An Inside Look at How a Distributed Company Operates with Zapier’s Bryan Helmig

As the economy and various business sectors continue to evolve, many leaders are looking at how transitioning to a distributed company might be the best option going forward. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Zapier’s Bryan Helmig to discuss all the benefits and some of the challenges involved with running a distributed company.

Bryan co-founded Zapier in late 2011 with his friends Mike and Wade, and they were soon admitted to Y Combinator’s YCS12 batch. Zapier is a web automation application, with Zapier you can build Zaps which can automate parts of your business or life. A Zap is a blueprint for a task you want to do over and over.

In our conversation, Bryan and I discuss the crucial role of hiring, what that process looks like at Zapier, the three ingredients for running a successful distributed company, lessons he has learned along the way, and much more. I can’t wait for you to dive in and learn from Bryan’s fascinating perspective!

Outline of This Episode

• [1:45] Guest Bryan Helmig shares his background and why he started Zapier.
• [5:20] Why hiring is one of the most critical aspects of a startup.
• [8:50] What does Bryan look for when hiring Engineering Managers and remote employees?
• [13:20] Three ingredients for running a successful distributed company.
• [16:50] The benefits of a fully distributed company.
• [21:30] Bryan describes the challenges he has faced with running a distributed company.
• [25:00] How does Zapier optimize their hiring process?
• [31:00] What does the Zapier on-boarding process look like?
• [36:00] Change is the only constant.
• [39:30] Why you need to keep an eye on the mental health of your remote employees.
• [43:00] Tools and resources that Bryan recommends.
• [44:30] Why people should consider working at Zapier.

Why you need to pay attention to your hiring process.

What would you identify as the number one area that business leaders should focus on as they work to take their business to the next level of growth? Should they focus on big-picture strategies or less sexy aspects like their hiring process?

Looking back at the growth of Zapier, Bryan Helmig says that the hiring process is the most important area for businesses in general and startups, in particular, to focus on. Hiring can be even more complicated for a distributed company but, in Bryan’s view, it doesn’t have to be. At the end of the day, it all comes down to relationships - the people who you hire and trust are critical to your business’ health. Learn more about Bryan’s approach to the hiring process at Zapier by listening to this episode.

3 ingredients for running a successful distributed company.

Let’s face it, running a successful business is hard enough but the challenges can increase tenfold when you are operating as a distributed company. Thankfully, leaders like Bryan Helmig are leading the way and paving a path forward. In our conversation, Bryan was kind enough to share his three ingredients for running a successful distributed company.

• Team - Focus on less “poster values” and emphasize behavior values like, “Default to action.”
• Tools - Don’t be a robot; build a robot. Tools drive how your organization works.
• Process - Be willing to revisit and change your processes as you go.

Which aspect of Bryan’s three ingredients resonates the most with you? Make sure to catch my full conversation with Bryan as he expands on these three ingredients and much more.

The advantages of a distributed c