Most syndicators approach their first hire completely backward.
They think: “I need someone to do my social media posts” or “I need someone to update my CRM” or “I need someone to handle my email responses.”
So they hire a virtual assistant, hand over a list of tasks, and expect their time problems to disappear.
Three months later, they’re more frustrated than before.
The VA needs constant direction. Nothing gets done without detailed instructions. Quality is inconsistent. And somehow, managing the VA is taking more time than just doing the work themselves.
Sound familiar?
Here’s what went wrong: You hired a task-doer when you needed an outcome-owner.
There’s a massive difference between delegating tasks and delegating responsibility. Many syndicators never learn this distinction, so they end up paying for expensive babysitting instead of building a real business.
The Task-Doer vs. Outcome-Owner Difference
Task-Doer Approach:
- “Respond to investor emails as they come in”
- “Update the CRM with new contact information”
- “Post this content to LinkedIn at 9 AM”
Outcome-Owner Approach:
- “Our investor communication should maintain 4-hour response times and result in 2+ calendar bookings per week”
- “Our deal pipeline tracking should show 100% accurate data updated within 24 hours of any status change”
- “Our LinkedIn engagement rate should be 5%+ and generate 3 quality conversations per month”
See the difference?
The first approach creates dependency. You’re still responsible for the thinking, the strategy, the quality control. You’ve just outsourced the clicking.
The second approach creates ownership. Your team member is responsible for results, not just activity. They have to think strategically about how to achieve the outcome you need.
What to Delegate First: The Function Accountability Approach
Before you can delegate effectively, you need clarity on what should come off your plate. Most syndicators delegate randomly—whatever feels most annoying that day.
Here’s a better approach borrowed from Scaling Up’s Function Accountability Chart concept:
Think of your syndication business as having key functions that need an owner. Even if you’re currently wearing all the hats, identifying these functions helps you see where to delegate first.
Core Functions in a Syndication Business:
- Investor Relations: Communication, follow-up, relationship management
- Deal Sourcing: Market research, broker relationships, property analysis
- Marketing & Outreach: Content creation, social media, website management, strategic partnerships
- Business Operations: Administrative tasks, process documentation, project coordination, vendor management
- Financial Tracking: Bookkeeping, reporting, investment tracking
Start simple: For each function, think through what actually happens in YOUR business. What specific activities fall under Investor Relations? What does Marketing & Outreach look like for you? List the actual work, then write your initials next to what you’re currently handling..
Right now, your name might be next to every single function—and that’s fine. This exercise isn’t about feeling overwhelmed by everything you’re doing. It’s about gaining clarity on what functions exist in your business so you can be strategic about which one to delegate first.
Now ask yourself: “Which of these functions could someone else own the outcome for, not just help with tasks?”
High-Impact Delegation Opportunities for Syndicators:
Investor Relations:
- Email communication sequences and follow-up coordination
- Calendar management and meeting scheduling
- Investor database maintenance with accurate conversion tracking
Marketing & Outreach:
- Social media content posting and scheduling (with engagement tracking)
- Email sending and list management (with performance metrics)
- Website updates and maintenance
- Strategic partnership outreach coordination
Important note: Before you can delegate marketing execution, you need to understand your marketing strategy. Your message, positioning, and brand voice should always come from you—these are strategic decisions only you can make. Once you’re clear on strategy, then you can delegate the execution: the posting, scheduling, and technical work. Never outsource your strategic thinking or authentic voice.
Business Operations:
- Administrative task coordination and completion
- Process documentation and improvement
- Project coordination (keeping deals and initiatives on track)
- Vendor communication and follow-up
Financial Tracking:
- Monthly financial reporting with key metrics highlighted
- Expense categorization and tracking
- Investment performance tracking and reporting
Building Accountability With KPIs
Here’s where most syndicators fail: they delegate the work but forget to delegate the measurement.
If you want outcome-owners instead of task-doers, you need numbers that matter.
We run monthly KPI meetings where each team member reports on the metrics they own. But the real magic happens weekly—they track key numbers every week, so course corrections happen fast, not at month-end when it’s too late.
Sample KPIs for a syndicator’s first hire:
If they own investor communications:
- Email open rates (newsletters vs. deal announcements)
- Reply rates to personalized outreach
- Calendar bookings generated
- Response time to investor inquiries
If they own content and social media:
- Engagement rate across platforms
- Quality conversations generated monthly
- Content posting consistency
- Audience growth rate
If they own administrative and business operations tasks:
- Lead conversion tracking (Example: percentage moving from contact to meeting to investor)
- Response time to vendor communications (property management companies, maintenance contractors, insurance providers, lenders, attorneys, CPAs)
- Document organization completion (all deal documents filed within 24 hours)
The key is making one person responsible for each number. No shared responsibility—that’s where accountability dies.
