""I would say do it – and without hesitation. The reason being, as soon as you get in within the first three weeks, you can find that return on investment. You can see how it's going to justify the expense, the investment, and how it's going to free you up to do what you need to do in the business.""
— J.J. Heim, Owner
The Challenge
J.J. Heim is the owner of IMS Printing and Signs, a family-owned printing and signage company in Colorado serving churches, malls, and apartment developers. After 24 years in business, growth brought a new problem: too many hats and not enough hours. With a team of eight, J.J. found himself handling bookkeeping, managing marketing, and grinding through day-to-day tasks that pulled him away from the strategic work of growing his company.
The tipping point came when his father retired after years of managing the company's books. Suddenly, J.J. faced a pivotal decision about how to fill that critical gap.
"We were trying to figure out, 'What do we do?' Do we hire an on-staff, in-person, 40-hour-a-week kind of bookkeeper, or do we look at some virtual solutions?"
Beyond bookkeeping, J.J. also shouldered the company's marketing responsibilities — Google ads, email campaigns, social media, and website updates — all on top of running daily operations. The cumulative weight left little room for the sales and growth work that could truly move IMS forward.
The Solution
A referral from a pastor friend introduced J.J. to BELAY. After thorough research and consistently strong reviews, he decided to take the leap and go virtual for his bookkeeping — and quickly discovered the benefits exceeded his expectations.
BELAY matched J.J. with Katie Stefanech, a bookkeeper who immediately began transforming IMS's financial operations. Katie transitioned 23 years of paper records to digital systems, implemented QuickBooks Online for anytime, anywhere access, and navigated Colorado's notoriously complex sales tax landscape across more than 600 tax jurisdictions. She also streamlined the company's P&L by consolidating accounts and establishing organized record-keeping systems that freed J.J. from filing cabinets and boxes.
"Katie is amazing and so grateful we connected. She's taught us a whole bunch. She's helped us become more efficient."
The success with Katie made the next decision easy. BELAY matched J.J. with Anthony, a marketing assistant who conducted a deep-dive audit of IMS's digital presence and built a multi-phase marketing strategy covering Google Analytics, PPC advertising, MailChimp email marketing, social media, and website optimization. Throughout both onboardings, Client Success Consultant Dahima coordinated every detail — surfacing questions and ensuring nothing was missed.
""Sometimes when a project is staring you in the face and a client is asking you to hit a deadline, it's like, 'Well, I'll get to that accounting later, or I'll push it off to tomorrow morning.' And just knowing that you don't have to worry about that, that somebody is taking care of it, that's a huge stress relief.""
— J.J. Heim, OwnerThe Impact
With Katie managing the financials, J.J. experienced a profound sense of relief from a burden he had carried alone for years.
"Sometimes when a project is staring you in the face and a client is asking you to hit a deadline, it's like, 'Well, I'll get to that accounting later, or I'll push it off to tomorrow morning.' And just knowing that you don't have to worry about that, that somebody is taking care of it, that's a huge stress relief."
Contrary to his initial concerns about handing over the financials, J.J. gained greater visibility and control — with checks and balances in place and his books accessible from any device, anywhere. The return on investment was clear almost immediately.
"The value is definitely there. So we're getting every bit of the value that we had hoped for and then some. I would say it's definitely an investment and money well spent."
With a dedicated bookkeeper and marketing assistant now on his virtual team, J.J. is looking ahead to stepping back from day-to-day operations so he can focus on growing the business — working on the company rather than just in it. For any business owner still on the fence, his answer is simple: do it, without hesitation.