Remote First Innovators

How a 24-Year-Old Built a Global Remote Team in Cybersecurity Ed From Zero | Adaora Onwumelu | EP 116

What happens when a 24-year-old former Division I basketball player walks away from a corporate engineering path and bets on herself? She builds a global cybersecurity education company with 50+ interns, a custom-built operating system, and a management philosophy that lets roles grow around people.
 
Adaora joins Jake Gump to talk about remote team structure, time zone challenges, leadership lessons learned the hard way, and why she believes the biggest firewall is the human brain.
 
This episode explores:
Why she left Apple's engineering track to start her own company
How she managed 50+ global interns with no systems in place
The delegation failures — and fixes — that shaped her leadership
Building a cybersecurity education platform targeting teens and older adults
Why human behavior is the real vulnerability in any system
For founders, operators, and anyone building distributed teams who wants a real, unfiltered look at what early-stage remote leadership actually looks like.
 
#RemoteWork #CybersecurityEducation #WomenInTech #FounderStory #DistributedTeams #StartupLeadership #RemoteFirstInnovators

Why the Businesses That Win Always Say "Let's Try It" | Alyssa Lundy | EP 115

Alyssa Lundy has worked with 200+ clients across industrial, automotive, and healthcare — running marketing remotely before remote work was a strategy. In this conversation with host Jake Gump, she shares the patterns she sees in businesses that consistently win, how she structures remote marketing teams with zero chaos, and why chasing viral content is keeping most B2B brands broke. Plus: the deeply personal story behind the Five to Nine Club, a women-only sober dance experience she built from scratch in Baton Rouge.
If you lead a distributed team and want marketing that actually converts — this one's for you.
#FractionalCMO #RemoteMarketing #B2BMarketing #BrandStrategy #RemoteFirstInnovators #DistributedWork #MarketingStrategy #WomenInBusiness #RemoteTeams #BusinessGrowth

Firing Clients Sleepless Nights and the Reality of Entrepreneurship | Juming Delmas | EP 114

What does entrepreneurship really look like when things get hard?
In this episode, Juming Delmas shares why he fired three clients, how he handles pressure, and what separates real entrepreneurs from business owners.
From sleepless nights to tough client decisions, this conversation highlights the realities most people do not talk about.
You will learn:- Why firing clients can be necessary- What late payments really signal- How entrepreneurs think differently- The pressure behind running a business

Health as a System: Stacking Small Wins for Transformation | Michael Levy | EP 113

This episode explores health as a holistic system and how small, intentional daily wins compound into lasting transformation.
Michael Levy, CEO of the Digital Health Institute for Transformation and co-founder of Blue Door Group, shares frameworks developed across 20+ years of healthcare leadership.
The conversation covers practical strategies for remote professionals and leaders seeking to optimize performance, energy, and wellbeing.
You'll learn:
The 4D Framework: Discover, Define, Design, Deliver
Why tracking your current reality is the essential first step
How the brain-gut connection affects mood, energy, and long-term health
The concept of a "flexible human stack" for work and advisory relationships
How to build a personal advisory board across self, family, work, and friends
Why "choosing your hard" today creates easier outcomes tomorrow
The Periodic Table of Health Elements and its 85 levers for change
This episode is ideal for remote workers, founders, and leaders focused on sustainable performance, intentional living, and building systems that support long-term success.

Remote Team Security Nightmare: Ex-Employee Breach & Lessons Learned | Wesley Hoang | EP 112

A former employee breach exposes critical security gaps in a remote company.
Wesley Hoang shares a real incident where team accounts were deleted and systems compromised, and what he changed to prevent it from happening again.
Learn practical lessons on remote team security, access control, and leadership under pressure.

How Fractional CEOs Build Remote Teams That Scale | Angela Liu | EP 111

In this episode of Remote First Innovators, Jake Gump speaks with Angela Liu, a fractional CEO and strategic advisor who helps startups and small businesses strengthen their operations, leadership systems, and team culture.
Angela explains how fractional CEOs provide executive leadership to companies that need strategic guidance but are not ready to hire a full-time executive.
The conversation explores the operational and cultural challenges organizations face when transitioning to remote work. Angela shares practical strategies for building trust, maintaining accountability, and designing systems that allow distributed teams to collaborate effectively.
Listeners will learn how leaders can avoid micromanagement, set clear expectations, and build remote cultures where employees feel connected and motivated.

