RWL219: How to Build Connections and Succeed in A Remote Marketing Career

Embracing Location-Independent Careers

Alex
0:00

Are

you

at

an

inflection

point

in

your

life

and

struggling

for

ideas

on

what

to

do

to

start

or

grow

your

location-independent

career
?

Alex
0:09

This

series

is

all

about

uncovering

the

opportunities

that

await

in

the

world

of

remote

work

and

location-independent

business
.

I'll

be

sharing

case

studies

of

location-independent

freelancers
,

solopreneurs
,

founders

and

leaders

to

give

you

ideas

on

what

they

do

and

how

they're

growing
.

Imagine

waking

up

in

a

new

city
,

a

new

country

or

even

just

a

new

coffee

shop

every

week
,

with

the

freedom

and

the

ability

to

work

from

anywhere

in

the

world
.

This

isn't

just

a

dream
.

It's

a

reality

that

so

many

have

achieved
,

and

it's

a

reality

you

can

achieve

too
.

My

name

is

Alex

Wilson-Campbell
.

Alex
0:46

I'm

the

founder

of

the

Remote

Worker

Life

podcast
,

and

this

series

is

dedicated

to

those

at

an

inflection

point

in

their

lives
.

Maybe

you're

feeling

stuck

in

a

traditional

job
,

maybe

you're

yearning

for

more

flexibility

and

autonomy
,

or

perhaps

you're

looking

for

a

way

to

balance

your

career

with

your

personal

life
.

Or

maybe

you're

driven

by

a

way

to

balance

your

career

with

your

personal

life
,

or

maybe

you're

driven

by

the

desire

to

explore

the

world

without

sacrificing

your

professional

ambitions
.

Whatever

your

motivation
,

you're

not

alone
.

Throughout

this

series
,

I'll

share

case

studies

of

location-independent

freelancers
,

solopreneurs
,

founders

and

leaders

who

have

successfully

navigated

the

transition

to

location

independence
.

Alex
1:26

From

digital

nomads

to

entrepreneurs
,

we

explore

a

wide

array

of

careers

and

businesses

that

can

be

pursued

from

anywhere
.

So

join

me

as

we

dive

into

the

nuts

and

bolts

of

building

a

remote

work

life
,

tackling

topics

like

finding

your

niche
,

leveraging

your

skills
,

creating

a

sustainable

income

and

overcoming

the

inevitable

challenges

along

the

way
.

We'll

also

share

the

tools

and

strategies

that

can

help

you

thrive

in

this

exciting

new

landscape
.

So

if

you're

ready

to

break

free

from

the

confines

of

a

traditional

office

to

embark

on

something

that

is

new

and

matches

your

goals
,

you're

in

the

right

place
.

Today's

guest

is

Harriet

McCullough
.

She's

an

all-round

marketer

specializing

in

community

building
,

content
,

seo

events
,

social

media

and

digital

PR
.

As

a

coordinator

for

the

largest

Gen

Z

Insights

Festival

globally
,

harriet

handles

all

aspects

of

B2B

marketing
,

event

planning

and

execution
.

Her

expertise

lies

in

crafting

full

channel

marketing

strategies

that

foster

authentic

brand

connections

through

content
,

social

media

and

community

management
.

Welcome
,

harriet
.

Harriet
2:40

Hi

Alex
,

thank

you

so

much

for

having

me

on

the

podcast

today
.

I'm

super

excited

to

be

here
.

Yeah
,

I

guess

just

to

dive

into

a

bit

about

myself
,

who

I

am

and

what

I

do
.

So

my

name

is

Harriet

McCully

and

I'm

a

B2B

marketing

manager

here

at

Pion
.

We

were

formerly

named

as

Student

Beans
,

but

we

did

a

big

rebrand

back

in

January
.

But

my

current

role

is

all

about

community

and

events
,

so

that

includes

planning

and

running

our

third

party

events
.

I

also

do

a

lot

of

customer

marketing

with

our

existing

customers

and

clients
.

