Why Remote Workers Are Perfect For Startups
The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not always reflect the views of Opstart.
Finding the right people is critical to the success of your startup. Consider the fact that most investors, when considering giving you funding, will ask lots of questions about the team you’ve assembled. To them, your idea is just as important as the people you’ve brought in to help make that idea become a business.
However, once you establish your core, you’ll need to keep looking for quality people who are committed to your company and its mission so that you can continue to grow. But this is not only difficult—finding the right people is hard—but it can also become really expensive, really quickly.
One good way to help you bring in quality employees for less is to embrace remote work. This means using freelancers, or it could also mean using remote employees such as virtual assistants. Going this route can offer a lot to your startup, helping you consolidate resources and focus all your energy on growth.
Here are some reasons why remote workers are perfect for startups:
They’re Cheaper
Hiring people is expensive. If you haven’t figured this out already, you will soon. Obviously, you need to pay them a salary, but there are also taxes to be paid, and you’ll need to make sure you’re properly insured.
Furthermore, to make sure people are engaged, you’ll need to invest in creating a quality work environment. This, too, does not come free. Add all of this to the expense of recruiting (and of possibly hiring someone who doesn’t work out), and you’ve got enough to make anyone’s head spin.
Remote workers are good because you:
a) don’t need to worry about paying benefits; and
b) you often only need to pay for the work they do.
Both of these things will save you a ton of money. When you start working with people more often, and when they’re good, you may want to offer some perks, such as sending free coffee to their house, but this expense is nothing compared to what it costs to bring people on full-time.
Now, don’t be discouraged from hiring new full-time staff. There are times when it makes sense to bring people in, but before you do that, consider looking for people from the digital labour pool. The money you save will help you dedicate resources to other areas of the business that will help you grow more easily and quickly.
They’re Not Bound To One Place
The digital revolution has destroyed the idea that you need to be in the same city you work in. And this is of particular value for startups. Earlier, we talked about how important it is for you to find the right talent that will help your startup grow.
Yet what happens when you find that person on the other side of the country? You have a few options:
- Hope they love your company so much that they want to move
- Offer to relocate them (read: spend a bunch of money)
- Make it possible for them to work remotely
Of the three, the third option gives you the greatest chance of bringing this person in without having to spend a fortune.
And this goes for one-off jobs, too. Say you need some design work. By relying on remote workers, you can find people from all over the world, making it easier to get help from top-quality creatives without having to spend as much money. Using remote workers expands the area where you can search for talent, making it easier to bring in the right people that will help your startup grow.
They Tend To Be More Engaged
You might need to read this one twice, but it’s true: remote workers tend to be more engaged, and more productive, than traditional employees. This is great because it means you, as a startup, can do more with less, helping to keep overhead down and margins up.
But why does this happen? Why are remote employees more engaged?
Well, there’s really no one answer, and just because someone works remotely it doesn’t mean they will automatically become a better worker. But the general idea is that when people are afforded the freedom and flexibility that comes with working remotely, they work harder and care more since they want to protect this opportunity to live a life that is freer and more flexible than working in an office.
You’ll have to do some things to make sure this remains the case. For example, you need to make sure to offer remote workers appropriate incentives, and you also need to make sure they feel part of the team. But if you can do this, then you can reap the benefits of having a much more engaged team working to help your business grow.
They Make You More Flexible
Lastly, remote workers are great for startups because they force you to think differently. For you to have success, you need to be working constantly to differentiate yourself from the crowd.
Obviously, bringing in remote workers won’t do this automatically, but it’s a start. It allows you to bring in people with more diverse backgrounds from different parts of the world. This might be a challenge in the beginning, but it will ultimately make your company better.
Plus, by opening yourself up to remote work, you’re signalling to the world that you’re flexible and adaptable. This will help attract more exciting talent to your company, and it will give you a competitive edge over other companies. Your compensation packages might not be as exciting, but with flexible work, you can offer a work environment that will be hard for people to find elsewhere.
Start Building Your Remote Team Now
Remote workers and startups are a match made in heaven. They allow you to save money while maximizing your recruiting reach. And they give you the chance to offer people an exciting and rewarding workplace. If you haven’t already, consider adding remote workers to your team to help your business grow and succeed.
Do you have any experience with remote workers? How have they helped your business? What were some of the challenges you needed to overcome to incorporate remote workers into your business?
About the author: Caroline is a freelance writer and blogger. She has helped countless startups in areas ranging from developing web content to implementing a digital marketing campaign. She always finds working with these companies to be rewarding, and she enjoys writing about her experiences so as to encourage more collaboration among remote workers and startups.
