Everyone is late once. What matters is whether they tell you before you have to ask.
Hire people so good, your customers become your marketing.
The standard
Every person on your team should be someone you'd put your name on.
- They show up.On time. Prepared. Every day, not most days.
- They stay.A great hire is one you never have to make again.
- They get asked for by name.Your customers stop asking for "someone" and start asking for them.
The most important thing I've learned
Hiring the best saved our company. It'll save yours too.
Rush Nandel How I learned it →
The people I work with
- 13Years hiring and leading remote teams
- 60People at a time, at the most
- 10+Years with the same partners
Know someone who should be here? Introductions are rewarded.
Partners →
The lesson
The people you hire in good times decide whether you survive the bad ones.
If there's one thing I'd want every business owner to know, it's this.
Most of us know it in theory. I lived it. It's my success story, and I want you to know it too.
01
When it was easy
We could have hired anybody.
Business was booming. There was more work than people, and almost anyone could have filled a seat. We didn't let them.
02
The standard
We were perfectionists about it, to the point of crazy.
We kept interviewing, testing and turning people down, even when we were short-handed. We hired the best when we didn't need to. It looked like overkill.
03
Then it hit the fan
We couldn't advertise. Not a single ad.
Overnight, the way every school in our market found new clients was gone. Our competitors went quiet. Then they closed.
04
What saved us
We kept growing.
Our people were so good that clients did the advertising for us. They sent us their friends and family, their colleagues, their classmates. Nobody had to ask.
The lesson
When you can't buy growth, hire it.
The standard you keep when it's easy is the one that carries you when it isn't.
Rush Nandel
What I look for
How someone behaves when nobody is checking.
- Attitude over a perfect CV
- People who give their best, because it spreads
- Honesty about what went wrong
How I work
The right person is rarely in the first ten résumés. Sometimes not in the first hundred.
I find, interview and hire remote people for your business, from the Philippines, South Africa, the US, the UK and Canada. Then I stay on: I help shape the role, keep communication clear, and replace anyone who doesn't work out.
The way I see it
Three things worth knowing before your next hire.
I once read 120 résumés to make a single hire. That isn't unusual. That's the job.
Cheap hiring is the most expensive kind. You pay for it again every time you start over.
Who I find
The right people, wherever they are.
I'm based in the Philippines. The people I hire are where the best fit is.
RoleWhere they're based
English teachersLive classes, children and adults.Philippines, South Africa, the US, the UK, Canada
SalesPeople who can hold a real conversation.Philippines, South Africa, the US, the UK, CanadaMany, Americans included, work from the Philippines.
BookkeepingThrough SwiftSum.Philippines
Admin and virtual assistantsOf every kind.Philippines
How it runs
You set the standard. I find the people who meet it.
01The role.
What the job really is, the standard it has to meet, and how many people it takes.
02The search.
As many applicants as it takes. I interview the best and hire them on your behalf.
03The start.
Hours for a small team, days for a larger one.
04I stay on.
Clear communication, a role that's understood, and a replacement if someone doesn't work out.
The excuse translator
What I listen for.
You've heard all of these. The words matter less than what the person does next. Tap one.
The terms
Their pay + $100 per person, per month
For finding, hiring and standing behind every person I place with you, whether that's one or twenty.
- A one-year agreement
- No percentages, no hidden markup
If someone doesn't work out
I replace them. You never pay twice for the same seat.
Standing behind every hire is part of the job.
Who it suits
Businesses that live on word of mouth.
Works well
- Online schools and tutoring companies with live teachers
- Sales teams that need people customers trust
- Businesses ready to hand off admin and back-office work
- Founders who've had one bad hire too many
Doesn't
- Anything shorter than a year
- The cheapest headcount possible
- Schools in China, or anyone competing with my current partners. My word to them comes first.
Fair questions
Straight answers.
Why a one-year agreement?
Finding the right person takes the same care whether you need one or ten. A year is how long it takes to see what a good hire is really worth.
Do you manage the team day to day?
No, you do. I make sure you start with the right people, help keep communication and the role clear, and replace anyone who doesn't work out.
How fast can people start?
A small team can be working within hours. A larger one, or a longer project, takes a few days.
How does it start?
Tell me what the work is. If it suits, we agree on the role and the standard before anyone is hired.
Partners
The right introduction is worth more than any ad.
I learned that when we couldn't advertise. So when someone puts the right person in front of me, they share in what comes of it. My businesses are registered, and every agreement is in writing.
The terms
Simple, and in writing.
No registered business, degree or experience needed. A short agreement sets the terms before anyone is introduced.
If you introduceYou receive
A business that needs a remote teamFound, interviewed and hired by me.$300Once their team completes its first month.
A business that needs bookkeepingDone by SwiftSum, my bookkeeping company.5% every monthOf every invoice, for as long as they stay.
A great teacherSomeone you'd trust with your own child.$100$50 on their first day, $50 after 50 hours of teaching.
A studentTaught by teachers I hire.12% every monthOf what they pay, for as long as they study.
Fair questions
Straight answers.
Who can make an introduction?
Anyone. Accountants, consultants, teachers, friends of friends. What matters is that you'd stand behind the person you introduce.
What happens after I introduce someone?
