Remote jobs are not only trendy and more flexible than the 9-5 job, they have many more positive attributes in today’s technological world. Gone is the day that we are confined to the dismal cubicle with the only liberation in our day is the cute secretary that walks by or the mundane talk at the water cooler.
Working remotely makes sense in so many ways other than the ability to roll out of bed and walk over to the computer without stepping foot outside. Fiscally, the employer saves money on HR costs, Energy costs, employee commuting, and productivity with higher employee satisfaction.
As a remote employee of someone else, what you need is a desk, a computer, an Internet service. You may also want to start a company of your own, which often requires more extensive capital.
How to Fund your Remote Startup?
There are many options available on funding a startup. Obviously, there are first steps before deciding on which way you will be acquiring capital to begin the groundwork to work remotely.
We are assuming that you have already researched your market, idea, and the amount of revenue you might be able to make in the industry. Here are some potential funders of a good idea potential funders of a good idea:
- Angel Investors – Angel Investors are wealthy individuals that will back your company for part of the ownership or some percentage of earnings of your profits. They will most likely look for a decent amount of control to manage any liability and, depending on the risk, will look to recover their investment within a three- to five-year time window.
- CrowdFunding – Crowdfunding is a newer option and can be a successful way to create money for your business if it can get some decent traffic. It is best to use a site such as https://www.Plumfund.com/ that has no transaction fees for organizers or contributors, and no setup fees.
- Venture Capitalists – Venture Capitalists are similar to Angel Investors but are normally a business or organization and go after a startup that has some track record of success; whether it be minimal or a more stable business.
- Grants and Loans – The Small Business Administration has federal funding, and also there are many free federal grants depending on your niche, market or cultural background.
Communication
Communication is the glue that will hold your new company together. Having a remote business is challenging and exciting. Understand that time zones are very challenging and meetings are important to get everyone on the same deadlines.
Communication Tips
- Find an instant messenger that works for your company that you can send fast individual and group messaging with attachments and videos.
- Weekly conferences or meetings to discuss projects
- Doing away with long email dialogue because of time management and confusion
- Finding a good meeting software that will go the extra mile for your company
Hiring
Outsourcing is the new way to delegate in the online world. There are many good sites out there and understanding how to wade through the swamp on hiring the right people will save you a lot of time and money. Many tech startups are hiring Virtual Assistants online from the Philippines and other parts of the world.
How to Monitor Employees and Do Payroll?
There is a pretty high misconception that remote workers are all sitting at home in their pajamas, playing video games with a coffee, all the while clocked in and making money on the clock.
How is an employer able to monitor productivity if the employee is working at home?
There are many different ways of managing production when hiring a remote employee. A lot of employers will pay per project in order to have the production responsibility lie on the employee.
However, if the employer wants more monitoring capacities aligned with accounting, there are other solutions when not being in the actual office. Clockspot is an online payroll system that is quite amazing and saves a ton of time. It allows for automatically knowing when employees clock in and out, monitors devices with GPS, and automates payroll to save time.