"To me, the return on investment is a no-brainer. I'm an accountant and I haven't quantified [a BELAY partnership] because I have a strong, intrinsic sense of the value of it. I know it's several times what I put into it, and that will only grow as more things get delegated and worked out together."
— Tom Gorczynski, Senior Tax Consultant
The Challenge
Thomas Gorczynski is a nationally recognized senior tax consultant juggling multiple businesses — from advanced tax reduction strategy and IRS representation to a recurring mastermind group program. With so many moving parts, the administrative burden of keeping everything running had become unsustainable, pulling his attention away from the high-value work that actually drives revenue.
"Because I have so many different activities and business lines that I operate, it was getting overwhelming to manage them all. I realized that there were a lot of tasks I didn't need to do so that I could focus on things that are more revenue generating."
Tom spent several months weighing his options, ultimately concluding he needed administrative support — not a fellow tax professional. But when he explored hiring someone directly, the process quickly became its own problem. Vetting candidates, navigating logistics, and managing a job search on top of an already overloaded schedule made the effort feel counterproductive.
"When I went down that route looking to hire somebody directly, there were just so many roadblocks and problems and vetting and it got overwhelming quickly."
The Solution
Tom turned to BELAY and was immediately reassured by the depth of their intake and matching process. Rather than simply filling a role, BELAY took the time to understand his specific needs and pair him with a Virtual Assistant whose skills aligned — entering Deborah Gerl.
"When I did my initial consultation [with BELAY], I felt very comfortable. I liked the fact that BELAY takes the time to kind of matchmake. They do a thorough intake process and try to find someone who's a good match based on your needs and also the Virtual Assistant skillset."
Deborah quickly took ownership of a wide range of tasks: calendar management, booking work travel and tracking expenses against budget guidelines, and pulling and reconciling payment data in Tom's accounting software. She also became the primary contact for his mastermind group's 25–30 members — fielding emails, handling questions, and building all PowerPoint presentations for the group's weekly meetings, work that had previously consumed three to four hours of Tom's time every week.
The two meet for a standing half-hour weekly check-in to review priorities, exchange feedback, and identify new responsibilities to delegate. As processes mature or become automated, Deborah shifts her focus — creating a system of continuous, compounding improvement that maximizes every hour Tom has allocated.
"It basically cut my administrative involvement in that program in half pretty quickly. And then kind of identifying other tasks throughout the different things that I do that could be shifted."
— Tom Gorczynski, Senior Tax ConsultantThe Impact
The impact was felt immediately. Tom began experiencing a clear return on investment from the very start of the engagement — not only in reclaimed hours, but in something more personal: fewer evenings and weekends tied to the desk.
"Honestly, to me, it wasn't even about the dollars, although that was there. It was more of being able to be in the office less. That's really what it meant."
Tom's administrative involvement in his core program was cut in half almost at once, and the benefits have continued to grow. As an entrepreneur running two businesses, protecting personal time had always been a struggle. With Deborah handling the day-to-day, Tom has been able to step back more consistently — and with less stress.
"To me, the return on investment is a no-brainer. I'm an accountant and I haven't quantified [a BELAY partnership] because I have a strong, intrinsic sense of the value of it. I know it's several times what I put into it, and that will only grow as more things get delegated and worked out together."
For Tom, the partnership has evolved into a genuinely collaborative relationship — built on weekly communication, clear SOPs, and mutual trust. His advice to others on the fence is straightforward: "Just take the plunge and try it because, if you plan appropriately, you'll see that it is a win-win for you."