I

manage

our

B2B

social

media

channels

and

then

kind

of

a

big

part

of

my

role

is

building

out

YMS
,

which

is

our

youth

marketing

strategy

event
.

So

it's

actually

the

largest

youth

marketing

event

in

the

world

and

we

run

it

twice

a

year

in

New

York

in

March

and
,

coming

up

in

June
,

we

have

the

London

event
.

Alex
3:26

And

what

made

you

choose

to

work

at

the

company

that

you're

at

at

the

moment
.

Harriet
3:30

So

Pion

is

a

really

innovative

brand

to

work

for
.

Our

offering

kind

of

spans

across

three

different

product

areas
.

We've

got

insights
,

advertising

and

verification
,

so

they're

kind

of

in

a

nutshell
,

like

the

services

that

we

offer
.

So

to

give

you

a

bit

of

context
,

insights

is

essentially

giving

brands

the

data

they

need

to

understand

the

next

generation

of

consumers

so

we

can

undertake

kind

of

research

projects

and

stuff

like

that
.

Advertising

is

essentially
,

you

know
,

we

offer

brands

a

platform

to

showcase

their

brand
,

their

offers
,

their

discount
,

and

give

them

that

exposure

they

need

to

kind

of

a

large

audience
.

And

then

verification

is
,

you

know
,

the

actual

technology

that

verifies

different

consumer

groups

and

allows

brands

to

kind

of

distribute

those

gated

offers

that

they

want

to

specific

groups
,

whether

that's

students
,

whether

that's

military
,

whether

that's
,

you

know
,

healthcare

industries
,

professionals
.

Harriet
4:17

So

yeah
,

we

have

quite

a

vast

offering

and

I

think

that

was

something

that

really

excited

me

when

I

first

kind

of

stumbled

upon

the

brand

and

understood

a

bit

more

about

what

they

did
.

But

the

other

side
,

the

culture
,

is

really

really

strong

and

I

think
,

um
,

when

you

look

at

you

know

what

previously

was

student

beans

across

different

social

networks

and

on

their

own

website
.

They

really

do

kind

of

live

and

breathe

a

bit

of

like

an

employee-led

culture
.

They

offer
,

you

know
,

a

fully

fast

kind

of

working

environment
,

as

well

as

having

like

a

really

great

supportive

team

and

people

within

the

business
.

So
,

yeah
,

I

think

they

the

kind

of

mixture

of

the

culture

is

really

great

and

strong

and

the

people

genuinely

love

working

there
,

combined

with

the

product

and

the

offering

and

the

services

that

they

have
,

and

that's

something

that
,

yeah
,

really

enticed

me

and

made

me

want

to

work

for

the

company
.

Alex
5:07

Describe

a

personal
,

notable

story

or

experience

that's

influenced

who

you

are

today
.

Harriet
5:13

Yeah
,

of

course
.

So

actually

at

the

start

of

this

year

I

kind

of

set

out

to

work

on

prioritizing

my

personal

brand

a

bit

more

within

the

industry

and

I

essentially

made

a

bit

of

like

a

personal

growth

plan

on

how
,

you

know
,

I

wanted

to

achieve

that

and

a

big

part

of

that

was

heavily

focused

on

LinkedIn

as

a

platform

and

I

wanted

to

kind

of

just

set

out

and

like

define
,

you

know
,

what

do

I

actually

want

to

be

known

for

and

who

do

I

need

my

audience

to

be
.

And

with

that

came

like

obviously
,

a

whole

host

of

other

questions

like

how

consistent

do

I

need

to

be

with

things
,

like

when

should

I

be

doing

this

and

should

I

be

targeting

kind

of

different

people

on

different

channels
,

and

all

those

sorts

of

questions
.

Given

like

my

experience

in

marketing

for

brands
,

I

kind

of

thought

I've

never

dedicated

time

to

actually

kind

of

marketing

myself
.

So

it

was

a

really

notable

experience

at

the

start

of

the

year

and

has

made

a

real

kind

of

difference

to

both

my

personal

and

professional

work
.

