY, he was struck immediately by the seriousness of their matching process. His Client Success Consultant Kristi led him through a multi-hour intake call exploring his personality type, work style, and the unique demands of his role before identifying a candidate.
"It took me several weeks before I was matched with anyone. And Jackie was the person they matched me with — and it's because you guys took it seriously. You don't just say, 'Oh, here's a person.' You [say], 'Who's right for Mike?'"
Jackie came equipped with an MBA and a background in HR at high-growth companies — a perfect complement to Michael's technical and operational profile. The two immediately clicked. Jackie dove into the inbox, catalogued recurring senders, established filtering logic, and quickly reached the point where she could triage Michael's communications without needing to ask. Her instincts became so reliable that Michael gave her full access to accounts, logins, and financials.
So impressed was Michael with the partnership that he began offering the same resource to other executives at Envoy. The company ultimately onboarded six BELAY Virtual Assistants, each matched to the specific needs and personalities of the leaders they served.
""Being able to delegate [now] affects even your personal life and everything in a very positive way.""
— Michael Taggart, COO and CTOThe Impact
The transformation Michael experienced with Jackie extended well beyond inbox zero. With the mental overhead of email, routine logistics, and administrative detail lifted from his plate, he found the focus to do the deep knowledge and creative work that defines his role.
"Jackie has just been a huge alleviation, giving me headspace and freedom to work without getting mired in other things. They're important things, but you have your strengths and you want to really leverage those strengths and not get distracted."
The impact reached into his personal life too. Michael's wife noticed a change — the frantic, distracted version of him who came home late and struggled to be present with his kids had given way to someone more balanced and intentional. For Michael, delegation didn't just improve productivity; it restored perspective.
For Jackie, the measure of success is simple:
"The win is building trust. It's making it so Mike doesn't have to stay late. It's making it so Mike doesn't have to figure out Google. It's figuring out processes and improving them. There are so many little wins that make up a big win."With six BELAY VAs now embedded across Envoy's leadership team, Michael is emphatic: "BELAY is here to stay for Envoy."