Pilar talks to Jeanna Barrett, founder and Chief Remote Officer at the fully distributed company First Page Strategy (FPS). Jeanna shares how she set up the company by following her values and aspiring lifestyle, as well as her approach to company culture, remote operations and how values influence her decisions.

Jeanna Barrett is the founder and chief remote officer of First Page Strategy.

“At First Page Strategy, we call ourselves FPS for short. We started in 2016, have been fully remote and distributed across the US and other countries since then. We focus on doing growth marketing and using data and big ideas to produce growth for product led brands. We use our core services of SEO content, paid lead gen data and analytics for that.”

FPS's inception was driven by Jeanna’s desire to escape the burnout of corporate America and lead a remote life.

“I wanted to live a remote life and build a company that I truly wanted to be a part of, a company that didn't yet exist. Having worked in the tech industry in San Francisco for over ten years, I found myself burnt out at just 34 years old. I realised this couldn't be what happiness looked like for me, a sentiment I believe is quite common in corporate America. Seeking a change, I moved to Belize, deciding to let go of my traditional career path. My plan was to freelance and consult without a clear direction, focused more on enjoying life, staying calm, and exploring the world, away from the stress of working 40 to 60-hour weeks.
Interestingly, First Page Strategy began almost by accident. Someone reached out needing an SEO agency, as they were dissatisfied with their current one. Although I wasn't entirely sure how to pitch, I decided to give it a shot, adopting a 'fake it till you make it' attitude. I managed to pull together a small team, starting the agency with just two people. Now, it has grown to a team of 20 to 30 people.”

Jeanna is focused on developing ‘the SPS life'. This concept focuses on creating a work environment where employees love their work, receive fair compensation, feel valued and heard, and maintain a balanced and harmonious life that includes travel, family time, and personal growth without stress or burnout. To achieve this, the company aligns its operations, processes, culture, and values with this vision. An example is their adoption of a 32-hour work week for the past three to four years, a strategy designed to combat the typical agency burnout. They use a bandwidth tracker to monitor workloads and ensure employees are not overwhelmed. Furthermore, they establish clear boundaries between work and personal time, encouraging both asynchronous and synchronous work while ensuring employees don't feel obligated to be available around the clock. This approach is part of their broader effort to create a more fulfilling and sustainable work environment.

08.40 MINS
Jeanna runs the business on EOS (Entrepreneur Operating System) and extends the language of travel into the organisation’s structure.

The leadership team, playfully named the "takeoff team" or "pilot team," reflects the company's fun travel theme and less corporate style. This team includes heads of various business divisions such as growth, sales, marketing, operations, client services, and people management. They follow EOS guidelines to set and commit to goals, known as "rocks," on a quarterly basis. To maintain accountability and direction, the team uses a mix of asynchronous and synchronous communication, including weekly updates in Slack and short meetings to synchronise on progress and accountability.

“This keeps everybody rowing in the same boat, in the same direction. And as a leader and a manager at the top, it's been really cool to see how it all comes together.”

Jeanna acknowledges the importance of documenting work processes, not just for remote companies but for all businesses. She recalls her experiences of leaving previous roles and taking her knowledge with her due to the lack of a systematic documentation process in place. This issue becomes particularly significant when companies face layoffs, resulting in a loss of essential knowledge and practices.

Jeanna advocates for the role of a dedicated remote work expert in companies to successfully navigate and implement remote work practices - and her transition from a marketing-focused role to that of Chief Remote Officer reflects her growing passion for developing a robust remote-first culture.

Through the concept of "time freedom" within their agency, they balance individual freedom with team availability. Jeanna talks about how they synchronise work hours for client interactions, while maintaining flexibility for personal activities, using ClickUp for managing tasks asynchronously.

Regarding working with clients in a way that fits their culture, Jeanna talks about being upfront with them about her agency’s working methods, including extended breaks and a 32-hour work week. She stresses that their quality of work doesn’t suffer due to these policies, as evidenced by positive client results. In fact, Jeanna’s been observing a trend towards attracting clients who appreciate or mirror their remote-first, asynchronous approach.

25.50 MINS
Looking into the near future, Jeanna is looking at incorporating in-person events into the agency's operations, acknowledging their importance in remote work culture. Previously, the company's size and budget limited these events, but feedback from biannual team surveys has shown a strong desire for in-person gatherings. Jeanna plans to organise an event next year to bring her team, some of whom she has worked with for over four years without meeting in person, together.

Additionally, Jeanna is also playing with the idea of ‘productising’ her agency's unique qualities - the ‘three uniques’. These include hiring only the best talent in various locations without outsourcing or using junior account managers, tailoring processes specifically for high-growth, product-led companies, and maintaining a non-traditional agency culture in both operations and culture. Productising these aspects would mean creating tangible, supportive elements for these claims. This could involve hiring individuals with specific tech backgrounds and certifications, and requiring potential hires to pass a specialised quiz.

At FPS, hiring is aligned with the company’s core values. The decision to hire is based on bandwidth and capacity, tracked using tools like Time Doctor. This tracking helps determine when to add new team members, considering the workload and financial forecasts.

The agency uses a detailed, 30-step hiring process outlined in ClickUp, involving various team members responsible for writing job descriptions, determining salaries, and other tasks. This process aims to attract the best talent worldwide, adhering to the agency's standard of not outsourcing or employing junior staff for client management. They focus on hiring experts in their field and require candidates to complete a project and present it remotely, ensuring their ability to communicate effectively with clients and understand their role.

Jeanna acknowledges the challenges in hiring for a remote-first operation. New hires sometimes struggle to adapt to the agency's remote working style and tools like ClickUp, which can be crucial for their success in the role. The agency is continually refining its interview process to better identify candidates who can thrive in their remote-first environment.

31.55 MINS
Jeanna hosts the podcast, "Remotely Cultured," which focuses on remote culture in the tech and marketing sectors and guests entrepreneurs, founders, and leaders from marketing and tech companies. Each episode delves into their experiences with remote work, alongside discussions on broader topics in entrepreneurship, marketing, or product development.

“I just think the podcast is such a wonderful way to network now because we are all at home in front of our computers or working remote, and there are less in person events now. And it's harder to kind of break through the noise and really get to know people on LinkedIn.
I've loved every conversation when I’ve either been on someone's podcast or they've been on mine. It's really a way to build your network. And there's opportunities. I've had a new tax accountant or I've talked to somebody that runs remote events that now I'm looking at working with my company, and it's opening up my circle. It's such a beautiful way to build relationships.”

If you are interested in the show, either as a guest or a listener, head over to the First Page Strategy website, where there’s a prominent section dedicated to the podcast, with contact information for reaching out.

If you like the podcast, you'll love our monthly round-up of inspirational content and ideas:
(AND right now you’ll get our brilliant new guide to leading through visible teamwork when you subscribe!)

WLP345 Growing A Lifestyle-Centric, Values-Driven Distributed Business

REGISTERED ADDRESS

TEL: +44(0)20 71930190

MAIN MENU

COMPANY INFO