"The trust that's been built up – it was built up in the same way it would have been had we been in the same office. And now, we're definitely expanding the type of work that Caitlin is doing."
— Patrick Hanley, President
The Challenge
Patrick Hanley has spent his entire career in insurance — nearly 30 years, starting at his father's agency straight out of college and eventually building his own wholesale brokerage, Socius Insurance, which he has led for more than two decades. But what had worked well in the past eventually needed to change.
For years, Patrick relied on in-house assistants who grew with the company. The model was straightforward: hire someone, train them up, and promote them when they were ready. The problem was that the system worked too well — his last assistant was promoted and then decided to try something new, leaving Patrick without support.
"I always had assistants that were in-house. The intent was to train them up in the company. If they were competent, they were promoted. [But] when the last assistant was promoted, he decided to try something new."
Left scrambling and needing help with expense reports, travel arrangements, and miscellaneous projects, Patrick turned to a solution some of his colleagues had already found success with: BELAY.
The Solution
BELAY matched Patrick with Virtual Assistant Caitlin Smail. From the start, Patrick was candid about his hesitation — not with Caitlin specifically, but with the model itself.
"My hesitation [had] more to do with just not having done it this way before. Caitlin wasn't employed by us."
Trust, however, was built exactly the same way it would have been across a shared office: steadily, through consistent and high-quality work. Caitlin went above and beyond on every task — quickly and done well. Over time, Patrick shifted from detailed direction to high-level thinking, empowered to hand off bigger ideas. "I can say, 'This is my thought; this is my high-level idea. Come back to me with the plan,'" he says.
When COVID-19 hit and the Socius team transitioned to working from home, Caitlin's role expanded once more to help support the broader staff through the disruption. Patrick responded by increasing her hours — a clear signal of how much the working relationship had grown since those early days of hesitation.
"It's easy to work hard for someone who trusts you and values your work."
— Patrick Hanley, PresidentThe Impact
With Caitlin handling the details, Patrick gained something he hadn't fully expected: peace of mind. The freedom to lead without being pulled into the administrative weeds allowed him to stay focused on the bigger picture at Socius Insurance.
"I think that just having that help and support gives him peace of mind to focus on the bigger things. As a whole, I've really just enjoyed working with the company. The whole team has made me feel welcome."
For Patrick, that clarity translated into a deep appreciation for the team and the business he has spent 30 years building. Rather than feeling burdened by the weight of leadership, he describes his situation in unambiguous terms.
"I tell everyone who listens that I have the best job in insurance. I hired almost all the people I work with. I'm kind of living my best-case scenario."
Caitlin has proven to be a central part of that scenario — a reminder that the right virtual partnership, built on trust and mutual respect, can deliver everything an in-house arrangement can and more.