The Yonder Podcast
Jeff Robbins
Recent Episodes
Jeff Robbins interviews Abby Downing of The Superfan Company about the process of “not having a process,” engaging with clients “where they’re at,” and finding your personal cadence for productivity each day.
Discussion Topics…
How does location affect getting remote work done at The Superfan Company?
Why the company motto is “meet the clients where they’re at”
Productivity when working from home vs while traveling or at an office
Improving communication skills as a result of working remotely
Finding a healthy work-life balance when transitioning to a remote workstyle
Choosing the hours that work best for you to “get work done”
Efficient ways to communicate internally and externally
What does your creative process look like?
Business Plan: “Make money. Have fun.”
The importance of trusting your team members to get things done without micromanagement
Scheduling calls with clients and remote workers
How to hire great remote workers and which qualities to look for
Working together towards common goals as a remote company
Want to discuss your takeaways from this episode with us? We'd love to share ideas on Twitter @yonder_io!
Jeff Robbins interviews Tim Burgess of Shield GEO about remote work salaries, international employment law, distributed team culture, and how flexibility is the future of work.
Discussion Topics…
What is Shield GEO? How do they make international employment simple?
Where do Shield GEO’s employees work?
How are typical U.S. companies expanding overseas? Which aspects should they consider?
Differences between hiring international freelancers versus international employees
Employing international employees in the way their country employs people
Minimizing risk for employers hiring internationally
What are the regulations around taking time off for international employees?
How are salaries affected by hiring remote workers globally?
Determining competitive salaries based on geography and what’s fair in teaching remote employees
What happens to salary when remote employees decide to relocate?
How is salary affected by having employees who are digital nomads?
Staying compliant with various country regulations
How to terminate distributed employees outside the country
Why is the future of work “flexibility,” and what does this mean?
Want to discuss your takeaways from this episode with us? We'd love to share ideas on Twitter @yonder_io!
Jeff Robbins interviews Chris Neumann, Founder and CEO of Cro Metrics, about starting and growing a distributing company, remote management best practices, and hiring top talent for remote companies.
Discussion Topics
How does Cro Metrics run as a distributed company?
Determining pay scales based on value to the company, not by typical salaries in a geographical area.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned in the early stages of growing your company?
Importance of shared experiences and company retreats for remote teams
Communicating and collaborating effectively as remote workers
Leading with transparency and trust
Setting and achieving OKRs to improve the productivity of distributed teams
Advantages of a distributed company vs a co-located company
Why remote management is good management
Helping remote employees to self-manage, as opposed to micromanagement
What is “the client shirt” all about?
Fostering a high performance company culture and prioritizing the customer
What about hierarchy?
How to attract top talent and hire remote workers
Want to discuss your takeaways from this episode with us? We'd love to share ideas on Twitter @yonder_io!
Jeff Robbins interviews Matt Westgate, Co-Founder and CEO of Lullabot, about overcoming the early and modern challenges of running a distributed company and bringing humanity into the remote workplace.
Discussion Topics…
How did Lullabot get started, and why did you decide on the distributed model?
Overcoming early challenges of running a remote company
Growing into a leadership role from being a developer
Assessing productivity levels as a remote company leader
The philosophy behind, “It’s not what you can do, but what you can get done”
Helping remote workers figure out work-life balance
Openness and when to share vulnerability as a leader
Autonomy, management, and micromanagement
Bringing humanity into the remote workplace
Proactively addressing isolation for remote team members
Why physical companies are still struggling to hire remote workers
Client services and time zone compatibility
Cultural differences in distributed companies
What’s a PEO (Professional Employment Organization) and how does it work?
Importance of collaboration in remote companies
Want to discuss your takeaways from this episode with us? We'd love to share ideas on Twitter @yonder_io!
Jeff Robbins interviews Wiktor Schmidt, CEO and Co-Founder at Netguru, about the role of company culture, what it means to be remote-first, and how to scale trust in a larger company.
Discussion Topics…
What was it like to grow to 600+ employees over 11 years?
Having a remote-first mentality around work, even when employees are in the office
Accessing a global talent pool as a remote-first company
“If you’re not able to trust your team, maybe you should not have hired them in the first place.”
Does trust scale to larger distributed teams?
Managing the security risks of scaling from a nimble team to a larger company
Using the right tools to optimize productivity and enhance communication for remote companies
What’s the Culture Book at Netguru?
Living by company values in everyday interactions
Giving employees trust is not a new phenomenon, but it’s still not a mainstream concept for companies
Remote is not the reason for trust, but it’s more the effect
Importance of face-to-face communication in regular intervals
All-hands meetings, company conferences, and unstructured client meetings
What are company conferences with 600+ employees like?
Having a remote-first philosophy at the company without being fully distributed
Want to discuss your takeaways from this episode with us? We'd love to share ideas on Twitter @yonder_io!