Remote Work Helped Me Find More Fulfilment Outside of Work: James

Hi, Can you please introduce yourself?

My name is James, and I'm a full-time product marketer working in tech. I also enjoy writing a newsletter and working with startups on consulting projects. I'm from the UK and based in London.

What’s your profession, what do you do?

I'm a product marketer by trade. This means I sit at the intersection of product, marketing and sales teams to launch products, represent the customer, and improve product adoption. It's the only role I've ever done, and I love it.

What company do you work for? Are you a freelancer or Digital Nomad?

I work full-time for Remote, where we help any company to hire international workers around the world as contractors or full-time employees.

How did you start with a remote work journey?

My first remote role was in 2019, pre-pandemic! It was for Headstart.io, an enterprise HR tech startup helping big enterprise businesses to hire diverse graduates.

Before I joined, the business had made the decision to give up an office lease and go remote. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. We used Twist instead of Slack, although as most of the team are in the UK and based around London we didn't lean too much into async communication. In hindsight, this was a mistake - async culture is a must-have for a successful remote work culture.

What do you think are the main benefits of working remotely?

Before remote work, I was convinced that a career was a rat-race. It was work first, then life.

Working remotely has helped me find more fulfilment outside of work, spending more time on fitness, personal projects, and friends/family.

Work/life balance may be a cliche, but finding the right mix has really improved my mental health.

Do you think there are disadvantages or that you’re missing something by working remotely?

I miss casual watercooler, 'getting to know each other' chats. At Remote, we're encouraged to schedule coffee chats with anyone else just to say hi and mingle, and it works well. Slack's new 'huddle' feature also makes it easy to have casual group voice conversations - although staying away from work topics can be difficult!

From what cities or countries have you worked since you have become remote? What are your favourite countries or cities to work from?

I've mostly worked from home in London, although also spent a few weeks working remotely from Paphos, Cyprus where I found 45 degrees celsius and laptops in direct sun don't mix well!

From what type of places do you prefer to work? Home, co-working spaces, coffee shops, or others?

For the first four months of my remote journey (before Covid), I worked from a gym lounge area. I really enjoyed the hustle and bustle, replacing the background noise from an office. Plus, it meant I could get two gym sessions in a day!

When Covid hit, we had to stay at home - so I invested in a standing desk, a bigger monitor, and office comforts like soft drinks and snacks. My husband also works from home, so it's been good to have company all day.

What places would you like to travel to while working remotely?

I'd love to go on a world tour to meet my Remote colleagues in places like Portugal, the US, and India. Ideally, anywhere near the beach!

Luckily enough, I've not faced any major challenges. One tip I'd suggest is to have an email for IT support handy if your laptop doesn't switch on in the morning!

How do you manage your business and taxes as a remote working professional?

As a Remote employee, we're all full-time employees - no need to send invoices or sort out taxes, just get paid as usual.

Do you work on any side projects?

Yes, I run BuildingMomentum.io - a twice-weekly newsletter for marketers in B2B SaaS businesses. I write about positioning, go-to-market, sales, and marketing - sharing all the things I wish I knew 10 years ago!