Optimize for what adds value, minimize the rest.
Jim Coughlin left his job managing a fintech Implementation team in 2023 to start Remotivated. “I’ve always wanted to start a business, I’m one of those people who throws out 7 business ideas a day in casual conversation so I don’t think anyone was really surprised when I made the jump.”
Because Remotivated is bootstrapping the business, it required very careful planning. In addition to the startup costs, you have to be able to not pay yourself for an uncertain amount of time. Jim is fortunate to have a background in AP Automation and have been able to do some consulting around that and remote work processes while developing the longer term product offering.
Remotivated recently launched their certification program and the first cohort will be coming out later this year. They are also working on some awesome tools and benefits for their member organizations. They are trying to add as much value as humanly possible for their early adopters to harness the momentum they’ve built and try to turn that into a virtuous cycle.
The Changing Landscape
During the Pandemic Jim was an Implementation Manager at an AP automation SaaS company. They went from being fully in-office to remote during lockdown. Once the pandemic started to wind down they re-opened a new, much smaller office however not many people went in so they eventually closed that down too.
Ultimately the adjustment to remote work went great. All of Jim’s team’s important metrics increased. But it was challenging too, Companies that went remote during Covid did not have the same opportunity to thoughtfully plan out their culture and processes that remote-first organizations had. That’s ultimately what inspired Remotivated. “Remote work is great but since so many people transitioned during a time of panic, “remote” means something different at every company. Our goal is to help standardize those definitions, help companies adopt proper remote-first processes and to help the best companies and the best talent find one another.”
Like most escapees, Jim gets to spend more time with family. His wife works from home too, so they get to spend a few extra hours a day together that they used to spend commuting. “I think it’s important for remote workers to develop daily routines or rituals that help keep them grounded and unplugged from work at various times. Mine are walking the dog, making lunch for my wife and I, and blasting music at a volume that would definitely get me kicked out of the office!”
The Coming AI Wave
AI has been a huge help to Remotivated. They use AI for core parts of their product and although they could function without it, AI has allowed them to build a much better solution than they had first imagined. They have a custom trained AI that anonymizes survey data (although they still have a human verify all of it’s work) and they use AI in their rating system to ensure the certification standards are fair and impartial. AI has also made it easier for them to iterate, Claude in particular has saved a ton of time and money on coding.
For anyone who hasn’t started using AI too much yet, Jim recommends mastering prompt writing and automating AI input and output with a tool like Zapier or Make. “It’s game changing for business but also more than capable of helping you with things in your personal life or at a job.”
The Learning Journey
Jim has found one of the biggest challenges escaping the 9 to5 is letting go of perfectionism and fear of criticism (perhaps the same thing?) because they get in the way of gathering feedback. He is learning that you won’t know if what you’re working on is what customers want until they tell you so. “For people like me it’s tempting to try to get everything perfect before you share it with the world so that you only ever hear applause but it’s just not possible to build anything worthwhile without constructive criticism.”
Thankfully we don’t all have to learn by our own experiences. Books and podcasts can help us shortcut the process. Will it Fly by Pat Flynn is one of Jim’s favorites. “It takes a lot of the same concepts as The Lean Startup by Eric Ries but simplifies them and explains the individual steps in a way that is a lot more applicable to most small businesses, solopreneurs and bootstrapped founders.” He also recommends Remote Works by Ali Greene and Tamara Sanderson. “It’s a really good guide for leaders at remote companies to easily implement asynchronous and inclusive communication policies and get the most out of working remotely.”
Like all products or services based around talent, there’s a delicate balance that can be difficult to navigate. To attract employers Remotivated needs to have the attention and trust of talented employees and to attract employees they need to have great employers and opportunities to share with them. “It’s a constant balancing act that never really goes away but that’s something any company building a community has to figure out! For anyone thinking about starting a business my advice would be to just jump in and start! I spent so much time planning and even the best laid plans ended up getting changed along the way so I wish I had just started sooner.”
Learn more about what Jim is doing a Remotivated.
Primary URL: www.remotivated.com