I take it from there: the conversation, the hiring, the work. You don't have to follow up or sell anything.
When do I get paid?
As soon as the terms above are met, every time. Ongoing shares are paid monthly.
An idea I'm building toward
An online school, one student at a time.
Someone brings the students. I bring the teachers, chosen the way I've always done it. Good teaching does the rest, because one student brings the next. If you've thought about this too, I'd like to hear from you.
Tell me about it →
Build a school
Every school starts with one student.
You bring the students. I bring the teachers: recruited, trained, led and paid. You earn 12% of every payment, from the very first class.
How it works
You bring one student. I do everything else.
Good teaching is the only marketing a school needs. One student brings the next.
Step 1You bring the first student.
One of your own, a friend's child, anyone who wants to learn.
Step 2I match the teacher.
Hired, trained and led by me, to the same standard as every team I run.
Step 3You earn 12%, for life.
Of every payment your students make, sent to you monthly, for as long as they study with us.
Step 4One becomes many.
Good classes get talked about. Every student who joins through yours earns you 12% too.
What's never on your plate
You find students. That's the whole job.
- Hiring and training teachers
- Scheduling classes
- Collecting payments
- Replacing a teacher who quits
- Paying for ads
- Running a business you didn't want to run
Who it suits
If you can find one student, you can start.
I don't work with anyone competing with my current partners. Each partner's teachers and teaching hours are theirs alone.
- Teachers and tutors with students of their own
- Anyone who works in or with a school
- Course creators and education influencers who can sell classes but don't want to manage teachers
- Online schools and EdTech that need live teachers
Questions partners ask
The straight answers.
How do I get paid?
Your students pay us, and 12% of every payment comes to you each month, for as long as they keep studying. You never have to collect a cent.
What if a teacher leaves or doesn't work out?
I replace them. Keeping your students happy is my job, not yours.
How fast can we start?
When your first student is ready.
How do partnerships usually begin?
With a single student. Good teaching does the rest: that student tells a friend, and the friend tells another.
Where are your teachers?
Remote, so your students can be anywhere.
Do teachers work across partners?
Not during committed hours. Hours committed to a partner belong to that partner.
Do you work with schools in China?
No. My partners there have my commitment that I won't serve their competitors.
Refer & earn
Introductions, rewarded.
Our growth came from people recommending us. It's still the best way in, so I share what comes of it.
How it works
Three steps. No chasing.
Step 1Introduce.
Send me their name and how you know them.
Step 2I take it from there.
Interviews, onboarding, the work.
Step 3You get paid.
As soon as the terms are met, every time.
Questions referrers ask
The straight answers.
When do I get paid for a teacher?
$50 on their first day. Another $50 once they've completed 50 hours of teaching.
How long do I earn from a student?
For as long as they study with us: 12% of everything they pay.
Who can refer?
Anyone. Teachers, educators, accountants, friends of friends.
Is it in writing?
Yes. A short referral agreement, so the terms are clear before anyone is introduced.
The SwiftSum partnership
We do the books. You earn 5%, every month.
SwiftSum is my bookkeeping company, held to the same standard as every team I lead. Introduce a business once, and earn 5% of every invoice for as long as they stay.
Visit SwiftSum →How it works
You make the introduction. We do the rest.
Step 1You make the introduction.
A business you know needs bookkeeping.
Step 2We do the work.
Onboarding, monthly books and close, to the standard we hold everywhere.
Step 3We look after them.
Clients who are looked after stay for years, and so does your 5%.
Step 4You earn 5%.
Of every invoice, every month, for as long as the client stays.
Where this fits
If business owners trust you, you qualify.
- Accountants and CPAs with overflow, or clients too small for their firm
- Business consultants and coaches
- Agencies serving small businesses: marketing, web, operations
- Anyone with a strong network of small business owners
Questions partners ask
The straight answers.
What's the share?
5% of every invoice the client pays, every month, for as long as they stay with SwiftSum. Introduce five businesses paying $1,000 a month and you earn $250 a month, for as long as they stay.
Do I need to be an accountant?
No. If you can open a door, you qualify. Salespeople, consultants, business coaches, web designers, or anyone business owners already trust. You make the introduction. We do the books, the onboarding and the follow-up.
I'm an accountant. Does this work for me?
Yes. Hand off the bookkeeping you'd rather not do, keep the work you do best, and earn 5% on what we bill.
Who does the bookkeeping?
SwiftSum's team, hired, trained and managed by me.
Voices
The people I work with.
Teachers, managers and partners, in their own voices.
Notes from the interview chair
Hiring, people, and every excuse in the book.
One note a week on hiring, managing people, remote work and mindset.
Pull up a chair
Why are you here?
Tell me what you're working on. I read every message myself.
Privacy
Short and plain.
When you send a message, I keep your name, email and what you wrote so I can reply. I don't sell it, rent it or share it with anyone.
Messages are delivered to my inbox by Web3Forms, a form service that passes them on and doesn't use them for anything else.
Calls are booked and paid through Cal.com, which handles your payment details. I never see your card number.
Want your details removed? Send me a message and it's done.
Beyond work
Music, cars, and sitting still.
Melodic and progressive house, the occasional car I probably shouldn't have bought, and meditation every morning. More here soon.