Remote teams small company ideas that just work by ericwelke

Articles from EricWelke.com Remote Teams: Small Company Ideas that just work. by Eric Welke

When your online startup starts to get into gear, you’ll need a way to scale up your operations quickly and cost effectively. This is where remote workers and teams can be a very big help to your operations. They can provide you with a way to shore up the gains you’ve made and lay the groundwork for future growth. Since remote workers are mostly contractors, seasonal needs can be fulfilled without taking on permanent employees. You increase your capacity when you need it the most. This is perfect for startups that run online sales portals, customer service and travel booking. How to build your remote team: Know which specific tasks need more manpower. List what skills are needed to do the job right then start searching for the remote contractor who fits your requirements. Check the most popular and well established freelancing sites or post ads online. Don’t forget to check your personal network for people who might be suitable too. Recruiting should be conducted the same way you would when you look for permanent employees. This will save you time in the future if you need to hire that person again. Be on the lookout for other skills and experience that you might need. Expect the hourly wage to vary differently, especially if you’re going hire workers based offshore. Remember that you always get what you pay for.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect $10 per hour work from someone who bids $2 per hour payment. There are bargains out there but never hire based solely on cost. Cheap workers are only worth hiring if you plan to invest in training them or just have them do the simplest of tasks. Managing and monitoring productivity: Set expectations. This is crucial. Tell your contractor what results you expect and give him detailed instruction and a timeline. There are a lot of very good project management utilities available now and some are even free. They can you track the progress of a project or job your remote team is doing for you. There has to be a way for you to track work completion. A few online freelancing portals offer their own software for use in monitoring a team. If you did not go through of these sites, you can resort to manual tracking OR install third party software. Communicate a lot and then communicate some more. Regular communication with your contractor will help you keep them motivated and pointed in the right direction. Although they are expected to be independent and self-reliant, regular communications is critical to building your remote contractor team. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to provide feedback to any member of your remote team. Often time this is the only way that contractor will know if he needs to correct his work. This will benefit you too in the long run. Hold regular meetings and feedback sessions.

Many small company ideas are thought up every day to solve certain problems. Building a remote contractor team is an effective way to add more capabilities to your startup and gives you an edge when peak sales seasons come.