“You’re able to feed off each other and
brainstorm ideas better in person than when
you’ve got several people on the phone,” DeBell
says. His company has one staffer in Denver
and two in Ventura. It also has a network of
freelancers in the eastern U.S.
Vandenberghe encourages staffers to go to
coworking spaces so they can avoid isolation.
When he needs a brainstorming session, he flies
staffers to where he is so they can meet in person.
Saili Gosula has a remote administrative staffer
and several onsite employees at her Synergy
HomeCare franchise in San Mateo, California,
and all of her caregivers work out in the field.
Gosula has some of the same issues as owners
whose work is computer-based; she does a lot of
communicating and informing, trying to be sure
that all her office staff is on the same page.
As it turns out, Gosula uses some of the same
skills with her caregivers, who are all working in
sensitive, emotional situations as they care for
elderly or sick people.
“We talk to them often, ask them how it’s going,”
Gosula says. “We ask them questions every time
we interact with them.”