Building a Remote Workforce: How VPM Solutions Is Revolutionizing Property management
Building and managing a remote workforce has become increasingly critical for businesses looking to scale while controlling costs. Pete Neubig, CEO and co-founder of VPM Solutions, shares valuable insights from his journey from IT pbbbbrofessional to property management entrepreneur and back to technology innovation.
The path to entrepreneurship often takes unexpected turns. Pete's story began in the Bronx before relocating to Houston in 1995 for what was supposed to be a one-year stay. After spending 25 years in IT, Pete made a dramatic career shift at age 41, launching a property management company with his partner Steve Rosenberg. This decision wasn't driven by a passion for property management but by necessity - having acquired 31 single-family properties and three apartment complexes in just 18 months, Pete needed a solution to manage them properly.
What started as a personal management solution soon expanded into a third-party management service for other investors, evolving into Empire Industries Property Management. By the time Pete sold the business in 2019, they were managing nearly 1,000 single-family homes for over 600 investors across three Texas markets. This experience revealed a critical challenge in service-based businesses: the delicate balance between profitability and staffing costs.
The fundamental dilemma for service businesses centers on people costs. As Pete explains, "People become your number one expense, and the company doesn't really make a lot of profit margin, so the company has to keep growing to be profitable." This creates a stressful cycle - you need more staff to handle growth, but hiring more people eats into profitability. Pete's epiphany came in 2016 when he realized that many roles didn't require specialized skills or extensive experience, but hiring local talent at market rates made these positions financially unsustainable.
The remote workforce model transformed Pete's business economics. By hiring qualified virtual team members internationally, his salary expenses dropped dramatically from 56% to 34% of revenue. This shift enabled true profitability, better compensation for US-based staff, and improved benefits. Most importantly, he found that remote team members often viewed their positions as careers rather than just jobs, resulting in higher commitment and performance.
This experience inspired the creation of VPM Solutions, a marketplace connecting property management and real estate companies with remote team members across 150+ countries. The platform allows businesses to create free profiles, search among 40,000 candidates, post jobs, and access an algorithm that matches candidates to positions. Companies can interview, hire, and manage these remote team members all in one place, with VPM generating revenue through a 10% platform fee.
For businesses considering remote team members, Pete offers a structured approach. First, determine if you're ready by conducting a time study to identify repetitive tasks that could be delegated. Second, establish clear core values that define your company culture. Third, create detailed job descriptions with personality profiles (Pete recommends DISC assessments) and key performance indicators (KPIs). When hiring remotely, also evaluate candidates' computer setup, internet speed, workspace, and English proficiency.
Effective remote team management requires striking the right balance between micromanagement and abdication. Pete recommends managing through delegation, establishing clear availability policies, requiring professional video meetings, monitoring escalations (both internal and external), and tracking KPIs. He emphasizes structured weekly meetings with consistent agendas that include reviewing accomplishments, KPIs, completed tasks, and addressing challenges.
Pete's experience selling his business offers valuable lessons. He advises ensuring clean financials, understanding industry-standard valuation models, resolving operational issues, and creating systems that don't depend on the owner. Perhaps most importantly, he stresses having a clear post-sale plan: "If you're looking at selling your business, understand and know what is the next thing you're going to do." Without this clarity, Pete experienced depression despite financial success, only recovering when he began building VPM.
As businesses continue adapting to changing workforce dynamics, remote team members offer a compelling solution for scaling efficiently while maintaining quality and profitability. Pete's parting advice? "Anytime I've told anybody about the remote team and they've done it, they come back and say, 'Man, I should have done that sooner.'"
