How Zapier built the global team that led to a $5 billion valuation without VC funding

“It's highly unlikely you could pluck any random set of people, at any random moment in history, dispersed around the globe, put them together, and expect them to build something amazing,” according to Wade Forster, CEO and Co-founder at Zapier in a recent article.

And we don't disagree. 51% of senior leaders worry about maintaining their culture in flexible working conditions.

But whilst building a strong and connected remote community isn’t easy, the rewards are worth it.

Zapier, a remote-first company, has unlocked the secret to building a strong and connected global team to drive their $5 billion valuation without jumping on the VC ‘Hamster Wheel’.

We gathered research online to unpick the secrets to building a successful global community from one of the best remote companies in the world. 

Building a 100% remote team from the ground up

From the very beginning, Zapier has always been a distributed team. Even though the co-founders lived in the same city, they had different schedules and were building Zapier on the side of their day jobs and school. They worked on Zapier in every spare moment they each had, but those moments didn't magically align so they could work in the same room. As a result, they became a remote team out of necessity.

Fast forward to today and Zapier is still a 100% remote team spread across 17 time zones in dozens of countries. They pride themselves on building a global community—one where people from all backgrounds can thrive. They know this takes effort. They understand that there is always more work to be done towards that goal. But it’s a goal they think is worth pursuing. 

Zapier believes building a strong and connected remote community requires a focus on three key areas: team, tools, and process.

#1 Team

“The most important ingredient is the team.”

People are any organization's most important asset. But even more so when hiring remotely.

Not everyone is cut out for remote work, and not everyone is equipped to manage a remote team.

You can assemble your dream team of remote workers without ever leaving your living room, but there are certain traits you need to source to assemble a team with the skills and mindset to thrive in a remote environment.

So, what qualities do the best remote workers at Zapier possess? Here is Zapier's top tip for hiring a remote team:

💫 Hire do-ers

💫 Hire people you can trust

💫 Trust the people you hire

💫 Hire people who can write

💫 Hire people who are ok without a social workplace

#2 Tools

Zapier also understands that in a remote team, you'll need the right tools to ensure everyone stays on the same page and can continue executing without a physical person standing next to them.

Tools aren't the most crucial factor in building a successful remote community, but there are certain categories of tools – like group chat and video conferencing – that are essential for making remote work successful.

The tech stack Zapier recommends is below, although some will have changed over the years:

💬 Slack, AKA “[Zapier’s] virtual office”

👾 GitHub to house all code-related project management

🔒 1Password to help any teammate can log in to any of the services Zapier use or integrate with without having to know the login credentials.

🍡 Coda to combine documents, spreadsheets, and app features like Kanban boards and mini databases.

📹 Zoom for large group video calls. 

✍🏽 HelloSign to take the headache away from anything they need signatures for.

🎧 Help Scout to support customers day in and day out. 

#3 Process

“Think of the process as 'how we work', it starts to feel more powerful.”

For most companies, processes feel boring and rigid. But at Zapier, they think of the process as “how we work”, which provides structure and direction for getting things done.

"Process" is the backbone of Zapier's work culture. Everyone pitches in on support, and there's a strong focus on shipping and accountability. Here's how:

1. Everyone does support 💫
2. A culture of shipping ⛴
3. Weekly hangouts ☕️
4. Pair buddies 👯
5. Weekly 1:1s 👨🏽💻
6. A culture of accountability 🙋🏻
7. Building culture in person ✈️ - usually this is just one person jumping on a flight to visit another person or, if more than a couple of staff members live in close proximity, they'll have impromptu co-working sessions.
8. Automate anything that can be automated 📲

And one final piece of advice, “because remote work feels like an experiment, everything else feels like it can be more experimental too.” 

So go ahead and experiment! No two companies are the same, but we hope this article has inspired thought on how you can incorporate these tips into your remote work culture. 

Are you ready to embrace the opportunity to create a thriving remote community?

For advice on how you can onboard, pay and take care of your global workforce, get in touch with Teamed. 

Ready for your next global hire?

Teamed is an International Employment Platform that makes it quick and easy for businesses to employ, pay and take care of a global workforce. Today we are helping businesses hire top talent across 150+ countries, empowering companies to build the most diverse, happy, and talented teams in the world.