RWL225: How a Life-Changing Trip Led to Founding Kodebusters and Remote Work Success w/ Gleb Gordeev
July 28, 2024 • 21 mins
In a world where the traditional 9-to-5 job is increasingly being questioned, Gleb Gordeev stands out as an example of how remote work can lead to both professional success and personal fulfillment. In this enlightening podcast episode, Gleb shares his journey from working in Europe's top tech companies to founding Codebusters, a thriving product development agency.
The episode reveals his life-changing trip during the COVID-19 pandemic that led him to embrace a location-independent lifestyle, blending his passion for surfing, fitness, and personal growth with his entrepreneurial ambitions.
Gleb is an Entrepreneur, product expert and mentor, athlete, and aspiring surfer.
For the past 8 years, he has built products used daily by over 3 million people across 40+ countries. He has managed software projects with 300+ people and complex stakeholder setups, from startups to large international corporations.
Today he runs Kodebusters, building awesome products for startups and enterprises, from idea to launch in 30 days. His process includes discovery, prototyping, No-Code development, and Go-To-Market strategies. He manages agency growth and a team of product managers, designers, and developers.
He is also a huge advocate for the future of work and wealth. He has been working remotely from spectacular places for the last 3 years, and he is a surf and fitness addict and personal growth enthusiast.
Refer a Remote Work Expert As a Guest On The Show
Click here remoteworklife.io to subscribe to my free newsletter
Connect on LinkedIn
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (00:00):
You're thinking about starting your own
location independent business?
Well, today's guest did justthat.
He's an entrepreneur, productexpert and mentor, as well as
being an athlete and aspiringsurfer.
His name is Gleb Gordeev andfor the past eight years, he's
built products used by millionsof people across 40 plus
(00:20):
countries plus countries.
He's managed software projectswith hundreds of people and
complex stakeholder setups, fromstartups to large international
corporations.
Today he runs Codebusters,building awesome products for
startups and enterprises fromidea to launch in 30 days.
(00:40):
His process includes discovery,prototyping, no-code
development and go-to-marketstrategies.
He manages agency growth and ateam of product managers,
designers and developers.
Gleb is also a huge advocatefor the future of work and
wealth.
He's been working remotely fromspectacular places for the last
(01:02):
three years and he's a surf andfitness addict and personal
growth enthusiast.
Welcome Gleb.
Gleb Gordeev (01:11):
Hi Alex, my name is Gleb, I'm 31 and I'm an
entrepreneur.
I'm a fitness nerd, I'm asurfer, an athlete, I love
traveling and, of course, I lovedigital nomad lifestyle as well
.
Originally, I'm coming fromRussia and I've been living in
Germany for almost nine years.
(01:31):
This is where I built my careerin product management.
I've been working in leadingtechnology companies in Europe,
both international corporationsbut also startups, so this is
where I got the passion fortechnology.
And right now I'm based in Bali, Indonesia, and I'm running my
own product development agency,which is called Codebusters,
(01:52):
where me and my team we bringproducts like EVPs, startups,
scale-ups, also internal appsand also business apps for
enterprises, so we build themfrom idea to launch in four
weeks, leveraging our productmanagement experience, low-code,
low-code technology and also,of course, ai and automation.
(02:15):
And my free time I love surfing, as I said, traveling, learning
, exploring new things and, ofcourse, listening to podcasts
like this one, meeting inspiringpeople, and I'm really lucky to
be surrounded by them.
So, yeah, I'm all about livingto the full potential.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (02:35):
And what made you choose to work at the
company that you're at at themoment.
Gleb Gordeev (02:39):
I've been employed by truly amazing companies and
I had good salary, good workingconditions and a good team, but
I was always feeling that I wantsomething else.
So this is how I stepped intoentrepreneurship, and this is
also the reason why I'm runningmy company right now, together
with two local founders to havethe freedom of time, the freedom
(03:01):
of space, and also to feel thatI'm building something for
myself.
I'm on the mission, and thisunderstanding that I'm on the
mission onto something big thisis something which motivates me
to work every single day, eventhough it's way harder work than
to work in the company.
(03:22):
Still, I've never been morefulfilled than now, work-wise,
as I said, even though it's alot of stress as a business
owner.
But yeah, I believe we aredoing amazing things.
