Written by Aljan Scholtens on 26 September 2022

At the end of 2020, Tim and I were about to start a company again. One issue: Tim lived in Amsterdam and I (at the time) in Groningen. We quickly concluded that if everyone worked from home during Covid-19, we could too.

A quick step back in time

Before I can explain how we work now, a bit of history helps. Tim and I have worked together since 2007. Those early years helped us understand each other deeply, even though we are very different.

• We often needed only one sentence to align on a concept
• Like a long-time couple, we can often sense when something is off, even at a distance

With that base, we started a company remotely. Great, but what does it look like in practice?

Structure and planning

We have fixed moments to talk. Every two weeks on Monday at 9:00 we do sprint planning and decide priorities. On the other Mondays we review progress.

What we do not do: daily stand-ups. We prefer large focus blocks for complex work. When needed, we quickly find each other for short brainstorms.

Strangely, digital brainstorming works better for us than in-person. There is less social distraction.

Physical drinks happen less often, so occasionally we plan a digital evening drink. Surprisingly effective when you know each other well.

Equipment and tools

In the first weeks we invested in proper setup. Two essentials:

• Microphone: Tim uses an Elgato Wave:3, I use a RODE Podmic
• Camera: Tim uses a Sony A6400, I use a Sony A7III

Without strong upload speed, video still stutters, so internet quality is foundational. Fiber with 200 Mbit upload works well for me. Still stuttering? Use ethernet.

We also record our podcast remotely with this setup. Most listeners do not notice we are far apart.

Discord

Not Google Meet or Teams, but Discord, originally a gaming communication tool. Voice channels are excellent: low-friction audio spaces where you can jump in without formal calls.

Health

Working behind a screen all day is not ideal. We actively manage that:

• Once a week we try to do a simultaneous lunch run (without talking), mainly for motivation
• Startup life is not always fun. Dips happen. We make space to discuss how we are doing

In fact, those check-ins now work better than years ago when we still shared an office.

Challenges

There are challenges too. With two people it is manageable, especially when you know each other well. What happens with a bigger team? Stay fully remote? Add time zones?

We try not to solve problems too early. We solve them when they become real.

Soon Tim would be working from the US instead of Amsterdam. We prepared for that. In the next article I explain how that went.