Rich Fettke co-founded RealWealth, a California-based real estate investment group that provides education and resources, and cash-flowing investment properties for real estate investors.
Rich and his wife, Kathy, cofounded RealWealth in 2003 in an effort to help people create real wealth — which they define as having the money but also having the freedom to live life on your own terms through real estate investing.
They help investors find single-family properties around the country in markets that are emerging and growing. They have over 66,000 members and have been on the Inc. 5000 list of America's Fastest Growing Companies for three years in a row.
Rich and Kathy also produce the Real Wealth Show on KABC radio in Los Angeles which is one of the top 10 real estate podcasts.
Rich has a passion for helping people improve their businesses, grow their wealth, and live more fulfilling lives. He is the author of The Wise Investor, Extreme Success, and the audio program Momentum.
The Challenge
RealWealth has been working with BELAY contractors for five years.
“The biggest problem for me [in the beginning] was not having the time to focus on the business,” Rich remembers. “I was so in the business. I was doing so much of that detailed work, and my email inbox was overloaded.
“So many people were wanting to schedule meetings on my calendar. Even that was hard.”
“It was keeping me from clarifying the vision for our company and really doing my job as a leader to empower everyone who works with RealWealth. I needed help.”
“I heard Don Miller talking about that and what his executive assistant did for him, and I was like, ‘That’s exactly what I need,’ And that’s exactly what I got.”
Enter BELAY Virtual Assistant turned full-time Executive Assistant to Rich and Kathy, Tonya Allen-Mucci, BELAY Accounting Specialist Samuel Card and BELAY Accounting Specialist Marilyn Leyva.
The Solution
“There was that initial relief of just going through the process and meeting the Client Success Coordinator,” Rich says. “I was excited just after that call because she asked me so many good questions about what’s worked for me in the past and what hasn’t worked [and] what my typical day looked like.
“She was able to say, ‘Here are the things your VA is going to be able to help you with’.”
Tanya was an original BELAY Virtual Assistant Rich was placed with before RealWealth bought her out of her BELAY contract.
“She just really fits our culture. We all care about each other, and Tanya shares those values [of our company]-,” Rich adds. “She loves everyone on our team and she shows it, and in turn everyone loves her.”
Shortly after being on their team as a contractor, Rich and Kathy knew they wanted to bring Tanya on full-time at RealWealth.
“In the beginning, I never thought we would do that,” Rich admits. “[But] we knew we wanted her for the long haul. She fits our culture perfectly. Everyone loves her. She’s not a complainer. She takes responsibility. She’s a servant leader.”
The Result
“You’re not really an entrepreneur if you’re not creating freedom for yourself,” Rich says. “You create a job for yourself unless you have a team and support and systems and processes in place.
“And one of the first things you can do, one of the first hires you need to make, is an executive assistant and a bookkeeper.”
Rich goes on to explain exactly how these two service lines have helped him in advancing RealWealth.
“I’ve gained so much as a leader because I can focus on the business, which is something I had been neglecting,” Rich says. “I’d get in some time focusing on the business, but not near what I needed to do as a business leader.
“When I have 200 emails in my inbox and I look over and I have a big pile of things to get back to people on and bills and property statements, it distracts me.
“Having an executive assistant and bookkeeper to handle the check-off-the-box things, that’s freed me up to really focus on the big long-range planning and strategic direction for the company.”