How did you get started with remote work?
Interview with Lily, an entrepreneur building VR conferencing for remote teams
My remote journey all started when I was hired as an IT consultant out of college. My first client requested that I be on site but I saw my senior team members work on-site part-time and work remotely the rest of the time. I learned how to work on teams with people who were out of state and in different time zones.
After I proved I was a trustworthy worker on that project, my boss said I could work from anywhere (as long as I was close to an airport). I decided to move to Detroit, MI to be closer to my family and boyfriend (now husband). I set up my “office” in my one bedroom apartment.
One of my favorite things to do was take my laptop and explore all the different coffee shops in the area.
It felt natural to switch to remote work since that was my company’s culture. People would get online around 8 AM their local time and work until 5 PM their local time. Hours were flexible but I still have a bit of anxiety when I think of my status light going to “away” for too long on IM. We were given tools for success like company phones and instant messenger apps.
Plus, I was still traveling a lot so I saw my team members in person on a regular basis.
Lily has almost a decade of remote work experience, now she's building the team collaboration tool of the future with Virtual Reality
Read full interview from Interview with Lily, an entrepreneur building VR conferencing for remote teams.
Interview with Molood, a CEO who shares how minimalism has improved her remote work experience
Technically, when I started working in my first job, I realized that despite everything being designed for collocation, every team I was working with was distributed. My first leadership role was to manage a software integration project in Sweden, Canada, Serbia, China, and the US.
Looking back, even in student projects, I always optimized the work processes to be remote-friendly so that team members who had traveled to their home countries for holidays could continue to contribute to the course projects.
In essence, I think I simply accepted that remote work and remote collaboration was the reality of our world and did not spend much energy resisting it like many others do.
Instead, I embraced it and became very good at it.
As CEO and Founder of Remote Forever, Molood has made a career in teaching individuals and companies how to work remotely effectively. See how embracing a minimalist lifestyle has caused her to excel.
Read full interview from Interview with Molood, a CEO who shares how minimalism has improved her remote work experience.
Interview with Laurel about helping companies transition to remote work
I like to say that I was a remote worker before it was cool.
About 12 years ago, I became the operations manager for a very small business in Colorado. I was the first employee, so in order to keep overhead expenses low, I offered to work from home like the business owner had been.
We would conduct our work autonomously throughout the day, have weekly meetings to report, and stay in touch via email in between. We lived in the same city, so if we needed to have an in-person meeting with each other or with a client, we would meet at a rented conference room or a cafe.
That industry had a high-season and a low-season, so during the slow months, I reached out to other entrepreneurs and small business to offer administrative assistance with the same work model.
Fast forward a decade and I am still doing the same work on a much larger scale as an operations consultant for remote-friendly companies around the world.
Laurel is an advocate for remote work and helps companies learn how to work remotely through her consulting and writing.
Read full interview from Interview with Laurel about helping companies transition to remote work.
Interview with Dani and Luca, digital nomads who have mastered work and travel
We were already both contractors for clients that covered about 80 percent of our income. We were going to their office every day, but it was not essential to our work to be done.
We simply told them we wanted to switch to full remote, and after we guaranteed them our availability in their time zone, regardless of where in the world we’d be, and promised to keep up with the quality of our results, they agreed.
We put our home on rent and bought two tickets to Thailand. No remorse ever.
Dani and Luca have mastered the art of traveling while working—see their hacks & tips for thriving as digital nomads.
Read full interview from Interview with Dani and Luca, digital nomads who have mastered work and travel.
Interview with Laura, a communications specialist and travel writer by night
I've always had a side hustle as a freelance writer, so I've always worked remotely part-time for various publications. But two years ago, I landed a great full-time gig as a communications specialist with a WordPress website design and development agency called WebDevStudios.
So by day, I work remotely with a team of talented people. By night, I continue working from home writing articles and blog posts.
Laura Coronado discusses her method for juggling her career as a communications specialist by day and her side hustle as a freelance travel writer by night.
