"Keep three people around you at all times" with Kimberly Kneier
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Photo Credit: Steven Freedman Photography (2020)
Kimberly Kneier has over 24 years of national commercial real estate experience with an extensive network of industry contacts. Kimberly spent 8 years at Horne Properties (Knoxville, TN) where she was Development Manager, 6 years at Ruby Tuesday corporate as Development Director (Maryville, TN), and 9 years at Jason’s deli corporate in Real Estate Development (Beaumont, TX). Kimberly started Kneier Commercial along with her software application, Secretary, in January 2020 and both are rapidly excelling. Kimberly lives in Asheville, NC where she loves being outside playing tennis, going to beaches, and hanging with her dog, family & friends.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I grew up in Knoxville, TN where I was the only one in my family of six to attend and graduate from college (The University of Tennessee). My father started his used-car business before I or any of my siblings were born. My two older brothers, who are approximately 60 years old, still run the business today. Like my brothers, I believe I absorbed everything my father had to teach, unlike my brothers, I give him the credit. As for my mother, I often say she made June Cleaver look like Charles Manson. Together, and as individuals, my parents gave me all the tools I needed to win, especially in my male-dominated industry.
During college and immediately afterward, I worked at the University of Tennessee in the Executive Vice President’s Office and in the General Counsel’s Office. In 1997, I answered an ad in the newspaper to work as a Legal Assistant at Horne Properties where I found myself rapidly climbing a ladder every 6 months it seemed. In order, my titles consisted of Legal Assistant, Property Manager, Administrator of Retail Leasing, and Development Manager. I managed, leased, and developed Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Publix anchored centers, along with adjacent small shop space and out parcels.
In the spring of 2005, I took a job at Ruby Tuesday as Development Director. This was just prior to the recession. In 2006, my Development Department decreased from 47 people to 14. In an effort to save my job, I developed several programs to either save money or bring in revenue. These programs consisted of Lease Buyouts, Rent Reductions, and Property Sales. They were highly effective and very successful. In 2011, my father died unexpectedly. I learned of his death when I received a call from my brother while attending the annual ICSC conference in Vegas. Coincidentally, I left Ruby Tuesday and went to the Real Estate Department at Jason’s deli (which they fondly call “Growth”).
I was at Jason’s deli from 2011 to 2019 and considered them family. They allowed me to work from home so I moved to Asheville, NC where I was responsible for their expansion in the East. It was difficult leaving them in 2019 but in January 2020, I gave birth to Kneier Commercial and Secretary.
What inspired you to start your businesses?
I am told I have entrepreneurial genes. My father started his business which still continues to support four families (both of my brothers’ families, my mother, and our on-site mechanic). My father’s brother (Uncle George) is the founder of ChemSafe International in NE Ohio. My Uncle Joe (on my mother’s side) is the founder of Davis Farms, which is a citrus grove in Florida that covers 4 counties. These men were always in the back of my mind as I walked through my career. When I was 36, at a family reunion at Fountain City Park, Uncle Joe asked me, “When are you going to start your own business?” My answer was, “I don’t have the capital.” He responded, “I didn’t either.” These men were my inspiration. But I knew a woman in a male-dominated industry needs more than inspiration.
So, I got my courage from three places. In December 2019, at the age of 53, I was toying with the idea of starting Kneier Commercial. I bounced the idea off my big brother, Jackie (named after my father). He asked how much my mortgage was and I hesitantly told him. (I had no idea why he asked.) His response was, “I can cover that for two years.” I hadn’t borrowed money from anyone (except banks) since I was 25 years old and I wasn’t going to start now. But the thought that my brother, who now ran my father’s modest car business, would have that much faith in me, told me I should certainly have faith in myself. The second person who gave me courage was my very significant other, Charles. He said it was my turn and he vowed to have my back. He proved it by grocery shopping and cooking every single evening while he had a full-time job as Assistant Secretary of DHHS. Given that COVID hit three months later, that was a massive undertaking for him since his primary job was protecting the people of NC and ultimately trying to get as many people as possible vaccinated.
So, with genes and confidence, I jumped in with both feet and started TWO businesses, Kneier Commercial and Secretary.
Where is your business based?
I work from a modest home office in Asheville, NC. We chose this house in January 2018 because it was on ½ acre and walkable to the Town Center’s YMCA, shops, Regal Grande, and restaurants. Plus, at the end of our street is the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mountain to Sea trail. Every day and night we have some combination of groundhogs (which I feed by hand), bears (which I don’t), fox (red and gray ones), raccoons, possum, deer, squirrels, and chipmunks. While the house itself isn’t exactly what we would’ve picked, the location couldn’t be beaten.
