Remote Control: The Tools and Tactics You Need to Manage a Far-Flung Workforce

Jesse Mecham, CEO of YNAB (You Need a Budget), ran his money management training and software venture in Provo, Utah, by himself for the first year and a half after launching it in 2004. Then software engineer Taylor Brown emailed, offering to help add functionality to the software Mecham had created. The fact that Brown -- who now serves as YNAB’s CTO -- was in Austin didn’t stop Mecham from immediately saying yes. Using phone and email, the two worked together virtually for about a year before meeting face to face. Geographic distance simply wasn’t an issue.

“My first experience [of working in separate locations] was very positive,” Mecham says. That’s why he was willing to expand his hiring search area when looking for another team member