Harriet
6:07

Kind

of

fast

forward

six

months

or

so

and

I've

managed

to

kind

of

really

build

a

network

kind

of

like

hyper

engaged
,

hyper

relevant

people

that

you

know

I

find

really

inspiring

but

also

are

great

to
.

You

know
,

spit

all

ideas

off

of

and
,

you

know
,

just

build

relationships

within

the

industry
.

Of

all

ideas

off

of
,

and
,

you

know
,

just

build

relationships

within

the

industry
.

But

aside

from
,

like
,

the

networking

side
,

I've

been

able

to

produce

an

ebook

on

personal

branding
.

So

that

was

a

big

project

for

me

recently

where

I

worked

with

contributors

within

the

industry

to

pull

together

this

essentially

like

a

guide

to

personal

branding
,

giving

people

tips

and

tricks

that

are

also

starting

out

and

looking

to

build

and

maintain

a

personal

brand
.

So

that

was
,

you

know
,

a

great

kind

of

achievement
.

Harriet
6:44

Off

the

back

of

this

I

guess
,

self-reflective

exercise

at

the

start

of

the

year
,

and

obviously

from

kind

of

then
,

I've

been

able

to

gain

access

to

this

community

of

amazing

marketers
,

which
,

in

turn
,

has

then

meant

that

I've

been

able

to

take

opportunities

like

appearing

in

reports

and

sharing

my

expertise

as

well
,

as

you

know
,

going

on

podcasts

and

doing

in

real

life

panel

discussions

and

speaking

opportunities

and

stuff

like

that
.

So
,

yeah
,

I

highly

recommend
,

I

guess
,

kind

of

setting

yourself

personal

goals

in

the

same

way

that

you

do

at

work
,

because
,

yeah
,

that

was

kind

of

a

notable

experience

that's

influenced

like

who

I

am

today

and

where

I've

got

to
.

Kind

of
.

I

guess

I'm

still

on

the

journey

of

building

my

personal

brand

to

get

to

where

I

want

it

to

be
,

but

that

exercise

really

helped

me

and

I

think

it's
,

you

know
,

made

me

learn

and

grow

much

faster

and

really

kind

of

hone

in

on

what

I

really

want

to

be

known

for

and

achieve

in

both

my

personal

life

and

my

career
.

Alex
7:36

What

are

your

aspirations

for

your

career

going

forward
?

Harriet
7:41

Yeah
,

so

my

long-term

goal

has

always

been

to

one

day

become

the

CMO

of

a

business
,

so

something

I've

always

strived

for
.

Harriet
7:48

You

know
,

I

love

like

the

people

management

side

of

a

role
,

as

well

as

being

able

to

deliver

and

drive

great

results

for

brands

in

the

marketing

space
.

Harriet
7:55

So

a

CMO

is

like

my

dream

long-term

goal
,

I

think
.

Shorter

term
,

the

idea

of

community

building

is

something

that

really

intrigues

me
,

so
,

yeah
,

I'm

definitely

keen

to

start

working

on

a

bit

of

a

project

around

community

building
.

We've

got

lots

of

things

in

the

works
,

specifically

around

customer

marketing

in

my

current

role

at

Pion

that

I'm

gonna

be

working

on
,

which

is

a

great

project

and

a

big

aspirational

kind

of

thing

that

we'll

be

working

on

over

the

next

couple

of

months
.

And

aside

from

that
,

I

think

something

else

that

I'm

really

intrigued

by

that

I

definitely

want

to

implement

more

of

in

my

career

is

like

leveraging

AI

and

experimenting

with

different

AI

tools

to

be

able

to

kind

of

better

perform

and

understand

more

about

the

industry

and

essentially

just
,

yeah
,

create

better

projects
,

better

tools

and
,

yeah
,

essentially

just

use

AI

to

my

advantage

and

learn

a

lot

more

about

that

and

adapt

to

be

able

to

use

it

in

my

everyday

role
.

So

yeah
,

various

different

kind

of

aspirations

in

terms

of

short

term
.

Alex
8:57

As

you

look

back

on

your

life

and

connect

the

dots

that

led

to

where

you

are

now
.

