How to Build Remote and Distributed Teams

1. Trinet for full-time remote/distributed workers.

After interviewing a ton of founders that have either been remote-first from the beginning or are shifting to remote-first, I found that one of the most important things is this default to async work, where documentation is just so critical. Everything needs to be well documented, shareable and discoverable within your team.

Remote is in vogue and founders are rushing to build all parts of the distributed startup supply chain: Terminal helps generate remote teams, Tandem and There attempt to create a remote “office”, and Loom helps teams share their work over video.

Instead of having meetings, people “talk” to each other via GitHub, Notion, and (occasionally) Slack, expecting responses within 24 hours. Because there are no standups or “syncs” and some projects can involve expensive feedback loops to collaborate, working this way requires clear and thoughtful communication.