Working from home wasn’t much of a leap since I’d been doing that since 2011. But my travel schedule changed immensely. I was no longer jetting around the country once a week looking at sites and going to conferences. I had to establish the business and watch my overhead.
I set up a makeshift office downstairs overlooking the front porch hummingbird feeders. That didn’t work. So, over several months, I moved it to the living room, then the dining room, then the upstairs loft, then the master bedroom and then the second guest bedroom. This is where I landed for the majority of the time. It was quiet, it had a small non-distracting window and an okay background for Zoom Meetings (because COVID was in full force and virtual meetings were prominent). But it was above the garage so it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter, until Charles surprised me with a portable AC/Heater. This room provided focus. And each night at 8:30pm, Charles would turn up the volume on the television’s Pandora station (“Dinner Music of the Gods”) to let me know dinner was on the table. By this time, he’d become an excellent Spanish chef (he attributes YouTube) and he always set the table with lit candles and a glass of wine.
In answer to your question, “Where is my business based?” Nirvana.
How did you start your businesses? What were the first steps you took?
Step One: Start a Journal.
This began as less of a journal and more as a morning to-do list. Then, at the end of the day, I found myself adding things to it that I’d accomplished. And it eventually morphed into a journal with full, but short, sentences about feelings and thoughts. (Today, I thoroughly enjoy looking back at it and learning from it.)
Step Two: Call industry friends/contacts and not only let them know what I was doing but seek advice.
What I learned was, I was a sought-after commodity. The Brokers who once worked for me during my corporate Development Director days were now suggesting that I join their firms or that I start my own firm so they could join me. I also got salaried job offers. Step Two surprised me and gave me even more confidence. I also learned I should get my Broker’s License.
Step Three: Establish the LLCs.
I knew I wanted to stay within my industry. I also knew I wanted to use my last name because that’s what my industry does. And I wanted to honor my father and Uncle because they didn’t use our last name in their businesses. So I established, Kneier Commercial.
Kneier Commercial needed an effective tool that I’d been missing throughout my 25 years of Commercial Real Estate. So I reached out to Carter, Charles’ niece. Carter is a programmer and I knew she could build something that Kneier Commercial and others in my industry could utilize. My vision was that this software needed to track critical deadlines, store documents, and send notifications. Carter came up with the name, Secretary, and we formed the 50/50 partnership.
Step Four: Start designing Secretary
Carter and I had a standing meeting each Sunday evening where we talked about vision and design. A large part of these conversations was to educate Carter. Since she wasn’t in my field of expertise, I found myself teaching her the very basics of my industry’s fundamentals from terminology, to mathematical calculations, and even the current tools we used in the industry. For instance, Carter hadn’t used Excel and this was how my industry tracked information. But with industry knowledge, vision, and teaching in conjunction with her programming, Secretary started taking shape.
Step Five: Get my Licenses (Provisional Broker, Broker, Firm)
Like everything, I’m all or nothing. So I started attending a 6-week real estate course in early March 2020. Then COVID hit. The course became a Zoom class and I graduated with my Provisional Broker’s License in April. I needed to take the National and State Broker’s Exam immediately after taking the class but all of the testing sites were closed due to COVID. In an effort to keep the information fresh, I took several Zoom tutoring sessions. I was finally approved to take the 4 hour exam at the end of May 2020 when the testing sites opened for one or two masked students at a time. I passed both sections. At this point, I had 18 months in which to take the Broker’s course. I started that in July 2021 and finished in August 2021 which removed the Provisional Broker title and made me a full Broker. That same month, I applied and received my Firm License for Kneier Commercial.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness from your business?
I continued my calls and communications with industry colleagues. I was constantly learning and they were happy to help. They had knowledge of potential clients who could help Kneier Commercial grow. A few of these clients didn’t happen but the two biggest clients were very interested and hired me as an independent contractor. I’ve been managing their leases, their accounting, and handling their expansion since May 2020.
One of my clients is the largest Supercuts franchise in CA. They have 108 locations and my primary responsibility is to work with each of their Landlords in lease management. My other client is Tasty Restaurant Group who has Pizza Hut, Burger King, and Dunkin Donuts franchises throughout the east and KS, IA, MO. I not only work with their Landlords but I also handle expansion and dispositions. I’ve cultivated new relationships in-house at these companies as well as relationships with brokers and Landlords. All of these new contacts have become great assets to my network.
This income stream and this contact base would ultimately prove to be an asset to Secretary as well.
So far, I find networking to be the most effective way of raising awareness for Kneier Commercial. In fact, it’s been so successful that by the end of the year 2021, I’m projected to make more than twice the revenue I did at any of my corporate jobs.
As for Secretary, we recently completed the design and construction so we are currently in the process of launching. We are starting awareness thru my vast network of contacts and it’s proving to be useful. But we need a bigger reach. So our next steps will involve conferences such as the ICSC and the IFA plus we’re implementing cold calling via franchise publications.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge has been explaining to the industry how game-changing secretaries can be to their businesses. My industry is mired down in antiquated spreadsheets by the multiples. We often have 10-20 spreadsheets pulled up at the same time while toggling between them to find answers. Secretary is the go-to place for answers and reminders whether someone is at their desktop or in the field using their phone. Plus Secretary is half the cost of other comparable systems. My biggest challenge is finding a way to adequately find my target audience and then explain this to them.
On a very different level, a challenge I struggle with is setting healthy boundaries. I find that I want to constantly work, think about work or talk about work because I feel something is left undone or unsaid. This lack of boundary causes me to avoid movement (exercise). In 2019, the year prior to Kneier Commercial and Secretary, I captained seven USTA tennis teams and played on nine. All seven of my teams went to State Championships. Two of those teams won State and went to Sectionals. I was number one for my 18+, 3.5 division in the State of NC, and #2 in the South. In 2020, when I started my business, I didn’t play tennis. Healthy boundaries have been a difficult challenge to try to overcome. So, in the summer of 2021, I picked up tennis again. Now I’m on two teams, both of which I’m not captaining, and both of which are going to State Championships. Also, I’m currently, but not successfully or consistently, working with a personal trainer via an app called TrueCoach.
I haven’t overcome either of these obstacles but I’m determined to figure out how.
How do you stay focused?
Staying focused is easy for me because I love my work. However, staying focused on a task can be challenging sometimes when many, many tasks are being juggled.
My biggest ally is Secretary. I keep Secretary on my desktop all day. I take notes in Secretary. I create to-do lists in Secretary. Secretary is where I store my contacts and how I do my mapping. I set reminders in Secretary. I create tasks in Secretary. I store documents in Secretary. Secretary calculates commissions for me as well as date timelines. Secretary is cloud-based via Google so I can share live-time information via Secretary with others. I can run reports in Secretary. Secretary truly keeps me streamlined, focused, and on task.
When my home office gets a bit noisy (Charles also works from home), I ask Alexa to play light classical music on level three. This provides just the right amount of white noise that helps me stay focused. (And it’s music where I don’t sing along.)
I’m also highly organized by nature. All the tools I need are at my fingertips, including my dog, my glass of lemon water, and a nearby sweater. So I’m not getting up and down all day.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
Kneier Commercial is easy to differentiate. I have 25 years of Commercial Real Estate experience (as many do). What makes me different is that I started out as a Developer of large acre tracts (Walmart, Publix, Lowe’s with small shops and out parcels), then I became Director of Real Estate at two large corporate retail tenant restaurants (Ruby Tuesday and Jason’s deli), now I’m a broker/developer at my own company. In my Commercial Real Estate industry, I’ve been on all sides of the fence and I can see all of the angles. Kneier Commercial also has a very different mindset. Kneier Commercial promotes kindness and positivity. The major goal behind Kneier Commercial is to never burn bridges and for everyone to walk away happy especially in negotiations. This mindset fosters long-term relationships that can peacefully work together to co-exist especially between those that tend to be on opposite sides of the fence (i.e. Landlords and tenants). Couple this experience and attitude with a vast network accumulated over the years and Kneier Commercial are highly unique.
As for Secretary, I can say with all confidence that is it the most secure, the fastest, and the most organized. Our first goal was to make it the most user-friendly and we succeeded. Secondly, we did our homework by interviewing over 20 competitors. We learned a great deal from them which helped us implement the industry’s most sought-after features and then, we improved those features. Unlike the competitors, Secretary is not designed solely by a Tech Specialist. Secretary shares my intuition and 25 years of Commercial Real Estate experience as a Developer, Retail Tenant, and Broker. No other software comes close to the features that Secretary has to offer. And Secretary is 50% less costly than anyone else because we keep our overhead incredibly low.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
I don’t use standard marketing techniques. I don’t hand out swag at conferences. I don’t do mailers. I don’t buy ads.
Kneier Commercial’s name is preceded by highly reputable, 25 years of Commercial Real Estate expertise. My marketing wasn’t technically a strategy, it just occurred with reputation. This can be seen via word of mouth as well as LinkedIn. So Kneier Commercial took off organically with networking mostly early on and via phone.