What

are

those

dots
?

Harriet
9:04

so

I

studied

media

and

cons

at

uni
,

specializing

in

journalism
,

but

I

knew

that

I

kind

of

wanted

to

go

down

more

of

like

a

corporate

role

within

marketing
.

So

yeah
,

after

uni

I

got

my

first

role

at

an

agency

which

gave

me

kind

of

exposure

to

a

whole

host

of

different

industries

and

businesses

and

it's

definitely

a

great

first

step
.

I

guess
,

out

fresh

out

of

uni

pursuing

you

know
,

something

relevant

to

my

degree

fast

forward

a

few

years
,

I

guess

the

next

kind

of

dot
.

I

moved

around

a

couple

of

agencies

just

to

gain

more

experience

across

you

know
,

a

wide

range

of

marketing

channels

as

well
,

as

you

know
,

working

with

various

different

clients
,

and

I

did

gain

some

really

great

experience

working

agency

side

and

got

really

thrown

into

the

deep

end
.

Harriet
9:47

And

it's

been

a

year

now

since

I've

been

working

in-house

at

Pion

and

it's

actually

my

first

kind

of

brand

in-house

role
.

Harriet
9:55

And
,

as

I

said
,

like

formerly

student

beans
,

we

went

through

a

big

rebrand

at

the

start

of

the

year

which

was

a

super

exciting

project

to

be

a

part

of
.

Harriet
10:02

So

I

think

like

the

key

dots

definitely

have

to

be
,

you

know
,

defining
,

I

guess
,

what

I

wanted

to

study

at

uni

early

on
,

which

then

kind

of

led

me

to

you

know

lots

of

different

dots
,

I

guess

working

across

different

agencies

and

getting

great

exposure

to

you

know
,

finally

landing

my

current

role

at

Pion
,

where

you

know

a

significant

part

of

my

career
,

or
,

you

know
,

I

guess
,

the

kind

of

final

closing

dot

of

this

question
,

a

recent

highlight

for

me

was

kind

of

taking

to

the

stage

to

host

a

panel

discussion

in

front

of

over

500

marketers
,

which

for

me

is

something

that

I

used

to

find

incredibly

daunting
,

but

pushing

myself

outside

of

my

comfort

zone

essentially
,

you

know
,

has

enabled

me

to

to

overcome

a

bit

of

like

a

nervousness

around

public

speaking

and

allowed

me

to

do

more

fun

stuff
,

like

appearing

on

this

podcast

today
.

So
,

yeah
,

just

a

bit

of

an

insight

into

some

of

the

notable

dots

that

have

led

me

on

to

you

know

where

I

am

now

and

what

I

currently

do

what

made

you

choose

this

particular

profession
?

Harriet
11:00

so

I've

always

loved

writing

and

had

a

bit

of

like

a

creative

flair
.

You

know
,

right

from

a

child
,

all

those

kind

of

school

subjects

that

you

get

to

choose
.

Mine

were

always

very

creative

driven

subjects
.

I

think

within

marketing

you

get

to

use

those

creative

skills

than

maybe

other

professions

that

or

industries

that

are

out

there
.

But

also

I'm
,

you

know
,

a

huge

lover

of

experimentation

and

innovation
,

which

I

personally

think

the

marketing

industry

is

kind

of

at

the

forefront

of
.

You

know
,

alongside

the

tech

industry
,

marketing

follows

very

closely

behind

when

it

comes

to

innovation

and

experimentation
,

in

my

opinion
.

So

yeah
,

I

guess

being

able

to

use

those

skills

that

match

my

personality

and

my

interest

is

really

why

I

chose

to

work

in

this

industry
.

Navigating Remote Work and Company Culture

Harriet
11:41

And

then
,

I

guess
,

why

my

kind

of

specific

role
?

So

currently

I

have

quite

a

broad

role

which

spans

across
,

you

know
,

social

media
,

email

marketing
,

events

marketing

and

community

building
,

so

I

really

am

able

to

cover

quite

a

lot

of

channels

within

my

day-to-day

role

and

the

strategies

that

you

know

I

implement

for

our

brand
.