Read full interview from Interview with Laura, a communications specialist and travel writer by night.
Interview with Gregory, a Senior Software Developer
I was 19 and working for a very small website development shop out of the owner's in-law suite in their house. It was my first real job as a software developer, and I came into the "office" most days.
But everything was done from my laptop, so whenever the owner needed the space, I would work from home. And slowly I began working from home even when it wasn't strictly necessary.
When I left that job, I joined a company that was semi-remote (they went into the office once a week), and I was the youngest by about 20 years. The devs there taught me how to manage remote work well, and a lot of the habits and skills related to working from home that I formed at that time are still going strong.
I was able to skip a lot of the biggest "pain points" of remote work - and to avoid a lot of the mistakes - simply because that company was already well versed in working remotely.
They were able to give me the tools to succeed, and they already had the communication system down very well, which helped a ton.
Gregory is a senior software developer working from home - learn how he finds the balance between lack of focus and hyperfocus.
Read full interview from Interview with Gregory, a Senior Software Developer.
Interview with Betsy, a head of content and remote work routine expert
In 2012, I had recently finished grad school and was looking for a new job. I was tired of moving and wanted to stay in the same place, but I knew that I might not find the exact position that I wanted where I was living. Therefore, I started a blog and began researching and looking for work that I could do remotely.
I love the flexibility of remote work and wouldn't change it for anything!
I was also doing a certificate program part-time and knew that I needed a job that could be done flexibly on my own schedule. After a few months of searching, I found a position as a social media manager in the Personal Development space.
Since then, I have worked in many remote teams, primarily in content related roles.
Betsy Ramser is a content manager, blogger, and teacher who helps other remote workers thrive while creating a daily routine that works.
Read full interview from Interview with Betsy, a head of content and remote work routine expert.
Interview with Digital Nomad Sage, an entrepreneur and UX consultant
I had just come back from teaching abroad in South Korea and was applying for jobs in 2015. I had a really hard time because I was overqualified for many jobs with a Masters degree, and I lacked the experience to get entry-level jobs.
I tried studying Web Development but quickly lost interest since I’m not really good at coding. I came across Youtube videos about Amazon FBA, so I became a Fulfillment by Amazon Seller for pet supplies, but that didn’t work out.
My former Japanese language professor saw my struggles and decided to take me under his wing in 2017 and hired me into his UX company. Thanks to him, I have about two years of experience in UX Research working remotely!
My primary job is as a UX Consultant assisting my boss with UX Research.
From e-books to blogging, Digital Nomad Sage has become an expert on making money online—see his advice for developing an online business.
Read full interview from Interview with Digital Nomad Sage, an entrepreneur and UX consultant.
Interview with Liz, a UI/UX designer and cowork advocate
It was a bit of a happy accident! I started to work at a company where my team met a few times of the week outside of the office to cowork in cafes.
We would grab lunch all together as a team, and it created such a relaxed and collaborative environment. I had never worked remotely before, and I loved the balance it struck between office life and remote life.
Liz is a traveling UI/UX designer—see her strategy for thriving as a digital nomad and her efforts to promote coworking.
Read full interview from Interview with Liz, a UI/UX designer and cowork advocate.
Interview with Katerina, a team collaboration consultant who sees the value of discipline
I started working remotely by accident. It just happened that my boss moved abroad. My role evolved into facilitating interaction between her and the rest of the team, which was distributed across the city.
By coincidence, my office was located in a side building. I shared it with two other junior members. Nobody paid attention if we came to work, as long as work got done.
That pattern, of working in remote teams, and from where ever I wanted, became more frequent over the years.
Remote working wasn't a conscious decision, but a progression.
Seven years later I still have an office I can go to - if I want to.
Katerina fell into remote work by accident - she reveals how easy and straightforward it can be to make discipline a daily part of remote work.
Read full interview from Interview with Katerina, a team collaboration consultant who sees the value of discipline.