I am working with very talentedpeople, we are empowering
businesses and entrepreneurs toship better products and, in the
(03:44):
end, I think the whole marketwins right, because the more
better products we have, thebetter is the offer for end
users.
So this is why I truly enjoy todo what I do.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (03:57):
Describe a personal, notable story or
experience that's influenced whoyou are today.
Gleb Gordeev (04:04):
Oh, wow.
I could really name a lot ofthem.
I would say the one which comesto mind is that when I
discovered remote work for thefirst time, it was in early 2021
, during COVID.
I went to the Spanish island ofLanzarote and this is where I
met Digital Nomads for the firsttime, and I was there on two
weeks vacation I think it evenwas like 10 days and I saw these
(04:27):
people who live there the wholewinter, enjoying the life,
surfing, dealing the community,and ask them hey guys, but we're
coming back, so we're notcoming back, we live here.
It's like, wow, what about yourboss?
Like yeah, whatever, maybe theydon't know, maybe they know,
but it doesn't matter, becausewe really enjoyed the lifestyle
here.
(04:48):
And this was one of many ahamoments for me, when I realized
that I don't have to, that I canreally enjoy my work life as
well If I decide where to liveand what to do after work.
And once I started toprioritize what I'm actually
doing after work, it reallychanged my life dramatically and
(05:10):
this has also brought me whereI am now.
There were many stories likethat.
There were many signs, likeomens, which I've seen right,
many influential discussions,many influential meetings, but
this is something which maybewas the first one and the one
which comes to my mind.
So the moment when I discoverthat it's actually possible to
(05:30):
work from anywhere and to dowhatever you want and enjoy your
life outside of work, what areyour aspirations for your career
going forward?
My number one goal right now isto scale my business, so I'm
building a lifestyle business.
It means that I don't reallyhave a mission right now to
(05:51):
change the world.
I think I can do it later.
At this point of my life, Iwant to build a cash flow
machine that is going to supportmy life so I can be free, I can
choose when to work, how towork and for how long.
So this is my number onepriority for now.
I'm still exploring some otherideas.
Of course.
(06:11):
They always come to me aboutlaunching different products.
I'm also exploringopportunities here in Bali, but
my business Codebusters is mymain priority.
I want explore opportunitieshere in Bali, but my business
Codebusters is my main priority.
I want to scale it to the pointwhich will cover way beyond my
costs of living and give me thefinancial freedom.
This is my main aspiration.
(06:31):
It's 2024.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (06:34):
As you look back on your life and
connect the dots that led towhere you are now.
What are those dots?
Gleb Gordeev (06:42):
I can identify three, I would say, from the
recent story.
So the first one is alreadymentioned when I discovered that
I can be independent fromlocation, where I found out that
I can work, for I don't have towork from rainy, cold Berlin
the whole winter and suffer fromthat.
This was the first aha moment.
(07:04):
The second aha moment was whenI quit alcohol and, even though
it's not related to business andcareer, the impact of this
decision was dramatic in allaspects of my life.
It also freed up a lot of timefor me to really deal with my
(07:25):
demons, I would say, and reallyidentify who am I, what I want
in life, and there are many,many benefits health benefits,
mental health benefits, but alsocareer-wise.
This was the moment when I hadso much clarity, when I started
to have so much clarity.
And I think the third dot iswhen I fully embraced and
(07:46):
committed to this lifestylewhich I have right now.
When I permanently moved toBali and when I opened my first
company, I made a clearstatement for myself and I made
a clear statement for the worldthat this is my life right now
and I'm going to walk my talk.
And I finally reached thisintegrity inside me because in
(08:09):
the beginning I was always like,when I was working and building
my career in product managementcorporate, I was always feeling
that I don't belong here.
And when I stepped to this pathof difficult path of
entrepreneurship, I was finallyfeeling like I'm home.
So yeah, these three dots andthey're still coming and coming,
(08:29):
but these three, I would say,were the most defining Figuring
out that life is more than goingto the office, removing all the
necessary things, starting withalcohol.
And third one, committing tothis new life which I have.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (08:46):
What made?
Gleb Gordeev (08:48):
you choose this particular profession.
I chose to be a product managerbecause this role combines my
unique advantages, I would say,and my unique background.
I studied computer science andinformatics university and I was
always fascinated by technologyand by how software can solve
(09:08):
problems.
