No employees, just 50 contractors worldwide

Remote work and flexible employment arrangements have become the norm. However, Peter Zollman, founder of AIM Group, takes it a step further,  managing a global team of 50 contractors and no employees. 

All the contractors meet the legal definition. They are free to work elsewhere and have flexible schedules.

Zollman is part of a growing trend in niche publishing: High-performing micro-teams with an exceptional revenue-per-employee ratio. He also targets a market of large international companies willing and able to pay for critical intelligence.

Some experts at seven figures per employee for niches in the future.

Zollman is already there.

So how does he do it?

First, a recruitment strategy aims at finding contractors, and uses different sources for different functions. The company uses LinkedIn to recruit writers, sales staff, and other professionals. For graphics and marketing, they use Fivvr and Upwork. 

“We’ve got people working for us on every continent except Antarctica,” he states. 

That’s also where the market of clients is located. The worldwide network of writers allows AIM Group to cover market trends and developments anywhere globally, providing valuable insights to clients across various market segments.

Team-building a Global  Network

Like many publishers with small teams and an extensive network of contractors, AIM Group found that keeping everyone engaged and moving in the same direction requires a strategic approach.

Two of the keys are paying well and spending a lot of time training the new staff.

 “Number one, we pay well… Number two, we really try to give a lot of guidance,” he explains.

The editorial staff of 30 to 40 writers is organized like a traditional newsroom with an executive editor and two managing editors.

The company holds monthly meetings on Slack to keep everyone up-to-date.

One key management innovation is quarterly  “water cooler” chats that do not include work topics. The meetings are optional, so about 30 or so may show up.

At one meeting,  people anonymously shared pictures of their offices and had to guess whose was whose. The winner got a $50 prize.

Another favorite was sharing photos of summer vacations. 

“I guess I’m paying them pretty well based on some of the spots they are going,” he said.