remote startup - building a company from everywhere in the world

Building a company from anywhere in the world

David Mytton

Woop Japan!

Server Density Timeline

Server Density Timeline

•April 2009: 2

•Dec 2009: 3

•Early 2011: 5

UK

UK

UK

Canada

Canada Netherlands

USA

•Late 2011: 7 UK Canada Netherlands

USA Portugal

Server Density Timeline

UK

Canada

Netherlands

USA Portugal

Poland

•2013: 12

Picture is unrelated! Mmm, ice cream.

•No limits on hiring

Advantages

RelocationWorldwide talent

Picture is unrelated! Mmm, ice cream.

•No limits on hiring

Advantages

•Suits employees

Friends, family, flexibility

Picture is unrelated! Mmm, ice cream.

•No limits on hiring

Advantages

•Suits employees

•Responsibility

Promote responsibility within the team - taking the initiative

Picture is unrelated! Mmm, ice cream.

•No limits on hiring

Advantages

•Suits employees

•Responsibility

•CostOffice costs, commuting

Picture is unrelated! Mmm, ice cream.

•No Distractions

Advantages

Office costs, commuting

Picture is unrelated! Mmm, ice cream.

•No Distractions

Advantages

•Travel

Office costs, commuting

Picture is unrelated! Mmm, ice cream.

•No Distractions

Advantages

•Travel

•Timezone coverage

Office costs, commuting

Disadvantages

Collaboration

More difficult

Disadvantages

Collaboration

Keeping everyone updated

More difficult

Disadvantages

Collaboration

Keeping everyone updated

Isolation

Having informal ideas or discussions

Disadvantages

Collaboration

Keeping everyone updated

Isolation

Watercooler

Having informal ideas or discussions

2012 Office

Last year we added an office after 3 years of working remotely

What works best where?

Remote Office

Engineering Design

Ops Marketing

Support Sales

Everything? Everything?

2012 Office

Very difficult toadd remote later

Important that we did it in this order

2012 Office

Office only

Remote Only

Remote → Office

Important that we did it in this order

2012 Office

Remote Only

Remote → Office

Office → Remote

Office only

Important that we did it in this order

Remote mindset

Communication

Availability

Tools

Working remotely is a mindset, difficult to bolt on after starting all in the same placeCommunication: have to keep everyone in the loopAvailability: not all around at the same time. Organise meetings or collaboration in advance

Not just chatting - activity feed

Very difficult toadd remote later

David Mytton

david@serverdensity.com

@davidmytton

Woop Japan!

www.serverdensity.com