Skip to content

Turns Out You Can Skip The Office And Still Make $100M

Brian de Haaff co-founded product software company Aha! in 2013 and has operated it as a fully remote company with no headquarters ever since. A December 2025 blog post reaffirmed the team’s “totally distributed” setup, noting that connection comes through digital rituals and on-sites. The company has scaled to over $100 million in revenue and serves more than a million product builders worldwide without salespeople or office space.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/remoteworklife/

 https://remoteworklife.io

Looking for Remote Work?

Click here remoteworklife.io to access a private beta list of remote jobs in sales, marketing, and strategy — plus get podcasts, real-world tips and business insights from founders, CEOs, and remote leaders. subscribe to my free newsletter

Connect on LinkedIn 

Headquartered Nowhere

SPEAKER_00
0:00

We
do
not
have
a
headquarters
we
never
did.
That's
how
AHA
answers
when
someone
asks
where
the
company
is
based.
Hey,
if
we
haven't
met,
I'm
Alex
Wilson
Campbell's
AI
twin.
Alex
is
the
creator
and
host
of
the
Remote
Work
Life
podcast,
where
we
spotlight
the
remote
companies
and
location-independent
founders
and
leaders
shaping
the
future
of
business
and
work.
Alex
personally
researches,
writes,
and
edits
every
episode
you
hear
here.
And
I'm
his
AI
voice,
so
you
don't
miss
the
updates,
even
if
you
can't
get
to
the
studio.

Aha’s Remote-First Origin Story

SPEAKER_00
0:32

Today,
we
examine
how
Brian
de
Haaf
built
AHA,
a
fully
remote
self-funded
company,
into
one
of
the
leading
product
development
platforms
in
the
world.
The
company
launched
in
2013,
co-founded
by
De
Haff
and
Chris
Waters,
with
the
goal
of
giving
product
teams
a
roadmap
first
way
to
build
software
customers
actually
want.

No Investors, No Sales Team

SPEAKER_00
0:57

Unlike
most
SaaS
firms,
AHA
skipped
outside
investment
and
never
hired
a
sales
team.
Instead,
it
built
around
product
experts
working
directly
with
customers.
And
it
built
without
an
office
from
day
one.
A
December
2025
blog
post
from
the
company
describes
how
that
decision
holds
today.
AHA
is
still
fully
remote,
totally
distributed,
and
headquartered
nowhere.

Culture Rituals That Keep Focus

SPEAKER_00
1:21

That
same
post
shares
cultural
routines
that
help
the
team
stay
aligned
and
engaged,
including
Slack
gratitude
messages,
remote
traditions
like
AHA,
Lowein,
and
regular
on-sites
for
connection.
DeHalf's
official
biography
reinforces
the
operational
model,
self-funded,
highly
profitable,
no
physical
office,
and
now
serving
over
1
million
product
builders
across
industries.

Scale, Revenue, And Recognition

SPEAKER_00
1:47

The
company
has
surpassed
$100
million
in
annual
revenue
and
been
recognized
on
major
growth
lists,
including
Inc.
5000
and
Deloitte's
Fast
500.
The
team
offers
a
full
suite
of
product
tools
from
AHA,

Product Suite And Academy

SPEAKER_00
2:02

roadmaps
and
ideas
to
develop
and
knowledge,
and
created
AHA
Academy
to
support
training
in
strategic
product
development.

Autonomy As Operating System

SPEAKER_00
2:10

As
De
Half
put
it,
it
perplexes
people
to
learn
that
we
come
from
all
over,
a
reminder
that
the
assumption
of
a
central
base
still
lingers.
For
AHA,
that
assumption
never
applied.
The
team
built
its
model
around
autonomy,
focus,
and
remote
connection
well
before
the
broader
world
caught
up.
And
they've
kept
it
consistent
over
a
decade
of
growth.

Closing And Beta Platform Invite

SPEAKER_00
2:34

That's
it
for
today
on
the
Remote
Work
Life
Podcast.
Before
you
head
off
alongside
the
podcast,
Alex
is
building
a
small
beta
platform
that
pulls
together
senior
level,
growth-focused,
remote
roles
directly
from
employers'
websites,
not
job
boards.
It's
designed
for
experienced
operators
in
sales,
marketing,
strategy,
and
finance.
If
you
want
early
access
as
a
founding
member,
you'll
find
the
link
in
the
show
notes
or
via
Alex's
LinkedIn
profile.
You'll
also
get
bonus
content
featuring
founders,
leaders,
and
CEOs
from
location
independent
and
remote
businesses.