How to Hire Administrative Help

Question

I've come to a point in my journey where I absolutely need administrative help. I have piles of paper, tons of emails, insurance documents here, leases there, and more projects on the way. I know that in order to grow, I need to bring on someone who can be my right-hand. Ideally, the person I am looking to hire can

• -set up an organized paper filing system and set up a digital office with cloud-based document storage
• -keep a calendar, help me move forward and not get bogged down with minutiae
• -multitask between the different businesses and properties
• -has previous administrative experience in real estate
• -and most importantly: Get. It. Done.
•

I would really like to hear from other investors that have passed the point I'm currently at. Currently I have 5 properties in my portfolio with more than 20 units, along with several other businesses that require moderate but organized paperwork.

How did you find someone? I'm considering looking on upwork. What other sources would you recommend? (No craigslist please) How did you manage compensation? What about office space? I'm sure there's a lot I'm missing. If you have a story, I want to hear it!

Kase Knochenhauer · Answer

@Ahmed Saad - this is AWESOME!Hiring an assistant has the best move I've ever made. I now have 2 local assistants in West Michigan and 2 VA overseas in the Philippines.  They run 90% of my investment business and do it better than I ever could have.Here are some tips I have in no particular order:1. Don't hire the first person you run into (your friend's friend is probably not the right person)2. Pay them as much as you can afford (not as little as you can)3. If you are daring, perform a group interview. You'll see how the interact with each other and will quickly identify those that are aggressive and won't be good for you team.4. Hire someone that's the opposite of you - not someone that's just like you.5. Hire someone you like - the best assistants will know everything about you7. When you interview have them perform a task based interview (sales people should call, admin should create order, etc)8. Create daily systems with your assistant so they will run automatically over time9. Post your local hires on Indeed.com10. Post your VA hires on onlinejobs.ph11. Meet with your team every day for at least a few minutes(in person or virtual)Good luck with your hire! Your first 30 days will take tons of time but will pay you back in huge ways over time.

Ahmed Saad · Answer

Hi @Kase Knochenhauer,

Thank you for all the helpful tips and encouragement! I’ll give it a try with the 2 sources you recommended. Do you mind if I pm you some more detailed questions later? Thank you!

-Ahmed