""Although BELAY costs more than other VA options in the world, I strongly recommend to [our] clients that they pay the premium and go with BELAY. The quality of [BELAY's] VA selection, training, and management results in work actually being taken off your plate versus you still having to hand hold with a VA who can't own the role.""
— Steve Perkins, Founder and CEO
The Challenge
Steve Perkins founded Greenhouse Coaching out of a deeply personal struggle — one he describes as trying to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up and how to grow into his potential. His organization helps individuals and corporate teams find their professional and personal sweet spot, but in the early days, Steve faced the same operational challenge most small business owners encounter: too much time spent on logistics and not enough on the work that actually moves the needle.
"Greenhouse Coaching is a life and leadership coaching company that I founded out of my own struggle to figure out what I want to be when I grow up [and how to] grow into my potential and experience great work culture that's purposeful and fulfilling."
Despite being in a stage where many founders believe they cannot yet afford outside help, Steve recognized that continuing to handle administrative work himself was costing him far more than the investment of a skilled assistant. The opportunity cost of keeping a leader focused on logistics — rather than sales, coaching, and facilitating — was quietly stunting Greenhouse's growth before it had a chance to scale.
The Solution
Steve discovered BELAY through Andy Stanley's podcast and made a deliberate, early-stage investment in a Virtual Assistant — a move that ran counter to conventional startup wisdom but aligned perfectly with his philosophy of investing ahead of growth.
"I believe in investing ahead of growth and focusing on your strengths and priorities, so I hired a VA that would allow me to focus on sales, coaching and facilitating."
BELAY matched Steve with Virtual Assistant Robyn Betz, who would go on to become a full-time Greenhouse Coaching employee — a testament to the quality of the partnership. Rather than a temporary fix, the relationship evolved alongside the business. As Greenhouse expanded to serve clients and team members across multiple countries, Steve continued to rely on BELAY to maintain the repeatable systems and processes that keep a growing organization running smoothly and generating new business.
""Greenhouse has also gained [around] $100,000 per year of revenue the past few years from having a BELAY VA because they maintain repeatable systems and processes that generate sales.""
— Steve Perkins, Founder and CEOThe Impact
The results of Steve's decision to hire a BELAY Virtual Assistant have been both measurable and compounding. Greenhouse Coaching has saved approximately $100,000 per year — savings driven primarily by freeing leaders from logistical work and eliminating the opportunity cost of growth that would otherwise have gone unrealized.
"It has paid off big time. Primarily because of the cost of my or other leaders' time to handle logistical work — not to mention the opportunity cost of growth that wouldn't happen due to leaders working on logistics."
Beyond savings, Greenhouse has generated roughly $100,000 per year in additional revenue, directly attributable to the systems and processes their BELAY VA put in place. The impact has been so significant that Steve now refers BELAY to nearly all of his business owner coaching clients, making it a cornerstone recommendation in Greenhouse's leadership and team coaching engagements.
"They can fully own all scheduling so leaders can do what they do best, and they are better at running the calendar than the leaders, so it works."