These days, anyone who is considering starting their own business should really sit down and look at everything that a remote startup has to offer. This can be a particularly advantageous opportunity for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of money, but who really wants to be their own boss. More and more people are getting involved with remote startups, because there are so many benefits. These benefits include:
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- Access to Better Talent – When you start a brick and mortar business, you need to hire people who are from the area. It may be that the talent you need isn’t available in your area. With a remote startup, you can hire anyone from anywhere in the world. While you may want to be able to hire from within your own area, this is not always possible if you want the most, and the best talent for your company. Hiring is also a lot faster, because you don’t have to set up long recruiting campaigns that don’t always bring about the results you want and need to get the best talent.
- Your Employees Have Lives – When employees begin to burn out, it can affect the companies they work for. When you have remote employees, you don’t have to worry about this happening. Your employees will be a lot happier with their work, because they have more freedom to do the things they enjoy. It is a good idea to set up a weekly team call or online meeting just to make sure everyone is up to speed with everything that is going on. Then, you can let them work at their own pace to avoid burnout and ensure that you are getting the best possible work they can give.
- Save Money with Remote Workers – Another way that you will save money is by having remote workers who don’t need to have special budgets for travel, meals, etc. You don’t have to pay for their office space, because they are working from other locations, including from their homes. They save money too, because they don’t have to commute, buy lunches, etc. So, it is a win-win situation for both employer and employee, because everyone saves money in the long run.
- Less Employee Stress – This goes back to the employees having lives. Often, there is a lot of stress in the workplace. In fact, someone who isn’t stressed can end up that way because a co-worker’s stress rubs off on them. When people are working remotely, they are able to avoid a lot of workplace stress. This means that they are happier in their work, and they are able to get more done because they are not stressed out all the time.
- Lots of Software for Remote Teams – In addition to being connected to the world, remote teams also have access to loads of great software packages that are specifically for this type of work. These packages will make the work of remote employees a lot faster and easier, not to mention how much easier things will be for you. Some of the most popular software packages for remote teams include:
- Time Doctor – This is time tracking software that will show you exactly how you and your employees are spending time.
- Agreedo – This tool lets you create meeting agendas, take minutes at meetings, and helps in the decision making process.
- Wunderlist – When you need to make lists in order to remember things and get them done, this is the tool you must have in your arsenal, both for personal and professional use.
- Trello – Quickly and easily organize projects using board, lists, and cards that let you organize and prioritize in a fun, rewarding, and flexible way.
- Slack – This is a messaging app for teams that was created by the same team that created the Mars Curiosity Rover, and it is used by tens of thousands of teams all over the world.
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- Employees are More Engaged – One of the really cool things about having remote workers is that they are more engaged, and they are engaged in different ways and at different times of the day. In a traditional office setting, you are not going to be able to discuss things with employees at midnight. This often isn’t a problem with remote workers. They tend to choose their own hours to work, and many will work late at night rather than earlier in the day. So, you will likely always have access to your remote employees at any time of the day or night. Just make sure that you find out their schedules, so you don’t try to contact them when they are on their own personal time.
- Lower Overhead – One of the biggest expenses in running a business is the cost of overhead. First, you have to consider the cost of rent for an office, store, etc. Then, you need to think about the cost of utilities, including electricity and Internet access. You also have to spend money on furnishings. With a remote office, all you need are certain online tools, many of which are free to use. These include HipChat at $14 per month, Screenhero for screen sharing and VoIP for free, Skype for video conferencing and calls at $30 monthly for a few premium accounts, and Google Drive for collaborating and sharing files, which is free to use.
- Remote Offices are Better – One of the great things about working remotely is that you can work from pretty much anywhere. As long as there is an Internet connections, remote employees can do their jobs. No one is chained to a desk in an office, and they don’t even have to be stuck in a home office all day long. The Internet, and all of the devices we have to work with, make it easy to work from any location. Your employees could be hanging out at coffee shops, at home, at local libraries, or any other location, and the work is still getting done.
- Commuting isn’t Healthy – Studies show that remote employees are much healthier, both physically and emotionally, than those who commute to work every day. Commuters spend more time on the road daily, and they are not nearly as happy as those who are able to work from home or any other location of their choosing. The UK Office of National Statistics states that “commuters have lower life satisfaction a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, lower levels of happiness and higher anxiety on average than non-commuters”. That certainly is something to think about. Another healthy benefit of working remotely is the fact that workers are not contributing to pollution levels by driving their cars to work.
- Workers are Connected – One of the best things about having remote workers is that they are pretty much always connected, which means that you can get in touch with them whenever you need to. You can easily communicate with employees about things that need to get done, updates on what they are doing, etc. New business trends that are perfect for making remote businesses more effective include remote administration, cloud-based project management, BYOD, and video conferencing.
Greg Digneo writes for TimeDoctor.com, a time monitoring and productivity monitoring software designed for tracking hours and productivity of remote teams.
