""It's really been a great experience. I'm thankful for the opportunity to endorse BELAY and be able to share my experience because it's been great. The customer service has been great. Responsiveness has been great. The work conducted by representatives has been top-notch. I have a high personal standard and for those that I work with – and BELAY has met and exceeded those expectations.""
— Tom DuFore, CEO, Big Sky Franchise Team
The Challenge
Tom DuFore, CEO of Big Sky Franchise Team, reached a pivotal inflection point as his growing franchise consultancy began to outpace what one person could manage alone.
"I realized I needed to duplicate myself,"he shared. His first attempt with a BELAY Virtual Assistant didn't go as planned—"It wasn't a good fit," he admitted—but rather than abandon the idea entirely, he trusted BELAY's process to find him a better match.
Courtney Kingston faced a different but equally pressing challenge. Balancing the management of Kingston Family Vineyards with motherhood and a full personal life, she found herself drowning in tasks she believed only she could handle. Feedback from her brother and an entrepreneurial peer group finally pushed her to reconsider.
"I thought I should be able to handle it all, but I was dropping too many balls—professionally and personally."
The breaking point came when Courtney began missing pediatrician appointments and deferring responsibilities that truly mattered.
"I couldn't keep my head above water. I just had way too much going on but thought I should be able to keep my head above water – and other entrepreneurs don't have assistance."With reluctance and a measured commitment of six months, she decided to give BELAY a try.
The Solution
For Tom, BELAY's matching process paired him with Evonne—a Virtual Assistant who brought entrepreneurial instincts, marketing sensibility, and a strong customer service background to his business.
"She's entrepreneurial-minded, marketing-focused, and customer-service-oriented—she's made a big difference,"Tom said. Evonne seamlessly integrated into his operations, taking over critical administrative tasks, billing, and even hiring responsibilities that had previously consumed Tom's attention.
Courtney was matched with Erica, whose approach was both attentive and proactive. Starting with email management, Erica gradually expanded her scope to include calendar coordination and financial oversight—building trust incrementally with each new responsibility.
"She listens, understands, and even anticipates my needs,"Courtney marveled.
Both leaders found that the key to unlocking the full value of their BELAY partnerships was a willingness to trust. As Courtney put it,
"Trust was the foundation. If I didn't fully trust Erica, she couldn't do what I needed her to."That trust, carefully built, became the engine of transformation for both businesses.
""Trust was the foundation. If I didn't fully trust Erica, she couldn't do what I needed her to.""
— Tom DuFore & Courtney Kingston, CEO / OwnerThe Impact
The results for Tom were extraordinary. With Evonne handling the operational and administrative details that had once crowded his focus, Tom's businesses experienced remarkable growth—doubling revenue in a single year, then growing an additional 50% the year after.
"[Evonne] definitely was part of the reason that we doubled our growth and the year after had a 50-percent growth rate. There's no doubt she was a big part of that, helping to clear some of those things out of my mind to jump into it."
Courtney's transformation extended well beyond her business. The people closest to her noticed a change in her presence, her punctuality, and her demeanor.
"People noticed a change. They said, 'Courtney's on time and seems more relaxed,'"she laughed. For Courtney, the impact wasn't just professional—it restored her capacity to show up fully for her family and personal life.
Both leaders credit BELAY not just with operational improvement, but with a fundamental shift in how they lead and live. Tom's endorsement was unequivocal:
"The customer service has been great. Responsiveness has been great. The work conducted by representatives has been top-notch. I have a high personal standard and for those that I work with – and BELAY has met and exceeded those expectations."