Client Name: Hayden Orme
Business Name: Handled. By Hayden & Co.
Business Website: https://handledbyhayden.co/
Industry: Business Consulting and Remote Support Services
Location: Barrington, NH
SBDC Advisor's Name: Amy Sterndale
“This is my chance,” thought Hayden Orme in 2018 when the CEO she supported as an Executive Assistant at a Fortune 5 (five) Company was retiring. She had spent years working as an executive assistant, achieving the top of her corporate ladder to this point, but she also had achieved burnout. She was overworked and restless. So, when her employer offered to have her either stay with the company and be relocated, or take a severance package and move on, she saw this as her chance to step back and find “something more” for herself.
Hayden comes from a long line of entrepreneurs and had always thought about working for herself. She explains, “After 14 years in corporate, I wanted to actualize my goal of running my own company and supporting and empowering others to realize their dreams of entrepreneurship. I also wanted to build a business that will support the life I want to live.”
She took the responsible route and started at the unemployment office to find work she could do while she spent time creating her business. She was elated by what she learned. They informed her that she qualified for NH SBDC’s Pathway to Work program, which supports and guides qualified candidates in starting their own business endeavors. “I was already working on my business idea, so this felt serendipitous,” shares Hayden.
Through Pathway to Work and the help of SBDC Business Advisor Amy Sterndale, Hayden launched Handled by Hayden (based in Barrington, NH) in 2020, just as the COVID pandemic began.
Handled by Hayden, now Handled. By Hayden & Co., is a remote business support agency providing executive assistant and digital marketing support, as well as consulting focused on strategy, efficiency, and operations. Handled. By Hayden & Co. is Hayden’s answer to, “how do I take my experience, and leverage that to help other people actualize their visions of successful entrepreneurship, and successful leadership in a way that honors the person and the professional and does so in an aligned way.” Hayden points out, “we really like to guide our clients to define success on their own terms, and not what success looks like.” From Hayden and her team of seasoned career executive assistants, clients get more than an executive assistant, they get a strategic partner.
Pathway to Work, according to Hayden, was “the greatest thing ever.” To receive expert guidance from SBDC at no cost to her, while also receiving unemployment benefits from NH Employment Services, all while she was developing her own business seemed too good to be true. “I didn’t know it was possible to get paid to start my own company,” says Hayden.
Hayden had her business advisor Amy by her side, guiding her every step of the way. She didn’t just provide the template, she helped Hayden write her business plan. Amy didn’t just tell Hayden to register her business with the state; she provided the links to do so. “It was just so comforting,” says Hayden. “Amy was really invaluable in the process, because not only did she guide me step by step, but she really was an amazing sounding board.” Amy challenged Hayden and helped her to develop and strengthen her business plan, which has evolved over the last four years.
Hayden says she was grateful for the resources of Pathway to Work and her business advisor Amy.
“Amy was amazing with her guidance and insight, and she is a true joy to work with. Her extensive knowledge was invaluable while I navigated the unknown waters of launching a new business. It was amazing to have such a resource throughout the process, and I am forever grateful to Amy and the SBDC for the support I received.”
Hayden refers to the service she received as “invaluable,” noting that entrepreneurship can be lonely, so it’s a great help for a business owner to have their own “knowledgeable cheerleader, guide, and reality checker in your corner.”
Handled. By Hayden & Co. is proud to share they recently won the Best of Boston Business Award for Virtual Executive Assistant Supports, and they are growing! They are on target to double revenue again this year and getting ready to roll out some new services between this summer and next year. Hayden states, “We strive to continually hone our exceptional, customized support by providing top-tier experienced operations with integrative strategies for entrepreneurs. We are on a mission to improve the lives of as many people as we can, guiding them to holistic and sustainable success.”