From Realtor to CEO: Lessons in Hiring

Looking back, it’s safe to say that hiring and recruiting was something I overlooked as a brand new CEO of a tech startup.

The Problem with Being an Expert

When I was in real estate, I was the expert. I hired people who wanted to learn. They looked to me for validation because, as an agent, I had done every job in my real estate practice. I had filed paperwork, handled scheduling, managed transactions, represented both buyers and sellers, etc. I had done it all. Maybe I wasn’t the best at every task. But I understood the ins and outs of each position. And I knew what was required for success.

As a CEO and founder, I never thought that recruiting would be an issue because I had (what I thought was) a clear vision of where I wanted the company to go.

Warm Bodies Will Only Get You So Far

I figured all I had to do was hire people who were affordable and enthusiastic. I naively thought that I just needed warm bodies to get the job done. It didn’t take long to realize that warm bodies will only get you so far. It became very apparent that I needed true leaders who would help us grow.

Investing in Talent

And as we grew, we pivoted from hiring affordable, entry-level employees to recruiting talented and experienced individuals. Our investment in knowledgeable team members quickly yielded growth and success for us.

Hire People Smarter Than You

Now we have about 80 employees and the more I try to hold on to and handle every little task, the more I’m just in the way. Even still, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the detailed items. I am constantly reminding myself to stay macro. I need to think big picture. My job, as CEO, is to hire people smarter than me and allow them to fly.

If you are a Realtor or any small business owner and you want to grow, you have to stop doing busy work. Don’t get weighed down by the details. The four hours that you spend on a flyer is not going to sell a home. Think about the results you could yield if you took those four hours and spent them on revenue producing items.

I get it. A lot of people are good at the busy work. The easy stuff is comfortable. But you have to get outside of your comfort zone if you really want to prosper. If you want to grow, focus on the macro and delegate the micro. Empower your team, hire the right people to help you or spend a little money to utilize resources.

Hindsight is 20/20

As a Realtor, knowing what I know now, I would have delegated and empowered my team more. My best use of time was prospecting. Had I done more of that, I would have been able to double my business prior to branching off into the startup world.

It took hindsight to realize that we needed to prioritize and invest in talent. And now, we have some of the best talent in the region. We hire people who not only are experts in their field but also add to our diverse company culture. I’m never surprised when someone is willing to relocate for the opportunity to work for us.

Successful teams recognize potential rockstars and potential rockstars pursue successful teams. In other words, talent attracts talent and we are lucky to have an incredibly talented team.

p.s. SkySlope is hiring!