"BELAY has come in and just rocked our world in such a good way, getting us straightened out and scheduled and organized and communicating even more clearly than we ever were before and even more efficient than we would have been before."
— Sandra Funk, CEO and Creative Director
The Challenge
Sandra Funk, CEO and Creative Director of House of Funk — a New York City-based interiors, building, and renovation design firm — had been relying on a local freelancer for scheduling and email management. But the arrangement left her constantly fighting to stay organized and moving forward.
"It is just a juggling act every single day trying to keep me facing forward, going where I'm supposed to and keeping everything out of track."
The turning point came at a conference, where Sandra had a revelation: just as there are specialists in Facebook ads, public relations, and human resources, there are experts in scheduling, email management, and operational efficiency. House of Funk needed one of those specialists — not a generalist freelancer, but a true professional in executive support.
Sandra's assistant Sarah Cates, recently promoted to Director of Operations, took on the search. She discovered BELAY through a recommendation in one of Michael Hyatt's books and felt immediately confident.
"I went to the website once and didn't look at any other agencies. I was fully confident that BELAY would have a person up to the caliber that we were looking for."
The Solution
BELAY matched House of Funk with Virtual Assistant Braigen Hubbard — and the pairing felt intentional from the very first call. Sandra came to the onboarding prepared and ready to extend trust, and Braigen arrived equally equipped to hit the ground running.
"Our BELAY Client Success Consultant was so surprised how quickly our onboarding call went because we were both so prepared, knew what we needed, and had what we needed in place ready to go."
Sarah was instrumental in the transition, preparing comprehensive documentation and personally training Braigen on the business, Sandra's preferences, and existing workflows. The two clicked quickly, finding a shared language that made the handoff feel less like an onboarding and more like a natural extension of the team.
"It was just a very natural fit. We understood each other. We were able to speak the same language and it was just very smooth."
Braigen took ownership of Google calendar management, email oversight, and CEO-level assistance — precisely the areas where the team had previously hit repeated roadblocks. Weekly meetings with Sandra gave the relationship a steady cadence and ensured priorities stayed aligned from day one.
"Since we onboarded Braigen and she was fully trained, I don't even have Sandra's calendar on my calendar, which is truly life-changing."
— Sandra Funk, CEO and Creative DirectorThe Impact
The results reshaped how Sandra, Sarah, and Braigen each experience their workdays. Where Sandra's calendar had once been a source of overwhelm — so packed she had no time to eat — Braigen became the gatekeeper who restored order and breathing room.
"Everyone was just putting things on my calendar and I would open my calendar and just realize I had no time to eat. [But now], Braigen is this incredible gatekeeper that allows me to get my work done. And eat, thankfully."
For Sarah, the impact was equally transformative. No longer responsible for monitoring Sandra's inbox or managing her calendar, she gained the mental headspace to focus entirely on her Director of Operations role — a shift she describes as "truly life-changing."
"I don't need to be in her inbox. Having this total sense of peace truly gives me so much more head space to be able to execute my role."
And for Sandra, the BELAY partnership delivered exactly what she had been searching for: an expert who could bring efficiency, clarity, and calm to the operation she had worked so hard to build.
"BELAY has come in and just rocked our world in such a good way, getting us straightened out and scheduled and organized and communicating even more clearly than we ever were before and even more efficient than we would have been before."