Going from in-person to a fully remote organization

Item: Oceans Talent
Author: Lindsay McCormick

Industry

CPG

Company size

SMB

Role

Executive assistants

Published

June 20, 2024

Bite was founded by former surf instructor Lindsay McCormick in her very own living room back in 2017. After spending so much time in the water, she wanted to stop contributing to the 1 billion+ plastic toothpaste tubes that were finding their way into oceans and landfills across the world. In a bid to find a solution, she started taking chemistry classes and in August 2017 began pressing toothpaste tablets for friends and family from her own apartment. With Bite going viral in the next year, she dove right into the Shark Tank and came out with 2 offers in 2020! As her business started going beyond just toothpaste into a more rounded oral care solution and then more, the world too was changing.

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With the dawn of the Coronavirus, Lindsay saw herself having to transform this organization that was now running from her apartment and WeWork space into a fully-remote operation.

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While Lindsay had been running the physical operation, she had a team along with an assistant working with her in-person. Everything ran smoothly because while her then-assistant was able to look into the more “physical” needs of the business (i.e. running packages for delivery, documenting product retains, ensuring the upkeep of the workspace), Lindsay had the time to focus on her calendar management, getting through her inbox and appointments. However, in a world post-COVID, Lindsay and her team found themselves more efficient being fully-remote.

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Lindsay was now letting go of her apartment and WeWork space, she was even moving all the way across to Miami from Los Angeles. As the transition took 6 months, her life had now become bi-coastal. It was during this time that the cracks started becoming more visible to her. While her in-person assistant had been of great value to the business for all its physical needs, Lindsay started realizing that albeit well-meaning, she just didn't possess the skills necessary for more of the new remote, digital tasks Lindsay was delegating to her (such as responding to emails and inbox management).

Yasasvee’s integration into Bite has been a gift of time and efficiency for Lindsay and everyone on her team, proving that running an entire business remotely can still be an organized and successful operation.

Lindsay McCormick

Founder & CEO

The hunt begins

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When Lindsay recognized this need, the quest began. What started out as a Google Search led to a bombardment of ads from headhunter services for assistants with over-the-top search fees and a lot of vetting to be done. Lindsay found herself in a number of Founders’ forums and WhatsApp groups, inquiring fellow founders about the kind of help she was looking for.

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In July 2023, Lindsay thought she’d found a solution-provider she could rely on and putting her need for an executive assistant aside, decided to hire a video editor for an immediate vacancy she had to fill in for an upcoming project. Unfortunately, the experience was a mess. So much so that Lindsay had to personally get involved and the project was delayed.

The Right Hand to the Founder

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As Lindsay worked her way back into the very same Founders’ forums, she got in touch with a contact who happened to recommend Oceans to her. After a direct introduction, Lindsay laid down her pain points with the hopes that she could finally get the assistance she’d been in search of for months.

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Despite her fear of disappointment based on her previous experience, Lindsay learned that she could trust the Oceans way. When you’re looking for an executive assistant, you’re already stretched for time and resources. The thought of having to train an assistant was out of the question for Lindsay. However, seeing the infrastructure laid out to provide Oceans’ EA+s with the right coaching and the consistent feedback platforms made available, Lindsay’s apprehension dissipated and just a month later a match was made!

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Lindsay was introduced to Yasasvee De Silva. As an experienced EA+ with years of experience in the corporate world, Lindsay found herself not having to worry about the little things anymore with Yasasvee on board. Former problems like email etiquette and inbox management no longer bothered Lindsay. She took initiative and in no time she was fully integrated into the Bite ecosystem.

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With Lindsay’s product being physical in nature, months had gone by with ingredients lists and certifications haphazardly thrown into folders, formulas outdated. The searches were endless until Yasasvee came along and thoroughly organized the data with just the occasional nod of approval needed from Lindsay. As months have gone by, Yasasvee continues to take initiative and takes on projects Lindsay didn’t even realize she needed to get under control.

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It wasn't just emails and data organization, even her meetings and calendar are now managed seamlessly. What really stood out though was that even if there were questions Lindsay found herself unable to answer for Yasasvee, Lindsay was no longer a bottleneck for her assistant’s capacity to get the job done-all because Yasavee had a coherent support system provided through Oceans.

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Yasasvee’s integration into Bite has been a gift of time and efficiency for Lindsay and everyone on her team, proving that running an entire business remotely can still be an organized and successful operation.

Lindsay McCormick

Founder & CEO

Bite