But I was also very active inmy ex-curricular activities when
I was a student.
I was organizing events,conferences, I was traveling a
lot and also volunteering as astudent, so I developed these
communication skills and Ilearned a bit of project
management from my volunteeringexperience.
And basically, when I juststarted my career, I think this
(09:31):
role was a perfect match for mybackground and my personal
skills and I'm really gratefulbecause I started my career in
Mercedes-Benz in Germany and myfirst boss she gave me a chance
and I'm still grateful for that,because this is where I learned
about product management, aboutagile software development and,
(09:53):
yeah, I didn't change sincethen.
So, my first job afteruniversity I have the same job
right now.
I changed many companies, manydifferent roles, I wear many
different hats, but this is howI came to this profession and
right now I am slightly movingaway from that because I'm
(10:16):
focused on business growth, butstill I'm product at heart and I
think I will always be.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (10:23):
And was there a particular aha moment
for you which confirmed thatyou're in the right profession
and in the right role?
Gleb Gordeev (10:31):
I would say when I just joined the company and in
my first weeks and maybe monthsin this new role, I I was a
little bit lost, right, becausethere's so much uncertainty
involved and they hired me forsome specific project for a big
launch of the product in a newcountry, and I remember my first
assignment was to do a lot ofQA, coordinate bug reporting and
(10:57):
bug fixing, I would say, andthen, of course, I would say,
and then of course I was alsoinvolved into planning of the
features for this launch andbasically very much involved
into the teamwork.
And perhaps when we deliveredthis project and when the
project delivery was a success,maybe this was the aha moment
that I just realized.
(11:17):
Frankly, I don't remember.
I remember that I enjoyed itfrom day one and I really felt
like this is a good match for mewhat advice can you offer to
somebody who's looking to buildtheir own location?
independent career so I really Ithink it's very unlikely that
(11:38):
you will build thislocation-dependent career in the
place, which islocation-dependent Because, even
though I believe transformationhappens from the inside, our
outside environment matters alot.
So if you want to becomelocation-dependent, I recommend
to go to the place where similarpeople hang out and just ask
(12:01):
them how they did it, getinspired from them, and I
guarantee that you'll have somany ideas which you're probably
not going to have in the placewhere you're right now.
You need to get out of the loop.
You need to try something new.
You need to do somethingcounterintuitive in order to
break this pattern.
(12:21):
I can recommend Portugal orBali, mexico, colombia there are
so many places where people go.
Also, madeira is still inPortugal, canary Islands in
Spain so these are where peoplego to work remotely and just be
it.
Tell everyone that, tellyourself that this is my new
(12:46):
life now, and I guarantee thatall the things will align to
make it happen what made youchoose remote work as an option?
I think my answer will be kindof boring, but the ability to
escape winter was my mainmotivation in the beginning.
I'm coming from a cold country,like in my hometown, I think,
(13:09):
nine months out of 12, it's verycold.
And then I lived in Germany, inBerlin, which is famous for,
like it's notorious for itswinters, that it's always dark,
and I think everyone fromNorthern Europe can relate to
that.
And it's not only the weather,it's just activity of people
(13:29):
also goes down dramatically inwinter and I was never a big fan
of that Like why should we bein hibernation for half of the
year, right?
So this was my initialmotivation to get out from the
winter, enjoy the sun and enjoythe activities.
It was way before I discoveredsurfing.
It was way before I discoveredsurfing.
It was way before I discoveredentrepreneurship.
(13:51):
First motivation go to a warmplace, avoid winter.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (13:55):
And how would you describe your current
company's culture?
Gleb Gordeev (13:59):
I would describe it as lifestyle.
First, we are three co-foundersand we founded this venture to
enable us to live the life wewant, and we prioritize this,
first of all, to make sure thatwe're having fun, to make sure
that this business makes ushappier and, yeah, as I said, it
(14:24):
can support the lifestyle whichwe choose.
It's different for all of us.
For some of us, this is timewith family.
For some of us, like me, forexample, it's surfing and
traveling, enjoying the activelifestyle.
But we try to define ourprocesses.
We try to define our processes.
We try to define the way wework inside the company from
(14:49):
this point of view.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (14:52):
What qualities and characteristics do
your hiring managers look forwhen they're recruiting new
hires?
Gleb Gordeev (14:59):
Actually, the number one thing is the cultural
fit.