How to Build a Remote Call Center That Actually Works | Lynn Daniel | EP 110

Jake Gump interviews Lynn Daniel about building a remote-first customer research company long before remote became mainstream.
This episode covers hiring discipline, call quality, AI integration, AWS migration, cybersecurity, and leadership lessons from scaling distributed teams.
Practical insight for founders and operators.

Building Teams That Last: Leadership, Trust, and Operational Discipline | Jonathan Breeden | EP 109

Most business growth problems are not caused by lack of effort. They are caused by the wrong strategic decisions.
This episode explores how operational changes, marketing strategy, and leadership decisions combine to drive measurable growth. Learn how businesses recover from failed SEO strategies, rebuild digital visibility, and generate consistent inbound demand.
You will also hear how scaling teams, managing turnover, and improving communication systems impact long-term performance. The conversation covers real business decisions that led to growth, operational stability, and stronger leadership effectiveness.
If you run a firm, manage teams, or want to scale sustainably, this episode explains the strategies that create momentum and long-term expansion.

Design That Scales: Why Brand Clarity Matters More Than Ever | Tristan Van Aken | EP 108

In this episode of Remote First Innovators, we sit down with Tristan Van Aken, Founder and Creative Director of Vava Graphics, a design and branding agency that’s been fully remote since 2012.
Tristan shares what it really takes to build and scale a remote creative business—long before remote work was mainstream. From international hiring and contractor management to cybersecurity threats, ransomware recovery, and the practical use of AI in design, this conversation goes far beyond theory.
We explore how Tristan evaluates creative talent globally, avoids costly hiring mistakes, protects client data, and uses AI as a competitive advantage without sacrificing originality or trust. This episode is packed with real-world lessons for founders, agency leaders, and anyone running a distributed team in today’s fast-moving digital landscape.
Guest: Tristan Van Aken, Founder & Creative Director, Vava GraphicsHost: Jake Gump
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to Remote First Innovators01:10 – Tristan’s background and award-winning agency02:05 – Why going remote made sense in 201204:30 – Early challenges hiring freelancers07:15 – Remote tools before Zoom and modern stacks12:30 – Hiring filters and avoiding bad hires18:45 – International contractors and compliance23:30 – IRS audits and global team realities29:00 – Tristan’s creative hiring matrix35:00 – Ransomware, backups, and hard lessons43:00 – Website security and WordPress risks52:00 – AI’s impact on design and creativity59:30 – AI tools Tristan actually uses1:04:30 – Mentorship, mindset, and entrepreneurship1:06:15 – Where to find Tristan and closing thoughts
📣 Call to Action
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Building with Intention in High-Growth Environments | Josh Oliver | EP 107

In this episode, Josh Oliver joins the show for a candid conversation about leadership, entrepreneurship, and building companies with intention rather than ego.Josh shares his journey through startups, acquisitions, and high-growth environments, offering honest reflections on what it takes to scale responsibly while staying grounded. He speaks openly about decision-making, learning through failure, and why clarity of values matters more than speed when building something that lasts.Throughout the conversation, Josh emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, surrounding yourself with the right people, and resisting the pressure to chase every opportunity. His perspective offers a practical and human look at leadership in environments where momentum, risk, and ambition collide.This episode is especially valuable for founders, operators, and leaders navigating growth without losing alignment.⏱ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome and episode intro 00:49 — Introducing Josh Oliver 01:38 — Early career path and entrepreneurship 03:21 — Learning through building and selling companies 05:04 — Leadership lessons from growth stages 07:12 — Decision-making under pressure 09:44 — Knowing when to say no 12:16 — The cost of chasing everything 14:05 — Building teams you trust 16:37 — Ego, humility, and leadership maturity 18:58 — Learning from failure 21:31 — Values-based leadership 24:09 — Staying grounded as momentum grows 26:47 — Advice for founders and operators 29:14 — Final reflections and close📣 CALL TO ACTIONIf this episode resonated with you: 👍 Like the video 💬 Comment with your biggest takeaway 🔔 Subscribe for more leadership and founder conversations 📤 Share this episode with someone building something meaningful