Remote work changed the way startups work forever. This new way of working opened countless doors and possibilities for companies that weren’t even achievable before. Since the pandemic, thousands of companies decided to just continue working remotely, but that wasn’t the case for Mohamed Elbadwihi and Tarek Khalil when they co-founded Rasayel. Their reasons for establishing a 100% remote environment are different.

As lifelong friends and engineers, Mohamed and Tarek both worked at tech startups all their lives before they founded Rasayel. They had seen firsthand what it was like to operate day-to-day in an office and firmly believed there must be a better way to work.

“The first time I encountered opinions on remote work was through a book named ‘Remote: Office Not Required’ by the co-founders of Basecamp,” says Tarek, CEO at Rasayel.

This book was one of the main reasons that drove this decision. It resonated with Tarek as if it were written about him and his previous life working as an engineer at Intercom. The commute, lack of focus, lack of privacy—to him, everything that was described in the book made perfect sense.

“If I work remotely, I am not constrained by a physical location and therefore can rent a cheaper place. I don't even have to work for an employer, and I can find a problem, build, and sell a piece of software—on my own terms.” Tarek said.

As the years went by and they hopped from one job to another, Mohamed and Tarek realised that remote work was their gateway to freedom. When they founded Rasayel, they decided that remote work is going to be at the core of the company’s values.

But how did they build the Rasayel team 100% remotely with talent from over 10 countries including Egypt, Belgium, Spain, North Macedonia and more?

How Mohamed and Tarek Made It Happen

Building and running a company is already hard, but doing that 100% remotely is completely different. Mohamed and Tarek had to think about things that had never crossed their minds before.

“Tools used in day-to-day work are essential to making a remote team successful, but so are processes and culture,” says Mohamed.

Mohamed knew that culture is what keeps a remote team together. In a remote setting, it’s harder for culture to rub off on people when they are not seeing each other daily.

His philosophy on hiring is very interesting. When it comes to hiring criteria, Mohamed focused most on a candidate’s kindness, creativity and willingness to learn.

“If you’re a team of three, your fourth person is 25% of your culture. So you need to hire with care,” says Mohamed.

Unlike an office setting, the Rasayel team works remotely and is totally reliant on its tools - from task tracking to project management and communication.

Tools are one of the main things they made sure to invest in to ensure a solid remote team. To them, a tool should only exist when the pain of not having it becomes unbearable and the current toolkit doesn’t serve the needs of the team.

“If a tool ends up not working a few months in, kill it and kill it quick,” says Mohamed.

Aside from tools, the founders were adamant on creating and designing simple yet effective workflow processes.

To do that, they had to go through 4 iterations of the team’s weekly planning process in order to finally establish a simple yet effective approach.

In explaining the process, Mohamed said: “We used to do a daily standup with every member of the team, along with a weekly planning session and a monthly one. As the team grew, this no longer became sustainable, and most people just wanted to end the call and get on with their work”

Unlike an office environment, designing work processes is harder for a remote team. The team needs a simple workflow process that helps get everyone on the same page while also not draining their energy. Mohamed knew this very well and he simplified the work process in a way that worked for him and the Rasayel team.

Speaking of processes, there was an ongoing challenge that proved crucial that they had to take on as time passed and the team grew bigger: feedback loops.

“We harp on and on about feedback, but it’s hard to overstate its importance. Clear, honest, and empathetic feedback, both to your team and from your team to you, is what will keep you going and save your company from disasters you couldn’t possibly see coming your way,” says Mohamed.

While it’s easier to give feedback in an office and pivot immediately, giving feedback in a remote work setting is a lot more challenging. In an office, you can always have a fresh eye looking at your work whenever you want, but that’s not the case when everyone is working remotely.

Knowing how crucial feedback is to growth, both Tarek and Mohamed decided to create open Slack review channels for each department. This allows all members to get unbiased feedback from other teams. In addition to that, they run anonymous feedback sessions from time to time. These efforts show how much they care about receiving constructive feedback that helps the team improve drastically.

So the pillars that helped Mohamed and Tarek build their team 100% remotely are:

• Hiring talent that fits into the team’s culture
• Choosing the right and easy-to-use tools
• Simplifying work processes
• Ensuring empathy and honest feedback

How communication played a vital role

“In the absence of human bodies around you, you and your team need to build up your communication skills. If you think you’re communicating enough, double it. In a remote setting, this is one of your most important skills,” says Mohamed.

Both Mohamed and Tarek knew that miscommunication would always happen, whether in an office or in a remote setting, but fixing it quickly was key. Early on, they established a rule of over communication and they embodied it themselves openly in front of all team members.

They established an open line of communication between each team member and their direct manager, with 1:1 meetings held every 3 weeks. This line of communication ensures every member of the team is happy and comfortable doing their part for the company.

Sometimes employees feel disconnected in big team meetings. It can be tough to get a word in and really dig into what's going on. That's why 1:1 meetings are so important. It's a chance to just chat one-on-one about what's on their plate - if there are any roadblocks you're hitting, or even any new ideas they’d like to share. It's a great way to stay connected and make sure everyone feels heard and included.

Another way they enhance communication is by encouraging the whole team to meet regularly, and before talking about work, they talk about their weekends, vacations and personal experiences (even their favorite sushi restaurant). Alongside a chill meeting every two weeks, a meeting specifically for members from different teams to chat and play games, they call it “Games and Chill”.

For over four years, both Tarek and Mohamed have worked hard to establish a team that is today functioning 100% remotely across 10 countries and with amazing efficiency.

With a clear vision to invent the way businesses sell over WhatsApp and a team with a solid culture, tools, and processes, they worked hard and collaborated to develop a piece of software that is paving a new way in such an untapped market.