How did you get started with remote work?
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 Andrew, co-founder and CEO of Insured Nomads
Remote work has been a part of my modus operandi for over 15 years as my wife and I have taken turns in our professional development with various expatriate assignments and international opportunities. This situation has given me the freedom to take my work with me or pioneer new ventures from the road.
Andrew, co-founder, and CEO of Insured Nomads talks traveling while working, productivity tools, and the best advice he has received.
Read full interview from Interview with Andrew, co-founder and CEO of Insured Nomads.
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 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 Kristi, a CEO and remote team leader
I began working remotely back in 2013, first as a marketing consultant working with startups and universities, and then in a fulltime communications role with a large higher ed IT association.
I'd already spent six years in traditional brick-and-mortar jobs but was eager to break free from the four walls of an office--knowing full well that I could accomplish anything I was working on from anywhere I could use a laptop.
That was such a freeing feeling. I stayed in that role for two years before striking out on my own with a teammate whom I've known for decades. Now there are six of us.
Kristi is a CEO, remote work author, and speaker. In this interview, she shares the impact of new motherhood and remote team leadership on her work.
Read full interview from Interview with Kristi, a CEO and remote team leader.
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 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 Gino, a founder skilled in building remote teams
I got started with remote work back in early 2015 when I moved to the Bay Area (I’m living in Seattle now and loving the Pacific Northwest). By that time, I had spent around a year working with my team in an office in Lima, Peru.
In 2015, we decided that we would start hiring remote team members based throughout the Americas and not just Lima. That’s what got us started in remote hiring.
We started hiring great people in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and all of a sudden; we had a company with half remote team members and half in-office team members.
It wasn’t long before many of the team members in our Lima office started requesting to work from home. One of our engineers had to commute for an hour and a half each way (to and from the office).
What’s crazy is that the vast majority of companies throughout Latin America continue to operate this way — basically expecting employees to commute for a couple of hours a day on average. Remote work is growing in Latin America, but more slowly than in other parts of the world.
It’s embarrassing to think that we didn’t think about going remote earlier. Once we did, we noticed a spike in productivity and everyone was citing improved work-life balance.
Soon after, we decided to let go of our office altogether in order to become a 100 percent remote company. Today, we have team members from the U.S., Mexico, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, and others. We all work from home.
Gino realized how important remote work could be to finding the best talent—see his strategies for building remote teams.
Read full interview from Interview with Gino, a founder skilled in building remote teams.
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.
Interview with Paul, a remote product designer who has found his zen
Like many around the world today, the Covid-19 pandemic saw me retreating from the office to the safety of home, where Ireland announced a national lockdown back in March. Fortunately, the move was quite seamless as the company I work for —Global Payments—uses GSuite.
I have teammates and colleagues based in the United States and India, so it makes no difference whether I am sitting in the office or at home when on a Google Meet call with them.
As it happens, prior to the pandemic, the idea of working remotely more often was beginning to appeal to me. I wasn’t too sure when to take the plunge but was on the verge of doing a couple of trial weeks when the pandemic fast-tracked all that. Covid-19 anxieties aside, I’ve enjoyed it so far.
The COVID-19 pandemic drove Paul to embrace remote work. See how he has adapted his routine to this new normal, and the one tool that keeps him organized.
Read full interview from Interview with Paul, a remote product designer who has found his zen .