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Tips For Running a Successful Remote Business

Posted on Thursday, December 12, 2019 and filed under

With the many benefits of running a remote business, moving some if not all of your business operations online makes more sense than ever. You’ll be able to reduce technology and office costs and run your business from wherever you choose. Here are the top 8 tips your remote business can’t afford to ignore:

1. Hire a Talented Team

Being able to hire people who are located anywhere in the world allows you to pick and choose the right talent and skills for your team. Consider hiring people who have experience working remotely – they’ll know what it takes to manage their time and stay self-motivated.

2. Build a Strong Company Culture

Not being able to see your employees face to face means you’ll need to get creative when it comes to building a strong company culture with your team. Have weekly face-time meetings as a group, even if you’re not discussing work. This can be an excellent time to connect on a more personal level. If you have employees who live locally, make the time to meet with them once a month. And for team members who live miles away, arrange a yearly company retreat for everyone. Not only is this a good way for everyone to meet and get to know each other, but it’s also an excellent way to keep your team inspired and motivated.

3. Communication is Key

You’ll need to have effective and efficient ways to communicate with your team. Use communication suites and software that combine instant messaging, video conferencing, and email in one package. This will allow all your employees to stay in touch no matter where they’re located. Also, consider using scheduling tools that help you schedule meetings with your team without relying on email or messaging to communicate back and forth.

4. Managing Your Team

Not being able to talk face to face with your employees can present a challenge when it comes to assigning tasks and deadlines. Invest in project management software for all your employees to use so that you stay organized and on track. You’ll be able to collaborate as a team, so everyone is aware of what’s going on throughout the company.

5. Encourage Transparency

Transparency is vital for any company, but even more so when you’re running a remote business. Everyone needs to know what other team members are doing. Otherwise, projects can easily fall apart. Communication needs to be clear across the board about what each team member is working on.

6. Avoid Being a Micro-Manager

Once you’ve selected the right team and have program management software in place for everyone to stay on track, it’s time to let your employees do what they do best without your constant supervision. When you have a remote business, it can be challenging to trust and believe in a team when you do not face to face with them every day. But being a micro-manager is one of the top ways you can break apart your team. With micro-managing comes an overall feeling of distrust among the team which can increase employee turnover.

7. Create Good Work-Life Balance

When you and the rest of your team are working remotely, it can be easy to forget where work ends, and personal life begins. Most, if not all of your employees, will be working from home. This means work can be all consuming, especially if there are deadlines to meet. Set a good example by knowing when to shut off and tune out of the workspace, taking a break for personal time. Without a good work-life balance, productivity and employee satisfaction will start to suffer.

8. Use Cloud Services

By using cloud services, you and your remote employees will be able to access data from anywhere through a working internet connection. Having all your data and company information on the cloud also means more security – cloud storage ensures that your data is easy to recover if there’s a cyber attack.