Practical Tools That Scale
You don’t need expensive software to start building systems. Here are tools that help you document processes as you build them:
Function tracking: Create a simple Google Drawing or Doc listing your core business functions. List the function and specific responsibilities. Write who’s currently accountable for each function. Update this as you delegate responsibilities. This single document becomes your accountability map—you’ll always know who owns what, and it makes it obvious where you still need to build capacity.
Scribe: This tool automatically documents your computer processes as you do them. Instead of writing lengthy SOPs, you just do the task once while Scribe records every click and keystroke. It creates step-by-step guides automatically.
Simple tracking: A Google Sheet with weekly KPI updates works better than complex dashboards. Each team member updates their numbers every Friday. If something’s trending wrong, you know immediately.
The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
Here’s what successful syndicators understand about delegation:
You’re not hiring someone to do work you don’t want to do. You’re hiring someone to own results you need to achieve.
When you delegate a task, you’re still responsible for the outcome. When you delegate an outcome, your team member becomes responsible for figuring out how to achieve it.
This changes how you communicate expectations too. Instead of just detailed task instructions, create clear outcome definitions paired with activity metrics. “By Friday, all investors who expressed interest in the current deal but haven’t committed should receive a personalized follow-up—track response rates and any questions raised so we can address common concerns” rather than just “Send follow-up emails to the investor list on Thursday.”
This shift transforms everything. Instead of managing daily activities, you’re reviewing weekly results. Instead of creating detailed instructions, you’re setting clear expectations and letting capable people figure out the “how.”
Instead of building dependency, you’re building capability.
How to Start: Your First Delegation
Even if you only have budget for one part-time VA, you can implement this outcome-based approach. Here’s exactly how to begin:
Step 1: Map Your Functions
Take 15 minutes to list the five core functions (Investor Relations, Deal Sourcing, Marketing & Outreach, Operations, Financial Tracking) and write your initials next to each one you’re currently handling. Don’t skip this even if your name is next to everything—seeing it on paper creates the clarity you need to move forward.
Step 2: Pick ONE Function to Delegate First
Use these criteria to choose:
- High time drain: What’s consuming hours but doesn’t require your unique expertise?
- Clear outcomes: Can you define what success looks like in measurable terms?
- Low strategic risk: What won’t damage your business if someone else handles it while learning?
- NOT your marketing strategy: Remember—delegate execution, never your authentic voice or strategic positioning
Step 3: Define the Outcome and KPIs
Before you write a job description, get crystal clear on what success looks like:
- What specific result do you need this function to produce?
- What numbers will tell you if it’s working?
- How often will these metrics be reviewed?
Important: Before delegating, you need to have at least a basic process documented—even if it’s rough. You can’t hand off something that only exists in your head—or worse, something you haven’t even thought through yet. This is where many syndicators create frustration for everyone: they delegate work that hasn’t been clearly defined, the team member does their best, submits it for approval, and the owner realizes it’s completely wrong. Now everyone’s frustrated and time is wasted. Take the time upfront to clarify what you want, even if the process needs refinement later. The person you delegate to can improve the process, but they need a clear starting point.
Write down the outcome you want. Be specific. “Maintain investor communication” is too vague. “Respond to all investor inquiries within 4 hours, and send scheduled follow-up emails to prospects every two weeks” is clear.
Step 4: Create the Job Description
Now you can write the actual job posting or VA brief—but focus on the outcomes, not a task list:
- Start with the function they’re owning
- List the key results they’re responsible for
- Include the KPIs they’ll be measured on
- Mention the tools they’ll use
- Describe the reporting cadence (weekly check-ins, monthly reviews)
Step 5: Set Up the Tracking System BEFORE You Hire
Don’t wait until someone starts to figure out how you’ll measure success. Create the simple Google Sheet with their KPIs before they begin. This forces you to clarify what matters and gives them a clear target from day one. And do this for the things you’re handling as well. It will give you something to measure against over time.
A word of caution: Many syndicators hire too early, before they’re ready. They bring on a VA, then scramble to figure out what to give them, hoping the VA will somehow figure out what needs to be done. That’s backwards. You need enough process clarity to give direction. The balance is: document enough that someone can start effectively, but hire someone capable enough to improve the process from there, not just robotically follow steps.
Start Small, Think Big
Here’s what happens when you get this first delegation right:
That one outcome-owner who learns your business becomes the foundation for hiring the next person. They can help train new team members because they understand how results connect to business goals, not just how to follow task lists.
The compound effect is powerful. One solid delegation leads to two, then four. Before you know it, you’re building a team that multiplies your capacity instead of just checking items off your to-do list.
But it all starts with one function, one outcome, one person who owns a result you need.
You’ll be amazed how quickly someone rises to meet clear expectations when they know they own the result—and how much time it frees up for you to focus on what only you can do: finding great deals and building real relationships with investors.