The company is very young.
It means that every singleperson which we bring to the
team has a lot of impact oneverything we do, and it's
incredibly important that we'reall on the same page in terms of
responsibility, in terms ofcommunication, because it's also
(15:20):
a remote company, therefore, weneed to over-communicate and
over-document things.
It means that we need to takeresponsibility for what we do.
We need to be accountable, sothere is no need for
micromanagement and I would saythis is the most important thing
which I learned by doing somemistakes that cultural fit is
(15:44):
number one rule, I think, forall the startups.
Therefore, I'm involved intohiring myself, because all the
hard skills they can be taught,they can be learned.
We have this expertise in thecompany.
I have absolutely no worriesabout that.
But how a person fits with ourvalues, I think this is the most
(16:04):
important, for this stage atleast.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (16:08):
What's your philosophy for building a
great team?
Gleb Gordeev (16:14):
I think the secret of a great team is to enable
people to thrive in what they'recurious about and what they're
good at.
We have different preferencesand we like two different things
, and, of course, work is notalways about fun.
But when you see your work as agame while other people see it
(16:37):
as work, you have an incredibleadvantage.
I'm still there.
By no means I am a perfectmanager, but I think what we're
trying to do is to find the taskwhich seems like a play and let
person do this and back up andsupport with the rest of the
(16:58):
tasks.
So in this case, we're allenjoying it, having fun.
I would say it's better for60-70%, of course, as a result
of administrative work, andthere is some operational work
which just has to be done.
But yeah, I think the more wescale, the more I would like to
(17:18):
be focused on that.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (17:21):
Is there a particular team or organization
whose culture you admire?
If so, tell us about that.
Gleb Gordeev (17:29):
I can only speak from my own experience.
Right, because companies showyou what they want us to see.
But from point of view ofproduct delivery and product
management, I really admireSpotify.
I have not worked there, butthe way how they build products
is very famous.
They brought a lot ofinnovation into product
development and most of thecompanies who build apps and
(17:55):
modern software they get a bitof inspiration from Spotify
model, maybe even withoutknowing this, but as a business
owner, I also really admire thework culture in Amazon, where I
was working as well.
So there are a lot of differentopinions about Amazon as a
(18:15):
company, but I see it from thepoint of view of a business
owner how you can build anorganization with almost 1
million employees and scale itso much based on a few simple
principles.
And again, I admire it.
I don't say that it's perfect,I don't say that everyone should
(18:37):
do this, but as a founder, Ihave a huge inspiration for this
, because it's a massiveprogress and the fact that
they're still crushing it.
The company is very, veryvaluable.
I know it doesn't matter.
In fact, it's based on theculture which we created there.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (18:54):
What do you prefer to do when you're not
working?
Gleb Gordeev (18:57):
I love surfing, doing sports, enjoying nature,
traveling, going out with myfriends, having some nice dinner
or just chill on the beach.
I love reading, I do meditation.
So I'm trying to schedule time,not trying to.
I'm scheduling time for myself.
I'm scheduling time with myclose friends here in Bali and,
(19:24):
yeah, it's a beautiful life,full of opportunities.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (19:27):
What are your best tips for organizing
your day and staying productivewhile working remotely?
Gleb Gordeev (19:34):
It makes it even more challenging when you're a
business owner or entrepreneuror solopreneur, I mean, when you
work for yourself.
I would say non-negotiable.
You need to have a workingplace.
So I'm going to a workingperson, but you can also equip
it at home, where you live.
Non-negotiable working hoursfor deep work and for meetings,
(19:56):
because there are so many wayshow you can get distracted.
There are so many fun thingsyou could do.
Having this fixed few hours aday, which again are
non-negotiable, will really helpyou to keep focus.
But what is also, having thisfixed few hours a day, which
again are non-negotiable, willreally help you to keep focus.
But what is also important isto listen to your body and
sometimes we just cannot focus.
(20:17):
You know, sometimes it's justdifficult to proceed with the
task.
And if it happens to you, don'tforce yourself and let yourself
relax.
Go to the spa, go to the beach,do some sports, like you know,
ventilate your brain and thencome back later or maybe next
day.
And another important thing isthat don't forget, while you're
(20:38):
doing this, why you're doingthis.
Don't forget that you chosethis lifestyle for the things
which are happening outside ofwork and of course, work is
super important.
But you are there in thisremote location to enjoy life
right, and sometimes you have todo compromises, sometimes you
have to cut some corners becauseI don't think again.
(20:59):
Sometimes you have no choice,including myself.
But if you have a choice, don'twork 12 hours a day during your
trip, you know, because you'renot there for this.
You're there to enjoy outside,to enjoy the community, to enjoy
the people, to enjoy yourhobbies.
Don't forget about it.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (21:20):
That's it for today's episode of the
Remote Work Life podcast, but ifyou're a location-independ
solopreneur, founder or leaderand want to provide a case study
for the remote work lifepodcast, get in touch with me
via linkedin using the linkbelow in the show notes.
You're thinking about starting your own
location independent business?
Well, today's guest did justthat.
He's an entrepreneur, productexpert and mentor, as well as
being an athlete and aspiringsurfer.
His name is Gleb Gordeev andfor the past eight years, he's
built products used by millionsof people across 40 plus
(00:20):
countries plus countries.
He's managed software projectswith hundreds of people and
complex stakeholder setups, fromstartups to large international
corporations.
Today he runs Codebusters,building awesome products for
startups and enterprises fromidea to launch in 30 days.
(00:40):
His process includes discovery,prototyping, no-code
development and go-to-marketstrategies.
He manages agency growth and ateam of product managers,
designers and developers.
Gleb is also a huge advocatefor the future of work and
wealth.
He's been working remotely fromspectacular places for the last
(01:02):
three years and he's a surf andfitness addict and personal
growth enthusiast.
Welcome Gleb.
Gleb Gordeev (01:11):
Hi Alex, my name is Gleb, I'm 31 and I'm an
entrepreneur.
I'm a fitness nerd, I'm asurfer, an athlete, I love
traveling and, of course, I lovedigital nomad lifestyle as well
.
Originally, I'm coming fromRussia and I've been living in
Germany for almost nine years.
(01:31):
This is where I built my careerin product management.
I've been working in leadingtechnology companies in Europe,
both international corporationsbut also startups, so this is
where I got the passion fortechnology.
And right now I'm based in Bali, Indonesia, and I'm running my
own product development agency,which is called Codebusters,
(01:52):
where me and my team we bringproducts like EVPs, startups,
scale-ups, also internal appsand also business apps for
enterprises, so we build themfrom idea to launch in four
weeks, leveraging our productmanagement experience, low-code,
low-code technology and also,of course, ai and automation.
(02:15):
And my free time I love surfing, as I said, traveling, learning
, exploring new things and, ofcourse, listening to podcasts
like this one, meeting inspiringpeople, and I'm really lucky to
be surrounded by them.
So, yeah, I'm all about livingto the full potential.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (02:35):
And what made you choose to work at the
company that you're at at themoment.
Gleb Gordeev (02:39):
I've been employed by truly amazing companies and
I had good salary, good workingconditions and a good team, but
I was always feeling that I wantsomething else.
So this is how I stepped intoentrepreneurship, and this is
also the reason why I'm runningmy company right now, together
with two local founders to havethe freedom of time, the freedom
(03:01):
of space, and also to feel thatI'm building something for
myself.
I'm on the mission, and thisunderstanding that I'm on the
mission onto something big thisis something which motivates me
to work every single day, eventhough it's way harder work than
to work in the company.
(03:22):
Still, I've never been morefulfilled than now, work-wise,
as I said, even though it's alot of stress as a business
owner.
But yeah, I believe we aredoing amazing things.
I am working with very talentedpeople, we are empowering
businesses and entrepreneurs toship better products and, in the
(03:44):
end, I think the whole marketwins right, because the more
better products we have, thebetter is the offer for end
users.
So this is why I truly enjoy todo what I do.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (03:57):
Describe a personal, notable story or
experience that's influenced whoyou are today.
Gleb Gordeev (04:04):
Oh, wow.
I could really name a lot ofthem.
I would say the one which comesto mind is that when I
discovered remote work for thefirst time, it was in early 2021
, during COVID.
I went to the Spanish island ofLanzarote and this is where I
met Digital Nomads for the firsttime, and I was there on two
weeks vacation I think it evenwas like 10 days and I saw these
(04:27):
people who live there the wholewinter, enjoying the life,
surfing, dealing the community,and ask them hey guys, but we're
coming back, so we're notcoming back, we live here.
It's like, wow, what about yourboss?
Like yeah, whatever, maybe theydon't know, maybe they know,
but it doesn't matter, becausewe really enjoyed the lifestyle
here.
(04:48):
And this was one of many ahamoments for me, when I realized
that I don't have to, that I canreally enjoy my work life as
well If I decide where to liveand what to do after work.
And once I started toprioritize what I'm actually
doing after work, it reallychanged my life dramatically and
(05:10):
this has also brought me whereI am now.
There were many stories likethat.
There were many signs, likeomens, which I've seen right,
many influential discussions,many influential meetings, but
this is something which maybewas the first one and the one
which comes to my mind.
So the moment when I discoverthat it's actually possible to
(05:30):
work from anywhere and to dowhatever you want and enjoy your
life outside of work, what areyour aspirations for your career
going forward?
My number one goal right now isto scale my business, so I'm
building a lifestyle business.
It means that I don't reallyhave a mission right now to
(05:51):
change the world.
I think I can do it later.
At this point of my life, Iwant to build a cash flow
machine that is going to supportmy life so I can be free, I can
choose when to work, how towork and for how long.
So this is my number onepriority for now.
I'm still exploring some otherideas.
Of course.
(06:11):
They always come to me aboutlaunching different products.
I'm also exploringopportunities here in Bali, but
my business Codebusters is mymain priority.
I want explore opportunitieshere in Bali, but my business
Codebusters is my main priority.
I want to scale it to the pointwhich will cover way beyond my
costs of living and give me thefinancial freedom.
This is my main aspiration.
(06:31):
It's 2024.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (06:34):
As you look back on your life and
connect the dots that led towhere you are now.
What are those dots?
Gleb Gordeev (06:42):
I can identify three, I would say, from the
recent story.
So the first one is alreadymentioned when I discovered that
I can be independent fromlocation, where I found out that
I can work, for I don't have towork from rainy, cold Berlin
the whole winter and suffer fromthat.
This was the first aha moment.
(07:04):
The second aha moment was whenI quit alcohol and, even though
it's not related to business andcareer, the impact of this
decision was dramatic in allaspects of my life.
It also freed up a lot of timefor me to really deal with my
(07:25):
demons, I would say, and reallyidentify who am I, what I want
in life, and there are many,many benefits health benefits,
mental health benefits, but alsocareer-wise.
This was the moment when I hadso much clarity, when I started
to have so much clarity.
And I think the third dot iswhen I fully embraced and
(07:46):
committed to this lifestylewhich I have right now.
When I permanently moved toBali and when I opened my first
company, I made a clearstatement for myself and I made
a clear statement for the worldthat this is my life right now
and I'm going to walk my talk.
And I finally reached thisintegrity inside me because in
(08:09):
the beginning I was always like,when I was working and building
my career in product managementcorporate, I was always feeling
that I don't belong here.
And when I stepped to this pathof difficult path of
entrepreneurship, I was finallyfeeling like I'm home.
So yeah, these three dots andthey're still coming and coming,
(08:29):
but these three, I would say,were the most defining Figuring
out that life is more than goingto the office, removing all the
necessary things, starting withalcohol.
And third one, committing tothis new life which I have.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (08:46):
What made?
Gleb Gordeev (08:48):
you choose this particular profession.
I chose to be a product managerbecause this role combines my
unique advantages, I would say,and my unique background.
I studied computer science andinformatics university and I was
always fascinated by technologyand by how software can solve
(09:08):
problems.
But I was also very active inmy ex-curricular activities when
I was a student.
I was organizing events,conferences, I was traveling a
lot and also volunteering as astudent, so I developed these
communication skills and Ilearned a bit of project
management from my volunteeringexperience.
And basically, when I juststarted my career, I think this
(09:31):
role was a perfect match for mybackground and my personal
skills and I'm really gratefulbecause I started my career in
Mercedes-Benz in Germany and myfirst boss she gave me a chance
and I'm still grateful for that,because this is where I learned
about product management, aboutagile software development and,
(09:53):
yeah, I didn't change sincethen.
So, my first job afteruniversity I have the same job
right now.
I changed many companies, manydifferent roles, I wear many
different hats, but this is howI came to this profession and
right now I am slightly movingaway from that because I'm
(10:16):
focused on business growth, butstill I'm product at heart and I
think I will always be.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (10:23):
And was there a particular aha moment
for you which confirmed thatyou're in the right profession
and in the right role?
Gleb Gordeev (10:31):
I would say when I just joined the company and in
my first weeks and maybe monthsin this new role, I I was a
little bit lost, right, becausethere's so much uncertainty
involved and they hired me forsome specific project for a big
launch of the product in a newcountry, and I remember my first
assignment was to do a lot ofQA, coordinate bug reporting and
(10:57):
bug fixing, I would say, andthen, of course, I would say,
and then of course I was alsoinvolved into planning of the
features for this launch andbasically very much involved
into the teamwork.
And perhaps when we deliveredthis project and when the
project delivery was a success,maybe this was the aha moment
that I just realized.
(11:17):
Frankly, I don't remember.
I remember that I enjoyed itfrom day one and I really felt
like this is a good match for mewhat advice can you offer to
somebody who's looking to buildtheir own location?
independent career so I really Ithink it's very unlikely that
(11:38):
you will build thislocation-dependent career in the
place, which islocation-dependent Because, even
though I believe transformationhappens from the inside, our
outside environment matters alot.
So if you want to becomelocation-dependent, I recommend
to go to the place where similarpeople hang out and just ask
(12:01):
them how they did it, getinspired from them, and I
guarantee that you'll have somany ideas which you're probably
not going to have in the placewhere you're right now.
You need to get out of the loop.
You need to try something new.
You need to do somethingcounterintuitive in order to
break this pattern.
(12:21):
I can recommend Portugal orBali, mexico, colombia there are
so many places where people go.
Also, madeira is still inPortugal, canary Islands in
Spain so these are where peoplego to work remotely and just be
it.
Tell everyone that, tellyourself that this is my new
(12:46):
life now, and I guarantee thatall the things will align to
make it happen what made youchoose remote work as an option?
I think my answer will be kindof boring, but the ability to
escape winter was my mainmotivation in the beginning.
I'm coming from a cold country,like in my hometown, I think,
(13:09):
nine months out of 12, it's verycold.
And then I lived in Germany, inBerlin, which is famous for,
like it's notorious for itswinters, that it's always dark,
and I think everyone fromNorthern Europe can relate to
that.
And it's not only the weather,it's just activity of people
(13:29):
also goes down dramatically inwinter and I was never a big fan
of that Like why should we bein hibernation for half of the
year, right?
So this was my initialmotivation to get out from the
winter, enjoy the sun and enjoythe activities.
It was way before I discoveredsurfing.
It was way before I discoveredsurfing.
It was way before I discoveredentrepreneurship.
(13:51):
First motivation go to a warmplace, avoid winter.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (13:55):
And how would you describe your current
company's culture?
Gleb Gordeev (13:59):
I would describe it as lifestyle.
First, we are three co-foundersand we founded this venture to
enable us to live the life wewant, and we prioritize this,
first of all, to make sure thatwe're having fun, to make sure
that this business makes ushappier and, yeah, as I said, it
(14:24):
can support the lifestyle whichwe choose.
It's different for all of us.
For some of us, this is timewith family.
For some of us, like me, forexample, it's surfing and
traveling, enjoying the activelifestyle.
But we try to define ourprocesses.
We try to define our processes.
We try to define the way wework inside the company from
(14:49):
this point of view.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (14:52):
What qualities and characteristics do
your hiring managers look forwhen they're recruiting new
hires?
Gleb Gordeev (14:59):
Actually, the number one thing is the cultural
fit.
The company is very young.
It means that every singleperson which we bring to the
team has a lot of impact oneverything we do, and it's
incredibly important that we'reall on the same page in terms of
responsibility, in terms ofcommunication, because it's also
(15:20):
a remote company, therefore, weneed to over-communicate and
over-document things.
It means that we need to takeresponsibility for what we do.
We need to be accountable, sothere is no need for
micromanagement and I would saythis is the most important thing
which I learned by doing somemistakes that cultural fit is
(15:44):
number one rule, I think, forall the startups.
Therefore, I'm involved intohiring myself, because all the
hard skills they can be taught,they can be learned.
We have this expertise in thecompany.
I have absolutely no worriesabout that.
But how a person fits with ourvalues, I think this is the most
(16:04):
important, for this stage atleast.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (16:08):
What's your philosophy for building a
great team?
