"I started to talk to her, and I could see that she understood both where I was coming from and understood bookkeeping a lot better than I did, which is what I wanted. So I basically just sort of let it go."
— Sally Breen, Co-Owner
The Challenge
3DM Publishing has spent over a decade helping people disciple others in their faith, publishing more than 25 books aimed at putting the Bible back into everyone's hands. But despite its mission-driven focus, the organization faced a very practical challenge: running out of hands to do the work.
After years operating with a larger team, 3DM Publishing downsized until it was just Sally, her husband Mike, and their daughter. When their daughter decided to return to England, Sally and Mike realized they urgently needed help — but they didn't want to rebuild a large team or take on the burden of managing one. They needed contracted, specialized support.
Bookkeeping was the most pressing need, but handing over the books proved harder than Sally expected.
"I held very tightly onto the reins," Sally confesses. "And so I was a little hesitant at first that anyone could help me. I really needed help – I really, really needed it – but I was apprehensive about working with a bookkeeper [who] gets to know all of the insights of your financials."
Having placed trust in others and been betrayed in the past, Sally was flooded with questions: Would someone understand her systems? Could she trust a stranger with her finances? It took her husband's steady reassurance to convince her she simply couldn't do it all — and to take the leap.
The Solution
Sally turned to BELAY for a virtual bookkeeper and was matched with Amanda — a pairing that would prove transformative. From their very first conversation, Sally could tell Amanda was different from what she feared.
"I started to talk to her, and I could see that she understood both where I was coming from and understood bookkeeping a lot better than I did, which is what I wanted. So I basically just sort of let it go."
Amanda's approach was gentle and collaborative. Rather than overhauling Sally's existing processes, she worked within them — earning trust one small suggestion at a time.
"She would just say, 'How about just doing this?' And we'd be like, 'Oh yeah. That's a really good idea!'"
Sally, who describes herself as having her own "little weird systems," found that Amanda's patient, adaptive style made the handoff feel natural. What began as reluctant delegation quickly became a trusted partnership built on respect and results.
"I can go on vacation now and not worry!"
— Sally Breen, Co-OwnerThe Impact
With Amanda handling the books, Sally experienced something she hadn't felt in years: genuine freedom. The constant weight of unfinished bookkeeping tasks lifted, and she was free to focus on the mission-driven work of 3DM Publishing — without the anxiety that had followed her for so long.
"I gained real freedom; I genuinely gained freedom. I gained freedom from worry because I was always worried about the things that I hadn't done because I'm not a bookkeeper."
The impact extended well beyond Sally. Her husband Mike — an entrepreneur always growing something new — was so impressed that he asked Amanda to take on the bookkeeping for his separate business as well, effectively doubling the value of the BELAY relationship for their household.
And perhaps most unexpectedly, the engagement delivered something no job description could have promised.
"I have gained a friend. It's just fantastic."