Hey there, Quick update: I’m hosting Cooking with AI (Live!) tomorrow — a walkthrough of four easy recipes to get started using AI:

✅ Shopping smarter with Perplexity
​✅ Turning experts into mentors using NotebookLM
​✅ Personalized recommendations using image analysis from ChatGPT
​✅ Building your first AI assistant bot (no code required) with a custom GPT

Come see how each one works in practice and get ideas for how to fit them into your own workflow.

Anyone can attend live for free, and paid subscribers will receive the full recording. Hope to see you there!

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Before the pandemic pushed everyone onto Zoom, a handful of companies were already thriving without offices. A decade later, they’re still shipping great products, hiring globally, and dodging the “return‑to‑office” drama the rest of the world is arguing about. Look closely and you’ll see the same four strategies everywhere you turn.

Together, these strategies make up the minimum‑viable operating system for a remote‑first company: drop one and the foundation crumbles.

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1. All‑remote or bust

I have yet to see a company operate in a hybrid capacity and be successful (I dig into the pitfalls here). Many OG remote teams experimented with a part‑time office in the early 2010s, but every one of them walked away.

Buffer, for example, ran a San Francisco office for two years, then closed it in 2015 after discovering hybrid work doubled overhead and slowed decision‑making.

Where to start

• Make the call once and for all: Are you an in‑office or remote culture?

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2. Trust over tracking

I’ve worked with dozens of top remote companies. Not a single one installs keystroke loggers or webcam spyware.

Automattic’s handbook says it best: “We care about the work you produce, not just the hours you put in.”

Where to start

• Build hiring practices (e.g., paid work tests) that screen for autonomy, craft quality, and async communication skills
• Set crystal‑clear expectations - what’s expected, how it’s evaluated, and sample artifacts that show what “successful” looks like
• Design your virtual environment intentionally - high‑agency onboarding from day 1, no tool overlap, and lightweight communication flywheels that keep everyone aligned

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3. Retreats with purpose

Remote‑first teams replace team-building Zoom calls with intentional, in-person gatherings that compress months of trust‑building into a single week.

Zapier, now 600 + people across 40+ countries, flies everyone to a week‑long annual summit of shared work and play. Those gatherings generate the trust and context that fuel the next twelve months of async collaboration.

Where to start

• Budget at least 1% of payroll for an annual off‑site
• Use the retreat to kick off initiatives that require high trust
• Keep the schedule light. The unscripted moments are where the real magic happens.

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4. Deep work by default

The best remote companies know the difference between doing the work and talking about the work. And they protect deep‑focus blocks like gold.

Doist’s default is “no recurring meetings.” Ad‑hoc calls happen only when written comments get stuck. GitLab leans on issue threads and handbook pages before Zoom invites.

Where to start

• Delete weekly status meetings and replace them with a #my‑week channel
• Post a shared “Should this be a meeting?” checklist
• Diagnose and address the underlying recurring meeting problem​

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The playbook in one minute:

1. Pick a lane. If you can be remote, go all‑in.
2. Measure outcomes, not mouse movement
3. Invest in real‑world chemistry. A week together beats 50 random Zoom socials.
4. Guard your calendar like a safety vault. Default to async, escalate only when necessary.

Adopt these four strategies, and you’ll join the quiet group of teams that never waste time on the RTO drama because they already figured out how to thrive without cubicles or commutes.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Just take a note from their playbook.

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If you're struggling with any of these strategies, book a coaching call here for personalized support.

In Case You Missed It

​Your Remote Team Cheat Sheet​
Last week, I shared all about Personal ReadMes: What they are, why they matter, and how to write your own (including examples).

​AI Recipe: Instant Answers for “What Should I Eat?”​
In a recent Idea Kitchen recipe, I shared how to get personalized suggestions in seconds using ChatGPT's new o3 image analysis feature.

​Cooking with AI (Live!)​
Don't forget to join me this Thursday for a live demo of the AI recipes I published in April. If you're looking for a way to catch up on new AI features quickly or searching for practical use cases, this is for you. No jargon. No fluff. See you there!

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Work Forward Society Want to meet others who do work differently? Join us in making 2025 your year of less meetings and more real work! Join The Work Forward Society →

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What did you think of this issue? What do you hope to see in the next one? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this. Hope you have a lovely day! Marissa ​Founder, Remote Work Prep​ P.S. Did you enjoy this issue? Share the article with a friend. Struggling with a remote work problem? Book a coaching call. If you liked this, consider supporting this free newsletter by leaving a testimonial. ​

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