Remote First Innovators
Remote First Innovators Podcast is for leaders scaling companies operating outside the normal office convention. The show breaks down the operational engines, tools, workflows, and decisions that drive distributed work at scale. It’s built for those tackling trust, communication and operations across time zones.Conversations feature founders and operators shaping high output remote organizations. Topics range from async workflows and automation to scaling work from home teams and decision-making. Listeners gain a advantage by learning from those leaders who have been there, and overcome remote-first challenges
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Episodes
Tuesday Oct 07, 2025
Tuesday Oct 07, 2025
Welcome to Remote First Innovators, the podcast for leaders and operators scaling remote-first companies.In our debut episode, host Jake Gump sits down with Robert Phelps, President of Creative IT, to explore the real operational challenges of building and scaling distributed teams. From filmmaking to Apple to leading one of the Southeast's most trusted IT firms, Robert brings unique insights from supporting over 130 remote-first companies.CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Welcome & Why This Podcast Exists 3:09 - Why 2025 is Different for Remote Work 6:18 - The Moment Remote Became More Than a Trend 9:12 - Data Security Risks Remote Companies Miss 12:01 - The Compliance Wake-Up Call (SOC2, CMMC, HIPAA) 16:33 - Must-Have Policies for Remote Teams 18:17 - Incident Response & IT Hygiene Basics 23:22 - Culture Over Technology: The Real Compliance Secret 26:16 - AI Training Done Right 30:01 - Essential Tools for Remote-First Companies 32:07 - AI Security Risks You Need to Know 36:04 - Robert's Journey: From Filmmaking to Creative IT 40:51 - Leadership Lessons & Mistakes Made 43:33 - What's Next: Remote Operating System & Book LaunchWhat We Cover:Why remote work in 2025 is fundamentally different than 2020The compliance frameworks that now have real teethSecurity blind spots that could sink your companyDevice management and data protection across time zonesBuilding security culture from the top downAI governance and the tools you should (and shouldn't) allowThe Remote Operating System launching in 2026SUBSCRIBE NOW for bi-weekly conversations with founders, ops leaders, and innovators doing remote work right.
Wednesday Sep 24, 2025
Wednesday Sep 24, 2025
Remote First Innovators Podcast is for leaders scaling companies operating outside the normal office convention. The show breaks down the operational engines, tools, workflows, and decisions that drive distributed work at scale. It’s built for those tackling trust, communication and operations across time zones.Conversations feature founders and operators shaping high output remote organizations. Topics range from async workflows and automation to scaling work from home teams and decision-making. Listeners gain a advantage by learning from those leaders who have been there, and overcome remote-first challenges