Currently, Secretary’s most effective marketing has been my vast network too. But, in addition, we intend on using podcasts, YouTube, franchise conferences, affiliate referral fees, and cold calling. On a larger scale, we believe Secretary can be utilized by full service Real Estate Firms for multiple client services. I’m currently talking to three Firms about this particular avenue. This means that the Firm could replace the Secretary logo with their own when providing services to their clients. We are also currently looking for a partnership with someone who can take Secretary to the next level. This means that we would share proceeds with the new partner based on sales. We believe these marketing strategies could catapult Secretary into position of potentially being purchased in the technology space.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
I would like to offer two bits of advice.
Don’t burn any bridges because you will continue to run into (and need the help of) the same people over and over again who are now in different positions as life changes. In a nutshell, as money comes and goes, your reputation is literally all you have. So do your best to be ethical, moral, and legal regardless of how others treat you. I promise you will win.
Keep three people around you at all times: Someone who’s a mentor, someone who’s an equal colleague, and someone you can teach. All 3 of these people will be an asset to you.
What are your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
The app I use the most is my texting app. For some reason, I get quicker results with that than any other app. My favorite app is Amazon Prime. As you know by now, I’m always working so I order everything from dog food to shampoo from Amazon. Plus I get 5% on my Amazon Prime card.
I don’t blog but I probably should in an effort to help promote Secretary.
My favorite book is Eleanor Roosevelt’s autobiography. In fact, when I had my checks printed, I had a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt placed on the bottom of each check that says “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” She was ahead of her time and an inspiration to all women. I truly believe she ran the country when FDR couldn’t and she didn’t expect any credit.
What is your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
Secretary is by far my favorite business tool. It’s silly simple to use. It helps me stay organized with filtering and sorting. During my meetings, all of my answers are housed in Secretary and I can easily find the answers on my desktop or phone. I am never without answers thanks to Secretary. It also houses documents so I can read to find deeper answers. I keep notes in Secretary along with checklists. I journal in Secretary. I wake up to Secretary showing me tasks for the day or reminders that deadlines are approaching. Secretary has a mapping feature that can give me directions or show me all of my locations at a glance. Plus Secretary is completely customizable. I can add or delete items that don’t apply. I can give others access to my Secretary's information when needed. Secretary is cloud-based so it follows me everywhere.
Secretary is by far my favorite business tool. Secretary, no question, helps me be successful. I would be lost with it.
Who is your business role model? Why?
My father and my uncles were my business role models because all three of them had the courage to start their own businesses at times in their lives when they had nothing except drive and a great personality. They showed me that, you can build a long-lasting job and have fun with it too.
How do you balance work and life?
I typically sit at my desk between 9:00 am and 8:30 pm. I work 50-60 hours per week. I eat breakfast and lunch at my desk. I try to take an hour walk (without my phone) on the trails at around 6:00 pm each day with Charles and our dog. (I can’t always do it though.) I play tennis once each week, sometimes twice. Saturdays and Sundays I work a bit if needed but not too much. Sunday mornings are reserved for the church which we’re doing via YouTube these days. I’m finding that the balance comes with intentionally creating a routine and then intentionally sticking to it.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
I thoroughly enjoy tennis and the camaraderie around it. Most of the women I play tennis with are professionals like me. The conversations are stimulating and the tennis is highly strategic and competitive.
Charles’ evening meals are a perfect way to decompress. In fact, you can hear me decompressing sometimes. He and I talk about our days. I enjoy hearing about his accomplishments as much as he enjoys listening to mine. The food is always perfect and so is the ambiance. I always look forward to sitting at the dinner table at the end of a good day.
While it’s not often, I really like massages especially at Spas like the Grove Park Inn in Asheville where you can spend the entire day getting treatments and enjoying the Spa. Again, it doesn’t happen much anymore but that’s a wonderful way to decompress.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
For starters, Secretary will be successfully launched at the end of the next six months. This means that there will be Affiliates receiving referral fees and full-service Commercial Real Estate Firms using Secretary to provide services to their clients. Brokers will be using the brokerage arm of the Secretary. Landlords and Developers will be using the Landlord arm of the Secretary. Tenants will be using the Tenant arm of Secretary. This is the goal for the next six months. After this six-month period, the branding will take place on Secretary’s website. We will continue to add more user subscribers which will add more value and we will simultaneously begin marketing Secretary to larger tech companies.
As for Kneier Commercial, it will plug along as it has because nothing needs to change right now. It has a successful revenue stream. What could organically happen though is the addition of a new client or two. Should this happen, I will need to hire an independent contractor to help with the work.
How can our readers connect with you?
I have a personal email address at kkneier@yahoo.com. They should put “Fem Founder Interview” in the subject line. They can also find me on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-kneier-62073641/
Secretary