James Alvich is the co-founder of MAS - Music and Strategy, a creative music company for brands and agencies.
MAS is a company made up of the world’s top music, culture and branding professionals with expertise in every aspect of the music, entertainment and brand ecosystems.
With offices on both coasts, it offers a suite of services including original composition, sound design, talent negotiations, music supervision and music-based strategic planning.
The Challenge
“I reached out [to BELAY] because I realized a lot of our junior employees who were coming in handled a lot of the administrative tasks, — specifically my own and my business partner's — on top of a lot of other things that just really got in the way of actually performing their original job duties,” James recalls.
“What happened was the upward growth then got hindered because when they would move up in rank or in their job title, they'd still be handling a lot of those administrative tasks.
And I always felt that was problematic in terms of a smaller company like our own, whereas somebody who starts doing one job probably doesn't want to still be doing that while they take on new responsibilities.”
And along came BELAY Virtual Assistant Madeleine McAdoo.
The Solution
“With having my VA, I was able to offload all of those administrative tasks and additional tasks related directly to me,” James says. “It made a huge difference, especially to the team and the morale.
“And I think everyone had a sigh of relief internally. On the BELAY side, it was exceptionally helpful to have someone that I could go to specifically knowing this is their main focus.
“When you’re sending out mailers or you're handling reservations or whatever it is, and at the same time trying to do a job focused in the actual task of Music and Strategy, I imagine the internal team gets torn between those tasks and what takes priority.
With a BELAY VA, James found he didn’t have to explain things twice and the proactivity to figure it out because it was his VA’s only job duty was exponentially better than some of his team since his VA wasn’t torn in different directions.
“The Virtual Assistant’s task was to do X and they will do it at the best of their ability and figure out the best way to do it, [and] also coming up with better ways to get the job and process done.
“Everything I’ve handed over has been a relief. And now that it’s been handed over, [I see] how much more efficiently it gets done in a timely manner. It’s [my BELAY VA’s] sole responsibility [and] everything is simultaneously getting done what should be getting done.”
“Letting my team know we have this person who will handle a lot of the gifting and reaching out and sending our swag is helpful to them as well. It takes a burden off all of us, but mostly me.”
Client gifting is a big part of Madeleine’s job. She’s been able to help James craft a system behind packaging, shipping and handling labeling gifts in mass quantities.
“It’s having someone on behalf of the company looking to find the best course of action and the best avenue and route to get there,” James adds.
The Result
“For a long time, I wasn't relying on anyone, and I didn't think that I'd ever be able to rely on someone,” James admits.
“When I started realizing that these things were getting done more efficiently and better than my own method of doing it, I became more reliant upon it and appreciative of it.”
By working with Madeleine, James has been able to free up more of his time.
“Time is probably the most valuable asset and currency, and having more of it allows me to do more for my clients and the business,” James says. “When I'm sitting there worried about all of these other tasks in the back of my head or on my to-do lists, it just takes away from being fully present on the thing I need to be, which is the creativity of our company and moving our company forward.”
“Not worrying about something getting done allows full focus on another task. The ultimate delegators are the people who also are visionaries. If you can delegate and respectfully understand that your team can handle all of these things, it makes you a better leader for them and for everyone else.”
And for James, a BELAY Virtual Assistant was just what he needed.
“I went into this with a little bit of hesitation, and wasn't sure I needed it, James explains. “It was a trial period for me. Let me just see how this works and if it doesn't, whatever.
“Because ultimately hiring full-time felt like it was maybe a bit much, but having someone in a part-time role was what I needed. But knowing that they're attached to another company that has standards and accountability other than just hiring a freelancer gives me a little bit of peace of mind knowing that there's a backend to the growth of BELAY and that there's a reputation there as opposed to just one individual's reputation.
I do value the relationship with BELAY to help me in the event that someone moves on from the position to then quickly adjust. There are a lot of advantages of having a BELAY [contractor], not just financially.”
Meet the Specialist
MADELEINE McADOO
Virtual Assistant