Running Your Business Remotely: Going International
Before you move to another country, it’s best to have a good plan. You may not know what the future holds for your business or career, but taking these steps before embarking on a large move can help avoid major setbacks once you start running your business remotely.
It can also help increase efficiency while maintaining productivity levels across all departments involved during the transition period and beyond.
The first step is to mentally and logistically prepare for such an important decision; it’s best if one has a solid foundation before starting to set out and still do your thing.
Preparing Your Team
Encourage Independent Thinking in your team
Business leaders who recognize that their most valuable asset is their employees will go out of their way to empower and encourage them.
When companies create a work environment in which employees feel empowered, hardworking people are more likely than ever before to be driven by self-interest rather than simply doing what needs to be done regardless of whether there is any personal payoff or not.
Create effective lines of communication
Making sure your team can reach you is the first step in building a strong and successful company. Always be aware of how they can contact the office, whether through chat groups or virtual conference platforms, so that no one is left out when communicating important information about projects that are happening in real-time.
Whether it is through real-time or asynchronous communication, make sure that your team knows how to reach you consistently, and have a response within a certain timeframe.
Prepare your team extensively
If you intend to relocate yourself or your operations, it is best not to keep your team in the dark. This also aids in the preparation of relevant tools and technology before you depart.
Not only does it establish trust, but it also ensures that there are no major disruptions during the move. You can ensure a smooth transition for everyone involved by being open and honest with your team about the move.
Furthermore, giving your team a heads-up will make the process go much more smoothly when everyone is on board. It will set proper expectations on your availability, as well as how much autonomy to operate they will have moving forward.
Training the team for remote work
As you’ll be running your business remotely, it also stands to reason that your team should have the capability of working remotely as well. That said, they should be trained on what to expect and how to handle the business digitally, and familiarize themselves with their new tools.
If you do not have a lot of experience in this field yourself, you can hire a Project Coordinator that specializes in remote work. That way, you have someone who can track the progress of projects and report everything to you at the end of the day.
Delegating tasks is not just about saving time. It can also help you think more creatively, generate new ideas for your company’s improvement and take a much-needed break from the day-to-day grind.
Preparing yourself for running your business remotely
Of course, there are things that you have to prepare for along with your team. As you are moving to a new country or on the other side of the world, there are things that you need to make sure will not hinder your business from functioning properly.
Having a Proper Connection
Because you’ll be running your business remotely, for the most part, a reliable internet connection is essential. As a result, it is critical to conduct your research and secure a reliable connection as soon as possible. You must also look for alternative solutions, such as co-working spaces or purchasing a portable hotspot.
If you’re planning on working in public spaces like cafes and co-working buildings, be sure to use VPNs (virtual private networks) for increased security. You will never know who might recognize or steal your data when it’s unprotected.
Setting up the Tools for the Trade
As we have mentioned before, communication is essential when it comes to running your business remotely. You’ll need tools to accomplish just that, beyond the occasional emails and spreadsheets.
Nowadays, there are a lot of online tools that businesses can use to run their business efficiently, whether they are traditional or working remote. Communication apps like Slack and GSuite allow you to not only chat but share files in real-time.
CRMs, or customer relationship management systems, are critical for collaborating with your team and tracking client requests. CRM systems such as Basecamp and Salesforce enable you to assign tasks to team members, set deadlines and track progress. This is useful if you are working on several projects for different clients at the same time. CRMs are a vital tool for any business and can help your team’s communication and organizational skills.
Setting up a schedule
If you intend to work from the other side of the world, you must establish a schedule with your team to know when they can reach you in an emergency.
You should also establish times when reports and updates should be sent so that they do not arrive haphazardly and at odd hours of the day.
Another suggestion is to hold regular, scheduled meetings. It could be once a day, once a week, or once a month, depending on how involved you need to be in the business to function properly.
In Conclusion
Running your business from a different side of the globe can seem daunting. But with the right preparations and a great team behind you, you can be on your way to running your business from a tropical paradise or expanding to international waters.
Need a fantastic Project Coordinator to handle your team and run the projects and tasks efficiently? Bottleneck Distant Assistants can help you with that today! Schedule a free consultation with us, so we can help you find a Project Coordinator that fits you and your business needs.
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About Jaime Jay
Meet Jaime Jay – a man who wears many hats, and wears them all admirably. He's a master connector, an entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a published author who knows how to get things done.
Before he found his way to the business world, Jaime served his country as a brave paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But that's just the beginning of his many accomplishments.
He's the founder of the renowned Bottleneck Distant Assistant Services firm, and his book "Quit Repeating Yourself" has become a must-read for entrepreneurs everywhere.
When he's not busy building his empire, you can find him on his beloved Harley Davidson, cruising through the countryside and taking in the invigorating effects of Uitwaaien – a Dutch practice that involves facing the wind to boost health and relieve stress.
He enjoys spending his free time outside building stuff with his wife, Nikita the dog and their two kittens (for now at least) Tommy and Tater.
He is ‘over-the-moon’ happily married to his wonderful wife Sara, his amazing daughter, Jessica, who is serving our country as a United States Army soldier. Jaime and Sara are the proud grand parents of two beautiful little girls.
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