Edgy marketing guru finds relief in balance by working with BELAY. Learn how Ryan uses a virtual assistant and a virtual content writer.

1. Edgy Marketing Guru
Finds Relief in Balance
by working with BELAY
C A S E S T U D Y :
R Y A N S H E L L E Y | S H E L L E Y M E D I A A R T S

2. Helping businesses and organizations share their story online is not just my job,
it’s something I’m passionate about.
My approach to marketing is simple. Be authentic, share your story in a way your
audience can connect with and follow through on your promises.
Shelley Media Arts | www.smamarketing.net
A B O U T R Y A N :

3. Like many entrepreneurs, Ryan Shelley seized
upon his good business idea in a way that
resulted in him not merely being a task master –
but also the task doer.

4. “I saw myself as
the biggest
bottleneck to
growth. I had the
mentality, ‘I can
just do it’.”
Even as his business
grew – with more clients
to serve and new hires to
supervise – he continued
managing tactical duties
that collectively
consumed a lot of time.

5. “I realized there were all sorts of things I was
doing wrong. Even dealing with my email was
monopolizing my time. I was managing 20
projects all by myself. I was burning myself out.”

6. Ryan booked his own appointments and maintained his calendar. He struggled to
keep up with his out-of-control inbox. As an avid reader of business and self-
help books, he began to acknowledge how unsustainable it was to govern his
work life in this way.
Ryan began to explore the idea of hiring a virtual assistant. He’d heard a fellow
entrepreneur friend talk about it, and other mainstays in business who he
respected, like Michael Hyatt, often extolled the virtues of virtual assistants, too.
T H E C H A N G E :

7. Ryan’s introduction to BELAY started on quite a high note. He explains:“I needed
someone to do the hard stuff for me and to hold my hand.”
Plus, as a relative newcomer to business, Ryan was able to offload an additional
headache – the HR details inherent in sourcing and hiring new talent. This was
especially important because he knew he wanted to ensure his early hires were
U.S based.
BELAY assumed ownership of the HR process. They found the candidates,
identified the most suitable virtual assistant contenders and made a match with
Ryan’s company, Shelley Media Arts, all while tending to back office HR matters.
H O W W E H E L P E D :

8. “When I talked to the relationship manager, I left
the conversation feeling like they had a plan of
action, had people in place and could match me
with someone who was going to meet my
needs.”

9. Morethan ayearsincehiringhisfirstBELAYVirtualAssistant,
much haschangedforRyanandhiscompany.
On the personalfront,hecanreliablylogoutofworkby4:30
p.m.eachday.Asa marriedfatherofatwoyear-oldanda four-
year-old,thatextra timeforhomeandfamilyispriceless.
On the professionalfront,theeffectshavebeenextraordinary.
Though Ryan’scompanyhasbeenapathofsustained
acceleration in recentyears,injustthepasttwoyearsrevenue
has multipliedtenfold.Hecreditsnewefficiencies,suchas
hiringavirtualassistant,ingrantinghim theflexibilitytoscale
thebusiness withoutcompromisingqualityorservice.
R E S U LT S
“My VA
helped me
build out a
calendar that
would
consistently
work for
me.”

10. “Yeah, it costs money. But how much does
my sanity cost?”

11. Deciding to hire outside help – be it with office administration, copywriting or
webmaster services – all comes down to one thing:
“Yeah, it costs money. But how much does my sanity cost?” At least, that’s how
Ryan sees it today.
One central point he makes is that leaders and entrepreneurs don’t have to
spend invaluable time on tasks and to-do items that don’t optimize their
limited time.
“A lot of things that I hate doing . . . other people actually enjoy doing,” he says.
F I N A L T H O U G H T S :

12. If youareinsearch ofthekindoffocusandclarityRyanhas
found,contactBELAYand learn howavirtualspecialistcan
bringthatto youand yourorganization.
To scheduleafree consultation withourteam,
callusat855.552.3529.
Are you ready to grow?

13. Growing an organization isdifficultin our demandingworld.BELAYprovidesvirtual
solutions tohelp yourealizegrowth.
Westaff specialistsin bookkeeping,copywriting,websupport,andadministrative
assistancewho becomeanextension ofyour organization—matchingtherightperson
withtherightskillstomeetyourneeds.
BELAYequipsyouwith trustedsupportthatallowsyoutofocusonyourgoals,navigate
operationalgaps,alleviaterisk,and freeup yourorganizationtoclimbhigher.
O U R P R O M I S E :

14. We’re grateful.
Phone:1.800.552.3529
Email:info@belaysolutions.com
Web:www.belaysolutions.com