3 approaches to build businesses for remote work

How to successfully build your business location independent

Especially in the wake of the Corona pandemic, more and more companies are organizing themselves independently of location. To grow sustainably in this structure and build a team, there are some aspects to consider. Dominik Angerer, co-founder and CEO of Storyblok, a tech company that operates completely remotely, explains what matters in remote work.

Up to a certain size, remote team collaboration may work smoothly. But as soon as a company grows, the number of projects increases and employees with special skills are needed, the location-independent set-up brings with it some challenges. Here are three key approaches that have proven effective in preparing a company for remote work.

1. Think internationally and get to know everyone!

Even companies that are organized 100 percent remotely have difficulty finding employees who are a perfect fit for the company. This is especially true for technical professions such as developers. Accordingly, the recruiting process is not quite as simple, even the help of headhunters and the scattering of job ads do not ensure that one is flooded with applications.

One advantage of a location-independent set-up is certainly that no candidate has to relocate his or her center of life for the job. In this respect, it is possible to search the whole world for suitable personalities for a specific role. In this context, it makes sense to push the recruiting process via the team as well as the company’s own network – especially since personal contact is paramount.

In order to lead remote teams, one must also be aware of the cultural differences between countries and continents. A developer in a German-speaking country may have a different skill set than someone in a similar role in Brazil. Motivation may also be different – so it pays to get to know and understand each individual on the team.

2. Dare to hand over responsibility!

If you want to grow quickly as a founder with your company, you have to learn to hand over responsibility early on. On the one hand, this means outsourcing certain areas and getting professional support on board early on. Whether accounting, finance or operations: as a founder or managing director in a growing venture, you should constantly ask yourself whether you can still fully meet the requirements of certain teams or subject areas.

At the same time, it is essential to give your employees the freedom and space to experiment and test from the very beginning. In this way, it is possible to promote individual initiative and establish a positive culture of error. Otherwise, there is a risk that certain processes will be fiddled with for so long that the overall progress will finally come to a standstill.

3. Create a technological framework!

Almost every company today works with software solutions that make everyday life easier and certain processes more efficient. For remote companies, there are a number of tools that are specifically tailored to location-independent organized teams. Here is an overview of the most important ones:

  • Deel makes it possible to hire employees worldwide and at the same time comply with all international regulations. The creation of contracts is also made much easier with this tool.
  • Hofy offers companies the opportunity to provide new employees with the equipment they need, no matter where they work from. Whether laptop, desk or ergonomic chair – everyone gets what they need. And quickly.
  • With Zage new team members can be provided with new content and tasks on a regular basis as part of the onboarding process, so that they get to know the company and their respective area of responsibility in all its facets.
  • Revolut, an all-in-one app for all money topics, helps to manage the marketing budget. Payment runs or recurring payments can be automated and controlled. With a virtual credit card, employees can also manage budgets independently.
  • Donut, an integration for Slack, allows new and existing teams to get to know each other better. For example, the tool randomly links two employees and gives them time to get to know each other privately.
  • Last but not least, a tip on your own behalf: With a headless CMS, you can create content once for all channels and then publish it to all platforms virtually at the push of a button.

Conclusion: Personality counts with Remote Work

Team offsites, canoe tours, on-site Christmas parties: Until now, it was actually hard to imagine building a close bond with one’s colleagues and thus trust within the team without these “real events.” In addition, the Corona pandemic has shown how much we miss direct contact with other people.

On the other hand, many people also learned about the benefits of the new working world during this time. Less time on public transport, more time for family, a higher degree of flexibility – all these aspects are increasingly appreciated. So the “new normal” also includes more and more companies without a fixed office.

So it’s crucial right now, as a founder:in, to ensure that the team also grows together and with each other in the digital space. Those who lay this foundation now will benefit from healthy growth in the medium to long term – and in the virtual space alone.

Dominik Angerer ist Co-Founder und CEO von Storyblok. Nachdem er für große Agenturen als Full-Stack-Entwickler gearbeitet hatte, gründete er das Unternehmen im Jahr 2017. Dominik ist aktives Mitglied in der Open-Source-Community und einer der Organisatoren von StahlstadtJS.

Comments are closed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More