"She just thinks of everything more than I could – and I'm a pretty good thinker. She is just the yin to my yang. Period. She reads my mind."
— Stormy Bradley, President
The Challenge
Stormy Bradley, President of Bulldog Steel — a fast-moving Texas steel manufacturer serving contractors and retail customers — was used to carrying the full weight of her business on her shoulders. As a driven leader who was simultaneously growing her company, engaging her community, and pursuing public office, the demands on her time and attention had become overwhelming.
Her turning point came at Michael Hyatt's Achieve Conference, where she met Suzie Barbour, a BELAY Virtual Assistant.
"My very first time going to [Michael Hyatt's] Achieve Conference, I cried like a baby when I met Suzie Barbour, his first assistant [from BELAY]. I was like, 'You are the person that's going to save me. You are the one that understands it.'"
Despite that revelation, the road to delegation wasn't easy. Her first Virtual Assistant wasn't a great match, leaving Stormy hesitant to trust the process again. As she put it,
"It's not an easy, immediate thing for a lot of us as business owners because we've been carrying this weight for so long – and it's hard to offload. It's a slow process."
The Solution
Determined to make her second attempt work, Stormy committed fully. She handed her new BELAY Virtual Assistant, Mikayla McMinn, everything she might need — travel accounts, credit cards, insurance cards, family schedules, and more — so Mikayla could hit the ground running without an endless stream of clarifying questions.
Stormy's grounding in Michael Hyatt's productivity methods also proved invaluable. Having read his book, she arrived with a clear vision of how she needed help — giving Mikayla a strong foundation from the start.
"I had a clear vision of what I wanted my emails to look like and how I needed help [with] that."
What began with email and calendar management quickly grew into a deep, trust-based partnership. Mikayla began identifying Stormy's drudgery zones — the tasks she could delegate — and the two began planning proactively together, especially as Stormy launched a campaign for state senate. Encouraged by the results, Stormy expanded her BELAY team to include a Virtual Bookkeeper and a Fractional CFO, and even had BELAY build her company's website.
"Just having a virtual assistant has opened my eyes. Now I have a virtual CFO. I have a virtual bookkeeper. We got our website built by [BELAY]. [And] we might need another assistant for my husband."
— Stormy Bradley, PresidentThe Impact
The transformation Stormy experienced can be summed up in a single word: freedom. With Mikayla anticipating her every need — from her husband's birthday on the calendar to being listed as an emergency contact at doctor's appointments — Stormy was liberated from the mental load that had long weighed her down.
"She just thinks of everything more than I could – and I'm a pretty good thinker. She is just the yin to my yang. Period. She reads my mind."
The impact extended beyond Stormy's business operations. With Mikayla managing the details and their Client Success Consultant Tim providing ongoing support, Stormy was able to pursue a run for state senate without missing a beat. Mikayla reflected on the depth of their partnership:
"We open our hearts to one another. We're open books. All I know is we are absolutely blessed. We are so blessed."
Stormy's initial hesitation about remote accountability dissolved entirely.
"It's not as scary to talk to someone on a computer anymore. I still can hold them accountable – and that was a big game-changer for me."Today, Bulldog Steel runs with a full virtual team behind it, and Stormy leads with the clarity and confidence that comes from never having to go it alone.