3 Founders Talk About Working Remotely
Are there benefits to running a company remotely?
Working remotely allows our entire team to live where they're happiest and to work from where they are most productive. They decide where to live and work. Tortuga is then able to hire the right person from anywhere in the world. We aren't limited to the city where we are based. For us, working remotely isn't just a perk; it's a core value. Our team is made up of frequent travelers and people with multiple "home bases" that move around during the year. Attracting the right people helps us to build a team of travel lovers who understand (and are) our target customers.
To stay connected, a remote team must have clear rules around communication. We use Asana to manage projects, Slack for chat, Dropbox for storage, and Notion for documenting everything. Most importantly, everyone knows where everything is and how to find the information they need. Good communication and documentation are key for running a remote team that works mostly asynchronously. We don't have set working hours, and our team is spread across the globe. So you need to be able to find what you need and do your work without an instant response from your colleagues.
As a self-described ‘remote work evangelist’ what would you say to someone hesitant to exploring work outside of the office?
What made you decide remote work was the way to go for your team?
At Ronin our vision is that the sun never sets on The Ronin Society. We work with a lot of independent yet collaborative thinkers and feel it is important to not limit possibilities. Remote working enables us the freedom and flexibility to work with any business owner anywhere in the world and to build a team of talented folks no matter where they happen to reside.
How do your clients feel about meeting online?
We believe business starts and ends with people. We've very intentionally put meetings and client relationships at the forefront of our product and service. Our clients find the organization and discipline that comes along with a regular cadence of weekly and monthly meetings is invaluable to keeping their people and numbers aligned to achieve their goals.
Many founders of world class companies started their businesses out of a home office. I think if anything it enables teams to build better relationships as they get to know each other outside the confines of traditional office environments. Finance is the universal language of business and we have been on zoom calls with clients, investors and business owners across international borders. People we work with find this global connectivity quite engaging and fascinating.
Visit The Ronin Society at: https://www.theroninsociety.com/
Did the freedom of working remotely play a part in starting SUAVS?
SUAVS did not initially start as a working remotely company, but with time we began realizing that it just made sense to have that freedom to work from wherever we want. It made sense cost-wise because we were able to move out of our Warehouse and into an office space. We were able to start focusing more on the actual product and brand and then have that flexibility of traveling or taking the day to work from home if needed.
The ease of being able to attend to any day to day activities such as going to the vet, doctor’s or personal appointments on a whim is definitely a big plus. The freedom to choose where to work from for a change of scenery, be it a coffee shop or on a trip.
How do you manage a brand remotely?
PS I concur with Fred regarding the communication and connectivity tools. Asana is also our virtual office and we rely on it heavily for folks to stay in touch and collaborate on projects, keeping track of what they need to do by when.
Leave a comment