“We’re definitely the best remote company to work for, at least in my opinion.”
This is part five in a series about how we work at Bunny Studio. We’re a remote company, so we’re based all over the world. We live different lives and come from different cultures, so our ways of working are unique. This is a place where we talk about the challenges of working remotely, as well as share our experiences.
Want to learn how to work remotely? We don’t have all the answers, but here’s how each of us makes it work for us.
But if you prefer to watch a video instead, click here:
Name, job title and location?
Juan Camilo Cardona. I’m a Recruitment Marketer for Bunny Studio based in Bogotá, Colombia. More specifically though, I’m the one that plans and runs all our events.
How long have you worked remotely?
For, like… over three years? A while.
Is Bunny Studio the first remote company you’ve worked for?
Yes. We’re definitely the best remote company to work for, at least in my opinion. We’re really good at learning from our challenges and looking after each other, and that support makes all the difference.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
Ha, okay. [laughs] Something that you need to know about me is that my head is a chaos. Which sounds like a bad thing, but it actually works for me.
I constantly have multiple events to look after at the same time, all at different planning stages. Some of the events we run are big and complex. Running in-person events like EPICO Medellín, for example, requires a lot of planning time. As a remote company, we run a lot of online events too, like Debugs for full-stack engineers and Braintrusts to share ideas with creative people around the world. While these events are usually smaller, they still take a lot of planning and coordination.
Because of all the events we run, each workday is different for me.
I start the day by prioritizing what I need to do. How much can I get done today? After that, I answer emails, then I focus my energy on the most urgent event, either because it’s particularly complex or because it’s happening soon. What do I need to do to move that event forward? I work on tasks related to that event until I can’t do anything else for it, usually because I’m waiting for replies or feedback. Then I move on to the second most urgent event, and so on. I take breaks too, to walk around or to talk to people at my co-working space. Sometimes a conversation that you weren’t expecting can turn into something bigger, you know?
My days are long, but I like them that way. I need time to move around and think. There’s a word in Spanish that fits well — “pajarear”. It means to, like, walk around and be distracted and potter about. Like how a bird, un pájaro, lives its life — bouncing around a bit and thinking, you know? But even though it may not look like much is happening while I walk about, I’m thinking that entire time, working things out in my head… it helps me work better.
What does your workspace look like?
I can’t work from home. Oof, some people can, but I can’t. When I try to, I end up in my pajamas in bed, which isn’t great. So I always go to a co-working space (that Bunny Studio pays for) or somewhere outside my house to work. It helps me work better. Working in recruitment and events means that relationships are important. Getting out of my house helps me cultivate them. So, I guess my workspace looks different depending on where I am that day. I always have my laptop with me and that’s basically all I need.
And that’s the thing — how to work remotely will depend on the person. Some people work really well from home, some don’t. And that’s fine. Working remotely means you have the freedom to choose which way of working works best for you.
How does working remotely benefit you?
The constant challenges. There’s always something new to tackle and solve. I mean, I think this has more to do with the company I work for than anything else. The best remote company to work for is one that challenges you, but that also gives you the tools you need to grow. Bunny Studio does that well. Even though I constantly need to solve problems, I know I’m supported.
Working remotely also makes me work more creatively. When you don’t interact with your colleagues face to face every day, you learn to come up with solutions independently. I mean, your colleagues are still reachable if you need help, that’s important. But they’re not right next to you the majority of the time, and might work in a time zone that doesn’t totally match up with yours. So you get better at finding creative solutions to problems that you can put into action without too many outside dependencies.
What challenges do you face when working remotely?
Oh. [laughs] I guess the challenges are part of the benefit for me.
The main challenge for me is planning and coordinating all our events. Since we run so many, and of so many different types, it can be a challenge to keep things straight. Running a big event, like EPICO Medellín, is especially challenging to set up remotely due to its large scope. We’ll be running an EPICO in Sao Paulo soon too, and that has been an even bigger challenge due to language differences and physical distance. Online communication is great and useful, but sometimes in-person communication is easier and quicker. When you work remotely, online communication is often all you have though, so you need to get good at it. For me, it’s the difference between a successful, well-attended event and, well… an event that never happens because it stalled in the planning stage.
Do you have any advice for someone who is thinking about making the change to remote work?
Yeah, don’t work from your bed. In order to work remotely, you need to be on top of things and have your head in order. It’s hard to be organized and enthusiastic when you haven’t left your bed all day, even though it can seem like a great idea at first.
Also, like I mentioned earlier, be creative and avoid dependencies. Working remotely means being more self-sufficient than if you worked at an office. You can’t expect others to solve your problems for you, so be proactive and come up with a creative solution yourself.
Did your life change when you started working remotely? If so, how?
Yeah, it really did. I was working in Sales before, for a non-remote company, and it was monotonous. It didn’t demand any creativity from me and I didn’t like that. But now, working at Bunny Studio, no two days are the same. I really like it, and benefit, from that. It makes me learn a lot, and quickly.
Thanks so much! Anything else you’d like to add?
Yes, come to our events! We run online events frequently, so it doesn’t matter where you live, you can join in.
