Ken Weary, COO of HotJar on Building a Successful Remote Career while Traveling Full Time with 2 Kids

That Remote Life | Interviews with Digital Nomads and Location Independent Entrepreneurs

Today on the podcast, Mitko (@mitkoka) is joined by Ken Weary (@kenweary), the COO of HotJar. Since joining HotJar in 2016, he has scaled the remote first culture of the company from a team of 14 to over 350 people distributed across more than 50 countries (and growing). In his role, he oversees the company’s Finance, People, Compliance, and Business Operations divisions.

Ken is also a digital nomad and has been traveling with his family across Central America, Europe, and Africa for nearly eight years. During this episode, Ken shared why he was so bullish about remote work even way back in 2014, his top tips for ambitious remote workers who don’t want to choose between the freedom to travel and building a successful career, and how the digital nomad lifestyle has affected his kids.

💬 Topics Discussed:

• How has the influx of remote workers changed Lisbon, Portugal?
• Being a digital nomad/remote worker with kids and pets
• Searching for the perfect home base
• Why did Ken decide to become nomadic together with his family back in 2013?
• Why did Mexico leave the greatest impression on Ken?
• Managing career growth and working remotely
• How to find the right life-work balance?
• What are the limitations of the hybrid work model?
• Differences and similarities between building your career in an onsite and a remote company
• Are careers more entrepreneurial nowadays?
• What changed in Hotjar as Ken oversaw the growth of the company from a few dozen to a few hundred people?
• Learning from other professionals and companies
• Adapting what you have learned to your community and culture
• The biggest current opportunities in remote work
• The biggest problems people face in remote work
• Figuring out the most efficient and effective ways of communicating within a company
• Ways of efficiently structuring your day as a remote worker
• Knowing to set priorities and manage your time
• Defining the role and responsibilities of the Head of Remote
• Ken’s predictions on the future of work
• How infrastructure and real estate will change due to remote work
• How did being nomadic impact Ken’s family?
• Growing and learning through real-life experiences
• Alternatives to traditional schooling

Leave a Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📬 Subscribe to Remote Insider
👾 Join the TRL Slack Channel

🎒 Resources:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenweary/
• https://www.hotjar.com/
• https://www.hotjar.com/careers/
• https://www.sunglassesrequired.com/
• https://contentsquare.com/
• https://about.gitlab.com/
• https://doist.com/
• https://www.timedoctor.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenmurph/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-warrington/?originalSubdomain=es
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/liammcivormartin/?originalSubdomain=ca
• https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/
• https://experience.dropbox.com/remote-work-success-guide
• https://ma.tt/2020/04/five-levels-of-autonomy/
• https://slack.com/
• https://twist.com/
• https://www.viber.com/
• https://automattic.com/
• https://nextlevelhomeschool.com/
• https://nextlevelhomeschool.com/course/harry-potter-genetics/
• https://www.sunglassesrequired.com/blog/2016/5/30/life-in-the-big-city-exploring-merida-mexico?rq=costco