Are you thinking of building a remote startup? Maybe you want to adopt remote work at your current company? 

Whatever the case, you are most likely weighing all the benefits and challenges remote work brings. Fortunately for you, you are not the only one. Many startup founders have had the same dilemma as you. 

While there is no perfect way to run a remote company, there are still lots you can do to build a successful one. In this post, we will explore what you need to do to get started with building a remote startup.

Hire Based on Performance

When hiring for your remote team, you must ensure that the people you end up hiring are fit for the job before you hire them. Hiring a wrong person is almost always costly, and as a startup that is just starting out you cannot and should not afford that.

Instead of hiring based on how much someone fits in with your culture (which is essential as well), look for past performance, and evaluate candidates based on that.

Create a Virtual Office Space

Once you have gathered your remote team, now is the time to set up your virtual headquarters. Depending on your startup, you can choose appropriate apps. 

Your HQ should consist of a project management tool and a team communication tool. These two should be the backbones of all remote headquarters and are a great place to start. After you have those in place, you can begin expanding your tool-set based on your remote team's needs and preferences.

As a remote startup, you should consider adding a remote work monitoring software like Insightful to help you keep track of what your remote employees are doing at work.

Just remember that remote workers time tracking tool and any other software are only useful if the workflow they support is adequate. It would be best if you had processes and protocols already in place before opening your virtual office doors. 

Your workflow and procedures need to be familiar to all your employees, which is why you should post them as a section somewhere in your virtual office. Be specific about all workflows and tools that you are going to use, especially if you will be using a remote work monitoring tool.

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Do Not Micromanage

For remote employees, you have to expect a certain level of personal accountability, as only those who can be held responsible for their work can be successful at working remotely. 

Many remote startup founders, especially those doing it for the first time, do not trust their employees. Usually, when there is a lack of trust, there is also a desire for micromanagement. And micromanagement can destroy your startup even before it takes off.

While to you, it may sound okay to monitor and personally manage every employee, you will quickly lose a sense of the bigger picture and annoy your employees by trying to control them. Even if you decide to use a remote work monitoring tool, be mindful about the way you’re using it, and don’t put pressure on people who’ve spent 5 minutes of their days on Facebook.

Instead, focus on adequately delegating your tasks, learn to let go of perfectionism in favor of completing the task at hand, and talk to your employees about how they would like you to manage them.

Set Measurable Goals

If you want your remote startup to be successful, you need to set goals. If you do not, you will lack direction and focus and most likely end up going in circles. 

By setting goals, you will have greater control over the direction your startup is heading in, as well as a benchmark that determines whether your startup is successful. To properly set measurable goals, you need to find motivated, relevant, and time-bound goals. It would help if you also had those goals in writing as they are an integral part of your remote startup's vision and mission.

Establish a Remote Culture

Companies that have a stronger culture tend to have lower turnover, better employee engagement, and in turn, they tend to be more profitable. 

To build a culture in your remote team, you need to foster positive communication in the organization and create trust among you and the employees, and among the employees themselves. You also need to establish a more flatter structure and share a shared sense of leadership. 

Work on Happiness of Employees

Happier employees are more productive, and more productivity could result in better results. While more money can help make your employees more comfortable, here are some other ways to make your employees happier:

• Prioritize work-life balance – Be flexible with work time and allow your employees to plan out their days to their needs.
  
• Be honest and transparent with employees – Always communicate both the good and the bad with your employees. It will keep them more engaged.
  
• Create career pathways for all employees – Providing training and development opportunities to employees can have a positive effect on the retention of your employees.

Conclusion

Building and managing a remote startup can be rewarding. With remote work, you can bring together talented people from all over the world and enable them to do great things from the comfort of their homes. 

It is not to build a remote startup, but we hope that our tips will help make that process a bit easier for you.