Hiten Shah (FYI) - Figuring Out Your Own Remote Work Structure

Today on the show we have Hiten Shah, founder and CEO of FYI. Hiten was also the founder of tech startups like Kissmetrics, Crazy Egg, and Quick Sprout. We talked about how Hiten has been leading remote teams since 2003, FYI’s Remote Work report, the importance of figuring out your remote work structure, and why hiring is about “opting-in.”

An interesting theme in this interview is Hiten’s core message: “Figure out what works for you.” You can easily find articles about remote work best practices, remote work management, and so on. However, Hiten strongly recommends that you figure it out yourself. If your personality, management style, and team structure are not ideal for remote work, admit it and find a solution that works for you.

We covered:
2:27 — How Hiten Shah started his very early internet business
4:00 — Why Hiten and his co-founder Marie Prokopets wrote the Remote Work Report
6:10 — The most surprising finding from the Remote Work Report
8:10 — How a remote manager can help remote team members figure out their ideal daily structure
10:10 — What exactly is “overcommunicating”?
12:37 — Why understanding people is the most important challenge remote companies need to tackle
14:00 — Hiten’s hiring process and the biggest differences in hiring remotely between then and now
24:00 — Questions people should ask themselves when they’re building a remote team.
29:09 — Where Hiten usually does his best work
Mentioned resources:
FYI
Kissmetrics
Crazy Egg
Quick Sprout
The Remote Work Report
The Startup Chat Podcast
The Remote Show Podcast episode with Hiten Shah
Notion
Marie Prokopets
11 Best Practices for Working Remotely
58 Must-Read Remote Work Resources

Automattic 
Buffer
How To Build Social Connections and Trust in Remote Teams with Claire Lew
Why Hiring Outside Silicon Valley is the New Normal with Andreas Klinger
Hiten’s Twitter