Danielle LeBaron | Virtual Assistant | Operations Manager | United States

The big names aren’t wrong. They’re just not the only option, and they’re not built for everyone.

A few months ago, a potential client told me she’d spent two weeks scrolling through BELAY and Boldly reviews trying to decide which one to sign up for. By the time she found me, she was more exhausted from researching virtual assistants than she’d been before she even started looking for help.

If you’re in that same spot right now, comparing the big name agencies and wondering whether there’s a simpler option, here’s what I actually think you should know, both about them and about me.

The big agencies aren’t wrong. They’re just built for something different.

BELAY, Boldly, Time etc, and a handful of others have built real, legitimate businesses serving thousands of clients. To do that at scale, most of them rely on a team-based model. You get matched with a primary assistant, often backed by a secondary one, and you’re typically billed by the hour at rates that climb fast once you need real, regular support. That structure genuinely makes sense for a company that needs guaranteed coverage across time zones or specialized backup whenever someone goes on leave.

What working with someone smaller actually feels like.

I’m one person who’s been doing this since 2016. When you work with me, you’re not getting passed between account managers or billed by the minute for a quick email reply. You get a flat monthly plan, a real relationship, and someone who already knows how to adapt, because I’ve supported businesses across fifteen-plus industries: everything from real estate and ecommerce to nonprofits and local theaters. 90% of my clients stay for 2 or more years. I have zero negative reviews after nearly a decade in business. That’s not a sales pitch. That’s just what happens when you actually care about the people you work for.

I’m not trying to be the biggest virtual assistant agency out there. I’m trying to be the right one for the person reading this.

When a bigger agency might actually be the better fit.

I’ll be honest with you, because that matters more to me than closing every deal. If you need guaranteed multi person backup coverage around the clock, a large team spanning every time zone, or deep specialization in something like full scale bookkeeping or recruiting, one of the bigger agencies might genuinely serve you better. I’d rather tell you that upfront than waste your time.

How to actually decide.

Ask yourself what you actually want. If it’s a dependable, flat rate, one on one relationship with someone who handles your inbox, your calendar, your CRM, and your client communication like it’s her own business on the line, that’s exactly what the Virtual Assistant Plan is built for. If it’s enterprise level redundancy and a rotating team, look at the bigger names. Either way, you deserve to stop spending more energy researching help than the help itself would actually save you.

At the end of the day, the best virtual assistant agency isn’t the one with the biggest name. It’s the one who actually shows up for your business like it’s her own. I’d love to be that for you.