In the age of the pandemic, everything is changing, especially in the workplace. Since its conception, Finden has operated as a fully remote agency hosting employees across Minnesota. As I am writing this blog, Finden doesn’t even have a central location we call home. Because of that, I wanted to discuss the ups and downs of this style of operation and my tips on how other fully remote agencies can grow and avoid the mistakes we made.
PRO’s
Creativity is at an all-time high
Our team members have been in their homes, allowing them to be in a space where they can be creative and away from judgment, resulting in a significant output in unique ideas for our agency.
We cut major overhead costs of office space, furniture, and other office expenses
With fewer people working in the office, we could drop our office expenses and find a location that fit our entire team (snuggly) for 1/10 the price of an office, allow us to price even more competitively
Team members are the happiest they have been in ages
Not having to wake up early and make the daily commute has done wonders for our team members’ morale. They are now happier and can spend more time with their loved ones.
All work can be done virtually
As a marketing agency focusing mainly on digital, our services can be done anywhere, allowing our team to work from our headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota, or anywhere in the country. The only exception to this is content creation where we usually go onsite and get what we need either photography or videography.
You aren’t limited to a geographic area for hiring
Finding qualified candidates while hiring can be challenging, especially when you only have one office next to Canada. Being remote allows you to hire anybody in the world to perform the task.
It allows you to put a footprint in many locations for your business
Speaking of hiring anyone in the world, working remotely allows you to work with any client worldwide, and having team members in different locations can help give you a footprint and a brand image across the globe.
It allows freedom for your team members to travel and live their lives
Forgetting that we are in a pandemic, working remotely allows your team to be freer with their lives. Back in January, part of our team took a trip to Belize (for a client) and adventured around a different country while working with our other clients.
It allows your team freedom to get things done on their own schedule
Probably the favorite pro if you were to ask, my team would be the ability to make their own schedule. Finden has taken away the scheduled 40-hour workweek and allows our team members to work their own hours whenever they are most productive. This allows more creativity and gives them time to enjoy their lives.
CON’s
Networking has been tough
Finden is a relatively fresh company, and as a new company, networking is everything. Having a team around you to go to events can help lessen the load for the founders. Unfortunately, having a fully remote team puts most of the networking time on the founder’s shoulders.
Team members have been less productive, and efficiency has declined
Working from home has a fair number of distractions. You may have plants to water, dogs to walk, or kids to feed, and unfortunately, the company usually comes second. If a team member doesn’t have a dedicated space to distractions may slow them down.
Communication can be scattered
I would rank this as the most important con since communication is such an important part of any business. Since your team members are no longer right next to you, communication is usually slowed and can take time for a message to come through. Additionally, I recommend daily meetings with each team member to discuss daily tasks and what needs to get done.
Timelines are harder to enforce
Since communication is slowed and productivity is down, it has become much more difficult to enforce timelines. The days of walking up to your team and saying, “I need it done by ___” are over and it’s now in the hands of your team to get things done on time. Tools like Trello, Monday, and Slack are lifesavers for my company and I would recommend them to you.
Onboarding is almost impossible
As a fully remote agency, it is extremely difficult to train new employees, mainly because you can’t just sit down and work with them. Having everything virtual makes our business’s learning curve much longer and makes it much more time-consuming to train your new employees.
Getting content for your own company is a challenge
Team photos are nearly impossible…. And is a logistical nightmare if attempted. We have shifted to a graphics-based social media strategy which has helped a ton.
Company morale is hard to keep up
Since we can’t host parties, give awards, or be together, it has been a struggle to keep our team passionate about the Finden way. We have adapted and now host virtually happy hours, online gaming events, and more to keep our team happy.
Team meetings are less productive
The days of multiple conversations, ideas throwing everywhere, and brainstorming are dead in a virtual world. Zoom meetings have put us into an agenda-based team meeting, which has hurt our creativity and produces fewer results. To combat this, we host one team meeting a week of just fun brainstorming and creativity sessions which have seen our cool ideas skyrocket.
Want to learn more about how you can stand out using ads? Finden Marketing is Duluth, Minnesota’s leading Gen Z & Millennial marketing agency. With years of experience, hundreds of thousands of dollars managed, and a dedicated team we can help grow your business to its true potential. Our team offers a wide range of services, including PR, Branding, Content Creation, Paid Media, Graphic Design, and Web Development. With over 50 projects in the bag, Finden Marketing is becoming a staple marketing agency in Duluth, Minnesota. To learn more about Finden Marketing, check us out here, or visit us at our office in Duluth, Minnesota.
Make sure to stay in touch with us: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