Gleb Gordeev (16:14):
I think the secret of a great team is to enable
people to thrive in what they'recurious about and what they're
good at.
We have different preferencesand we like two different things
, and, of course, work is notalways about fun.
But when you see your work as agame while other people see it
(16:37):
as work, you have an incredibleadvantage.
I'm still there.
By no means I am a perfectmanager, but I think what we're
trying to do is to find the taskwhich seems like a play and let
person do this and back up andsupport with the rest of the
(16:58):
tasks.
So in this case, we're allenjoying it, having fun.
I would say it's better for60-70%, of course, as a result
of administrative work, andthere is some operational work
which just has to be done.
But yeah, I think the more wescale, the more I would like to
(17:18):
be focused on that.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (17:21):
Is there a particular team or organization
whose culture you admire?
If so, tell us about that.
Gleb Gordeev (17:29):
I can only speak from my own experience.
Right, because companies showyou what they want us to see.
But from point of view ofproduct delivery and product
management, I really admireSpotify.
I have not worked there, butthe way how they build products
is very famous.
They brought a lot ofinnovation into product
development and most of thecompanies who build apps and
(17:55):
modern software they get a bitof inspiration from Spotify
model, maybe even withoutknowing this, but as a business
owner, I also really admire thework culture in Amazon, where I
was working as well.
So there are a lot of differentopinions about Amazon as a
(18:15):
company, but I see it from thepoint of view of a business
owner how you can build anorganization with almost 1
million employees and scale itso much based on a few simple
principles.
And again, I admire it.
I don't say that it's perfect,I don't say that everyone should
(18:37):
do this, but as a founder, Ihave a huge inspiration for this
, because it's a massiveprogress and the fact that
they're still crushing it.
The company is very, veryvaluable.
I know it doesn't matter.
In fact, it's based on theculture which we created there.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (18:54):
What do you prefer to do when you're not
working?
Gleb Gordeev (18:57):
I love surfing, doing sports, enjoying nature,
traveling, going out with myfriends, having some nice dinner
or just chill on the beach.
I love reading, I do meditation.
So I'm trying to schedule time,not trying to.
I'm scheduling time for myself.
I'm scheduling time with myclose friends here in Bali and,
(19:24):
yeah, it's a beautiful life,full of opportunities.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (19:27):
What are your best tips for organizing
your day and staying productivewhile working remotely?
Gleb Gordeev (19:34):
It makes it even more challenging when you're a
business owner or entrepreneuror solopreneur, I mean, when you
work for yourself.
I would say non-negotiable.
You need to have a workingplace.
So I'm going to a workingperson, but you can also equip
it at home, where you live.
Non-negotiable working hoursfor deep work and for meetings,
(19:56):
because there are so many wayshow you can get distracted.
There are so many fun thingsyou could do.
Having this fixed few hours aday, which again are
non-negotiable, will really helpyou to keep focus.
But what is also, having thisfixed few hours a day, which
again are non-negotiable, willreally help you to keep focus.
But what is also important isto listen to your body and
sometimes we just cannot focus.
(20:17):
You know, sometimes it's justdifficult to proceed with the
task.
And if it happens to you, don'tforce yourself and let yourself
relax.
Go to the spa, go to the beach,do some sports, like you know,
ventilate your brain and thencome back later or maybe next
day.
And another important thing isthat don't forget, while you're
(20:38):
doing this, why you're doingthis.
Don't forget that you chosethis lifestyle for the things
which are happening outside ofwork and of course, work is
super important.
But you are there in thisremote location to enjoy life
right, and sometimes you have todo compromises, sometimes you
have to cut some corners becauseI don't think again.
(20:59):
Sometimes you have no choice,including myself.
But if you have a choice, don'twork 12 hours a day during your
trip, you know, because you'renot there for this.
You're there to enjoy outside,to enjoy the community, to enjoy
the people, to enjoy yourhobbies.
Don't forget about it.
Alex Wilson-Campbell (21:20):
That's it for today's episode of the
Remote Work Life podcast, but ifyou're a location-independ
solopreneur, founder or leaderand want to provide a case study
for the remote work lifepodcast, get in touch with me
via linkedin using the linkbelow in the show notes.
Popular Podcasts
1. Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
2. Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
3. Crime Junkie
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.