How One Entrepreneur Co-Founded Fully-Remote Marketing Agency Galactic Fed While On The Road With Remote Year
12. Nov. 2021
“Remote Year was a catalyst for my success as an entrepreneur, dreamer, and person. I’m sure I could have become a digital nomad without Remote Year, but I wouldn’t have nearly the depth of friendships and relationships that make this lifestyle worth it.”
_-_Zach Boyette
Remote Year Kaizen, 12-month program
Remote Year Pachamama, 4-month program
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Galactic Fed
Feedback from Remote Year program participants consistently shows that community is the #1 most valuable aspect of Remote Year. As you travel, you will learn from, work alongside, and be inspired by 30-40 global professionals from all industries and walks of life.
From hustling entrepreneurs and freelancers to fully-remote professionals, our Remote Year community attracts skilled and creative professionals who embody the spirit of curiosity and adventure that are integral to the work and travel lifestyle our community has grown to love.
We connected with Zach Boyette, USA, to learn more about his journey as the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the fully-remote marketing agency Galactic Fed. A 2-time Remote Year program alum, Zach tuned in to speak with us while on the road in Belgrade, Serbia, to share experiences founding Galactic Fed while traveling with Remote Year’s 12-month Kaizen program in 2017-2018. Galactic Fed now has ~100 employees across 17+ countries, and has leveraged the 3,000+ strong Remote Year network to gain clients and hire talented individuals from the Remote Year community to the Galactic Fed team.
“People who have been accepted to Remote Year and care about working remotely enough to sign up for this program are the type of professional that is comfortable with and capable of working fully remotely. Many are socially-inclined people who are a good contribution to the community we have at Galactic Fed. Of the people we have hired from Remote Year, they have been some of the best employees that I’ve had at Galactic Fed, without a doubt.”
CEO of Galactic Fed
What made you decide to join a Remote Year program?
I’ve dreamed of becoming a digital nomad since junior year of college when I discovered the digital nomad subreddit. For years after that, I was looking for opportunities to travel the world and work on the road. After working at Google, I was lucky enough to be poached by Toptal, the world’s largest remote company. I had seen ads for Remote Year (I’ll never forget the video of the dude with long hair running down a brushy beach path, then jumping in slow-motion on his bed), and I was obsessed with the idea of it. I spent hours writing my application essay. I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about anything in my life.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey founding Galactic Fed?
While on Remote Year, I left Toptal to start my fledgling marketing agency, Galactic Fed, joining forces with Irina Papuc, my co-founder who also worked with me at Toptal. I was the Head of Paid Media, she was the Head of SEO, so it was a natural synergy - we could both do things the other couldn’t. In between taco eating competitions in Mexico City, European summers in Greece and Spain, visiting her home in Chicago and my lakehouse in Tennessee for “offsites,” we agreed to start this company as fully remote, and never have an office. We’re both lifelong nomads, with Irina having been a former physicist at CERN before quitting to hitchhike solo from Taiwan to Afghanistan. I credit our remote culture as a large part of our success, allowing us to scale quickly across the world, hiring the best people wherever they live. And I would never be here without Remote Year.
What is it like running your business while on the road?
It feels like I hacked life. It’s incredible to have the freedom to be both location independent, and in control of your own career. Having done this for five years now, I’ve gotten quite good at figuring out the normal stuff like accommodations, wifi, coworking spaces, meetups, etc. It’s less about the places you go, moreso the people you go with.
CEO of Galactic Fed on a Remote Year Program
After the program, how have you used the Remote Year community or Citizens Slack to network/grow your business?
Galactic Fed has gained several clients through the Remote Year community - either through more formal posts on slack, or informal settings through referrals and recommendations. More excitingly, I’ve hired a few people through Remote Year, including Michelle Case (who we’ve recently promoted to Biz Dev Director, leading up our sales team) and another recent RY hire, Ian Ryan, who works on Michelle’s team.
Are there any locations, international experiences, or ways of life that you encountered while on Remote Year that inspired you professionally?
In general, Remote Year inspired me to take a more casual, open-minded approach to business. Growing up in the US, it’s easy to think that the American business mindset is the most efficient. But having worked with, lived with, and hired people from all over the world now, it’s been rewarding to create a melting pot of the best parts of business culture from around the world.
Stay tuned for more inspiring stories from the Remote Year Nation, or check out these posts:
