When the world’s economies experienced a great halt in 2020, headlines were filled with a wave of business closures, layoffs, and bankruptcies. For many, the pandemic was an era when things hit pause, and the future changed and became uncertain. Yet for entrepreneur Ruffy Galang, the crisis revealed a different kind of opportunity—a gap in how companies accessed global talent and managed remote teams.
Instead of retreating, he founded Remote Employee, a business process outsourcing (BPO) company that would challenge traditional outsourcing models and help businesses not just survive, but adapt and thrive in the new reality of distributed work.
Remote Employee was established as a Western-owned and operated BPO with a strong operational base in the Philippines. It aimed to connect businesses of all sizes to highly educated, English-speaking staff for hundreds of roles. Galang’s vision was clear: make global hiring as reliable and straightforward as hiring locally, even amid global uncertainty, and provide them with competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits packages, and innovative work-life balance programs.
Reflecting on the company’s foundation story, Galang shares the lessons he gathered from launching a business at a time when most were closing their doors, offering insights into the future of work, the power of remote teams, and the importance of acting on opportunity, even when doubt is everywhere.
The Lesson of Starting in Uncertainty
Launching a business during a global crisis is not for the risk-averse. Galang faced the same doubts and anxieties as any entrepreneur, but he also recognized that the pandemic fundamentally changed how companies approached work.
Offices emptied overnight, and businesses scrambled to maintain operations with newly remote teams. For Galang, this unexpected change was less a barrier than a signal that the old hiring and team management paradigms were ripe for reinvention.
“Most people saw the pandemic as a time to pause, but I saw it as a time to act,” Galang recalls. “The need for reliable, flexible, cost-effective staffing solutions was greater than ever. Companies weren’t just looking to cut costs—they needed partners who could help them navigate a new world of work.”
Building Remote Employee in such a climate required resilience and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. Galang learned that decisiveness and a clear-eyed view of market needs could turn crisis into opportunity.
The company’s early days were marked by rapid adaptation: investing in digital infrastructure, streamlining remote onboarding processes, and ensuring compliance with local employment laws in the Philippines. This agility allowed Remote Employee to quickly attract clients seeking stability and expertise during global disruption.
Harnessing the Power of Remote Work
One of Galang’s most significant insights was the realization that remote work was not a temporary fix but a permanent shift. The pandemic accelerated trends not customary for years, making distributed teams and flexible work arrangements the new standard for businesses worldwide. Remote Employee leads the transition, offering clients access to a global talent pool while handling the complexities of international hiring.
“The future of work is borderless,” Galang explains. “Businesses that can tap into global talent pools have a massive advantage—not just in cost, but in diversity, creativity, and resilience.”
The remote employee model was designed to make this access seamless. Clients could hire Filipino staff for roles ranging from accounting and data entry to software development and customer service, all while maintaining complete control over their teams. The company’s simple, flat-rate billing and commitment to legal compliance in the Philippines removed barriers that had traditionally deterred businesses from international hiring.
For Galang, the lesson was clear: by making it easy for companies to build and manage remote teams, Remote Employee could empower clients to grow and scale faster than ever before.
This approach resonated with a wide range of businesses. By the end of its first year, Remote Employee had attracted over 50 clients and nearly 600 employees, achieving a 250% revenue growth rate—a testament to the demand for reliable, high-quality outsourcing solutions in uncertain times.
Accessing the Global Talent Pool
When everything stopped and everyone was online, Galang saw the untapped potential of the global workforce, particularly in the Philippines. The country’s large pool of English-proficient, highly educated professionals made it an ideal location for sourcing talent across a wide range of roles.
Galang recognized that though businesses grapple with the pandemic, through the right hiring strategy, they can still connect with employees online, who bring technical skills, cultural adaptability, and a strong work ethic.
“The Filipino workforce brings a unique combination of skills and values,” Galang notes. “They’re adaptable, resilient, and deeply committed to their work. That’s why our clients see such high retention and performance from their remote teams.”
Remote Employee invested heavily in attracting and retaining top-tier staff, offering competitive compensation, professional development opportunities, and a supportive work environment.
This focus on employee engagement paid off: the company achieved a 97% customer retention rate and became one of the most sought-after employers in the sector. Galang’s experience reflects the importance of not just finding talent, but creating the conditions for that talent to thrive—an approach that benefits both employees and clients.
Seeing Opportunity Where Others See Risk
For Galang, perhaps the most enduring lesson of building Remote Employee during the pandemic was the value of seeing opportunity where others see only risk. The company’s foundation story is a case study in entrepreneurial vision: identifying a critical market need, acting decisively in the face of uncertainty, and building a business model that is both resilient and adaptable.
“Starting a business is never easy, and starting one during a pandemic is even harder,” Galang reflects. “But the greatest opportunities often come when the world is changing fastest. If you can keep your eyes open and your mind flexible, you can find ways to serve others that weren’t possible before.”
Remote Employee’s success is rooted in this mindset. By focusing on what businesses needed most—reliable access to global talent, streamlined hiring processes, and the ability to adapt to new ways of working—the company turned a moment of crisis into a platform for growth. Galang’s journey offers a blueprint for other entrepreneurs: embrace uncertainty, invest in people, and never lose sight of the opportunities that change can bring.
Remote Employee’s Post-Pandemic Success
The risk of launching Remote Employee during the pandemic ultimately proved worthwhile. Ruffy Galang witnessed the company’s expansion from a bold startup into a top-ranked BPO partner trusted by clients worldwide. Recognition as the No. 2 BPO in the U.S. and the Philippines validated the decision to move forward when many others were retreating.
As businesses everywhere struggled to adapt, Remote Employee’s model of providing highly skilled, English-speaking professionals for various roles offered a lifeline to companies seeking stability and efficiency. Clients reported savings of up to 70% on labor costs, access to a global talent pool, and the ability to scale their operations without the traditional burdens of hiring and compliance.
With more than 50 clients and nearly 600 employees, just a few years after its founding, Remote Employee demonstrated that taking calculated risks can lead to industry leadership, operational resilience, and long-term growth.
A Game-Changing Move
Opening a business is never straightforward, and doing so during a pandemic is a test of both vision and resolve. The pandemic may have closed many doors, but for Galang and his team, it opened a new path to redefine what global outsourcing could achieve. The story of Remote Employee is a reminder that the future belongs to those who see gaps not as obstacles, but as invitations to build something new.