I've

got

like

a

great

variety

and

flexibility
.

That

gives

me

something

that

you

know

I've

always

wanted

to

have

in

a

role

there
.

There's

this
,

you

know
,

I

guess

digressing

a

little

bit
.

But

there's

this

concept

of

a

T-shaped

marketer
.

So

essentially

it's

somebody

who

has

expertise

in

around

kind

of

one

to

three

marketing

facets
,

but

then

also

then

kind

of

savvy

in

other

marketing

facets
.

So

it's

essentially

shaped

into
,

you

know
,

like

a

letter

T
.

And

that

is

one

of

my

personal

goals
,

you

know
,

to

become

a

good

as

good

of

a

of

a

t-shaped

marketer

as

I

can

be
.

And

this

role

really

helped

me

to

strive

towards

that

by

giving

me
,

you

know

that
,

exposure

to

as

many

channels

and

outputs

as

possible
.

Alex
12:38

And

was

there

a

particular

aha

moment

for

you

which

confirmed

that

you

were

in

the

right

profession

and

in

the

right

role
?

Harriet
12:46

So

I

think

the

rebrand

project

at

the

start

of

the

year

that

I've

mentioned

a

few

times

was

a

key

moment

for

me
.

Harriet
12:52

You

know
,

being

involved

in

such

a

big

project

was

really

exciting

and

I

was

able

to

utilize

my

skills

across

various

channels

and

work

very

cross-collaboratively

with

other

departments

to

achieve

like

a

company-wide

goal
.

Harriet
13:05

So

I

think

that

was

like

a

great

moment

where

I

was

able

to

kind

of

see

like

a

direct

impact

of

the

actions

that

I

took

and

the

work

that

I

implemented
.

Harriet
13:13

Which

kind

of

made

me

feel

like

I

was

definitely

in

the

right

role
,

but

also

like

a

huge

one
,

I

guess
,

was

seeing

out

this

year's

Youth

Marketing

Strategy

Festival

in

New

York

that

we

host
.

So
,

as

I

mentioned

at

the

start
,

we

host

this

event

twice

a

year
,

once

in

New

York

and

once

in

London
,

and

this

was

the

first

ever

event

that

I'd

organized

and

done

all

the

marketing

for

since

starting

at

Pion
,

you

know
,

a

year

ago

now
.

So

seeing

eight

months

of

work
,

of

marketing

activity
,

content

planning
,

you

know
,

event

setup

actually

come

to

life

was

such

a

surreal

experience

like

you

live

and

breathe

the

event

agenda

and

all

the

comms

that

are

going

over

out

kind

of

over

such

a

long

period

of

time

and

to

finally

kind

of

be

there

in

a

room

over

a

two-day

conference

and

see

everything

you've

been

working

towards

in

the

flesh

was

such

a

great

aha

moment

and

made

me

feel
,

you

know
,

very

grateful

to

be

in

the

role

in

the

industry

that

I'm

in
.

Alex
14:05

What

advice

can

you

offer

to

somebody

who's

looking

to

build

their

own

location
?

Independent

career
.

Harriet
14:12

So
,

if

it

is

a

business

or

a

company

that

you

want

to

work

for
,

my

advice

would

be

research

businesses

that

promote

having

a

strong

culture
,

those

that

kind

of

foster

personal

development

and
,

in

this

case
,

a

remote

first

way

of

working
.

I

think
,

if

remote

working

is

something

you're

really

striving

for
,

ensuring

that

you're

asking

those

businesses

the

right

questions

around

you
,

know

how

they

work
,

what

processes

they

have

in

place

to

make

remote

working

actually

work

for

everyone
,

but

also

speak

to

people

within

the

company

who

might

be
,

you

know
,

more

junior
,

that

are

kind

of

like

you're

going

to

give

you

a

super

honest

answer

about

what

the

company

is

like

and

then

you

have

kind

of

a

more

holistic

view

of

whether

this

kind

of

company

is

going

to

work

for

you

in

your

remote

setting

and

if

that's

something

you

want

to

prioritize
.

I

think

that

that's

some

things

that

I

would

potentially

do
.

On

the

flip

side

of

that
,

I'd

also

say

you

know

whether

you're

working

for

a

company

or

working

for

yourself
,

remotely
,

making

sure

your

working

environment

is

different

to

your

home
,

relaxing

environment
.

So

I

can't

stress

enough

how

important

this

is
.

Harriet
15:13

Previously
,

like

at

the

start

of

the

pandemic
,

when

everyone

was

thrown

into
,

you

know
,

remote

first

working
,

I

really

struggled
,

working

from

my

living

room

or

working

from

the

spare

bedroom
,

to

then

like

shut

off

at

the

end

of

the

day
.

But

we

then

kind

of

since

moved

house

and

we've

now

dedicated

a

specific

space

in

the

house

for

working
.

So

you

know
,

once

you've

finished

your

you

know

you've

finished

working

at

half

five
,

six

o'clock
,

whatever

time

it

might

be

you

can

shut

the

door

and

leave

that

room

alone

and

you

don't

have

to

go

back

in

there

until

you

know

the

next

day
.

So

it

just

gives

you

that

guess

balance

between

home

life

and

work

life
,

because

I

can't

stress

enough

how

difficult

it

can

be

if

you

don't

have

that

kind

of

I

guess

balance

and

that

barrier

of

separating

those

two
.

Alex
15:59

What

made

you

choose

remote

work

as

an

option
?

Harriet
16:09

kind

of

forced

everyone

into

the

remote

work

really
.

But

I

guess
,

post-pandemic
,

I

found

myself

far

more

productive

working

from

home

than

the

odd

office

day

you

know

here

and

there
.

I

think

office

days

for

me

felt

more

like

social

occasions
,

you

know
,

catching

up

with

colleagues
.

Hadn't

seen

them

since

last

week

in

real

life

and

I'd

really

struggled

to

kind

of

focus

in

a

busy

office

environment

initially
,

especially

when

that

kind

of

transition

back

to

you

know
,

once

a

week

in

the

office

came

back
.

Harriet
16:29

I

think

people

did

struggle

initially

with

the
,

you

know
,

fully

remote

environment

in

Covid
.

I

definitely

took
,

you

know
,

a

while

to

adjust

to

it

and

mental

health

was

a

big

part

of

that

switch
.

But

obviously

the

situation

then

was

heightened

because

of

the

pandemic
.

But

once

I

had

fully

adapted
,

you

know
,

changed

my

work
,

setup

my

routine

and

set

boundaries

and
,

you

know
,

started

to

completely

fall

in

love

with

this

concept

of

remote

working
.

Harriet
16:54

So

I

guess
,

in

terms

of

why

I

continue

to

work

remotely
,

I

think

flexibility

and

freedom

is

absolutely

fantastic
.

So

think

about
,

like

the

commute

time

that

you're

saving

you

could

be

gaining

you

know
,

two

hours

plus

a

day

from

previously

that

you

know

you

previously

would

have

lost

to

commuting
.

But

I

also

think
,

in

terms

of

like

productivity
,

my

focus

and

attention

to

detail

is

so

much

greater

when

working

from

home
.

I

think

it's

testament

to
,

I

guess
,

working

for

a

company

that's

very

well

set

up

to

work

both

remotely

and

hybrid
,

and

obviously

as

well

in

the

office

as

well

when

people

do

go

in
.

But

we

have

a

great

mix

of

you

know
,

in-person

events
,

catch-ups
,

workshops

in

real

life
,

but

we

also

have
,

like
,

all

the

tools

that

we

need

to

be

able

to

successfully

work

collaboratively

online

too

and

how

would

you

describe

your

current

company's

culture
?

Harriet
17:44

I

think

to

put

it

into

three

words
,

I

would

say

supportive
,

innovative

and
,

I

guess
,

pioneering
.

You

know

it's

in

our

company

name
,

pion

we
.

You

know

we

have

great

initiatives

to

give

you

the

best

working

environment

and

balance

of

home

and

work

life

as

possible
,

I

think
,

aside

from

being

remote
.

First
,

they

have

kind

of

monthly

P&D

sessions

blocked

out

in

people's

calendars

so

that

you

have

dedicated

time

to

focus

on

your

personal

development
.

We

have

Flexi

Fridays

so

you

have

like

options

to

have

a

bit

of

a

shorter

week
,

some

weeks

and

some

not
.

We

also

have

budget

allocation

for

like

training

and

development
.

So

if

there's

something

that

you

think

will

help

you

develop

in

your

role

and

you

need

extended

budget

for

it
,

you

know

that

option

is

there
.

So
,

yeah
,

the

culture

is

really

encouraging

and

I

would

probably

say

employee

led
.

Alex
18:36

What

qualities

and

characteristics

do

your

hiring

managers

look

for

when

they're

recruiting

new

hires
?

Harriet
18:42

So
,

as

a

business
,

we

have

defined

values

which

essentially

form

an

acronym
,

sharp
,

so

that

stands

for

speed
,

wins
,

be

humble
,

we

are

all

accountable
,

deliver

results

that

wow

and

choose

positivity
.

So

these

characteristics

essentially

you

know

perfectly

encompass

the

type

of

people

that

Pion

want

to

work

with

and

the

behaviors

that

they

essentially

encourage
.

So
,

yeah
,

I

would

say

that

the

hiring

managers

100%

would

consider

those

kind

of

five

values

that

the

company

has

created

and

that's

what

they

would

look

for

when

they

do

come

to

hiring
.

Alex
19:18

What's

your

philosophy

for

building

a

great

team
?

Harriet
19:22

I

mean
,

I

think

there's

a

ton

of

things

you

could
,

you

could
,

answer

here
.

I

think

the

first

one

is

probably

talent
.

So

you

know
,

you

need

skilled

individuals

who

believe

in

each

other

and

can

work

collaboratively
.

Following

on

from

that
,

I'd

say

trust

is

a

big

one
.

So

being

able

to

foster
,

you

know
,

open

communication

and

honesty
,

to

build

trust

within

your

department

or

your

team
,

is

absolutely

imperative
.

And

then

the

last

one
,

probably

togetherness
.

So

you

know
,

celebrating

achievements

together
,

creating

a

sense

of

belonging

and

also

having

like

a

shared

purpose

and

togetherness

within

the

team
.

I

think

is

is

really

important
.

Alex
19:58

Is

there

a

particular

team

or

organization

whose

culture

you

admire
?

If

so
,

tell

us

about

that
.

Harriet
20:09

So

I

don't

particularly

know

like

specific

organizations

other

than

you

know

the

huge

brands

like

Google

and

Cisco
,

who

are

super

well-known

for

their

culture
.

But

I

guess
,

as

a

piece

of

advice

to

anyone

who

wants

to

find

out

a

bit

more

about

a

business

that

they're

applying

for
,

I

mean
,

I'd

100%

recommend

talking

to

people

who

work

within

the

organization
,

right

from

you

know

interns

and

junior

members

through

to

senior

people
.

That

can

give

you

a

real

feel

across

the

board

on

what

that

culture

is

actually

like
.

I've

done

this

before

and

it's

gone
.

I

guess

you

know

both

ways
.

You

know

where

it's

helped

me

push

forward

with

applications

or
,

maybe

you

know
,

hold

back

for

something

that

from

something

that

might

not

have

been

right

for

me

at

the

time
.

So
,

yeah
,

google

and

cisco

are

known

for

having

great

culture
,

but

if

it

is

like

a

smaller

organization

that

you're

applying

to

or

you're

interested

in

knowing

what

the

culture's

genuinely

like
,

I

would

100

recommend

reaching

out

to

people

who

currently

work

there

and

just

asking

their

feedback

what

do

you

prefer

to

do

when

you're

not

working
?

Harriet
21:05

get

out

of

the

house

and

get

active
.

Harriet
21:08

So

it's

great

for

mental

health
,

obviously
,

and
,

you

know
,

ensuring

you're

not

constantly

in

your

home

office

or

like

home

environment
.

So
,

me

personally
,

I

play

sport

three

to

four

times

a

week

and

it's
,

you

know
,

a

fantastic

way

to

decompress

and

just

totally

take

your

mind

off

of

work
.

You

know
,

specifically
,

I've

always

really

been

into

sport
,

but

I've

been

trying

out

new

sports

over

the

last

couple

of

years
,

which

I

really

do

recommend

doing
.

As

you

know
,

if

it's

something

you've

not

tried

before
,

it

can

be

quite

challenging

and

like

being

able

to

kind

of

stick

at

it

and

overcome

a

challenge

in

your

hobby

or

whatever

it

may

be
,

will

also

then

reflect

in

your

work

life
.

And
,

you

know
,

build

a

stronger

character

and

personality
,

make

you

more

resilient
,

and

stuff

like

that
.

So
,

yeah
,

I

absolutely

love
,

you

know
,

build

a

stronger

character

and

personality
,

make

you

more

resilient

and

stuff

like

that
.

So
,

yeah
,

I

absolutely

love
,

you

know
,

getting

out

of

the

house

and

getting

active

if
,

if

I'm

not

working
,

what

are

your

best

tips

for

organizing

your

day

and

staying

productive

while

working

remotely
?

Effective Remote Work Organization Strategies

Harriet
22:02

so

at

the

start

of

the

week

I

set

out

daily

to-do

lists

every

single

day

of

the

week
.

Something

that

I

tend

to

do

is
,

within

those

days
,

I

will

set

myself

three

major

tasks

that

I

have

to

get

done

on

that

day

and

they're

kind

of

like

non-negotiable

the

three

big

tasks

I

absolutely

have

to

get

done

that

day
.

And

then
,

if

there

are

smaller

tasks

that

come

in
,

there's

more

flexibility

to

like

move

those

on

to

the

following

day
.

But

also
,

I

guess
,

like

a

big

tip

is

just

hold

yourself

accountable
,

especially

when

working

from

home
.

You

know

there

are

so

many

things

that

could

distract

you
,

but

it's

about
,

you

know
,

being

resilient

and

holding

yourself

to

account
.

Harriet
22:38

So

something

I

do

is

break

my

day

down

into

thirds

so

in

order

to

like

basically

check

in

with

myself

on

what

I

set

out

to

achieve

within

that

day
.

Have

I

got

there

or

not
?

So

I

will

do

check-ins

at

kind

of

before

11am
,

then

2pm

and

then

5pm
,

just

to

hold

myself

a

bit

more

accountable
,

to

did

I

achieve

those

three

major

tasks

that

I

set

out

at

the

start

of

the

week
?

And

then
,

lastly
,

I

guess
,

just

plan

for

the

week

ahead
.

So

on

a

Friday

it's

very

easy

to
,

you

know
,

log

off

on

time

and

embrace

the

weekend
.

But

I

guess

a

top

tip

for

me

is

set

yourself

up

for

success

for

next

week
.

Plan

what

you

need

to

do

on

Monday
,

tuesday

and

Wednesday

on

your

Friday

so

that

when

you

come

in

on

you

know

Monday

morning

you've

actually

got

a

set

to

do

list

and

you

know

exactly

what

your

plans

are

for

the

first

couple

of

days

of

that

week
.

Alex
23:28

Yes
,

it

may

change
,

but

having

some

kind

of

rough

notes

or

a

rough

structure

of

what

you

need

to

get

done

and

having

that

planned

will

just

make

your

following

week

so

much

easier

that's

it

for

today's

episode

of

the

remote

work

life

podcast
,

but

if

you're

a

location
,

independent

freelancer
,

solopreneur
,

founder

or

leader

and

want

to

provide

a

case

study

for

the

remote

work

life

podcast
,

get

in

touch

with

me

via

LinkedIn

using

the

link

below

in

the

show

notes
.