Hanna Larsson: Rewriting the Rules of Tech Entrepreneurship

Against the backdrop of Uppsala’s ethereal skyline, I was set to embark on a virtual exploration of the world of Hanna Larsson, a tech maven known as a relentless 'builder' in the digital landscape.

With an entrepreneurial spirit and a keen eye for disruptive trends, Hanna has spent the last decade scaling some of the most innovative companies in the SaaS, Deep tech, and HR tech arenas. But to merely list her achievements would be a disservice to the woman who has continually pushed the boundaries of what is deemed possible in the tech industry.

For those in the tech space, her name is synonymous with Remote, the company she helped shape into a unicorn in July 2021, and that by April 2022, was valued at $3 billion.

"I am a builder," Hanna confides with a determined yet measured air of confidence. "Over the last decade, I have built and scaled go-to-market engines, sales organizations, and revenue at disruptive SaaS, Deep tech, and HR tech companies."

Indeed, with her guidance, Remote's revenue increased a staggering 42 times. The EMEA sales team, initially a group of two, swelled to an international force of 87 individuals across 22 countries. What was her secret to driving such growth?

"We had a great product-market fit, phenomenal timing and we built an amazing team and culture in the EMEA sales team," Hanna reflects with pride. She points to the trust, belief, and autonomy invested in her team as essential ingredients in the recipe for their success. "I am a firm believer that people thrive when you trust and believe in them."

Human-Centric Leadership—Even From Afar

While her accomplishments are staggering, Hanna’s approach isn't draped in complex jargon or lofty, unattainable strategies. Instead, her wisdom is deeply rooted in the people who make up her teams and the culture they collectively nurture.

"We invested a lot of time in scaling knowledge fast in the team... Being intentional with building culture is the absolute key to becoming a high-performing team," she shares, a testament to her leadership style that underscores the human element in an industry often focused on hard data and numbers.

For Hanna, the team and customers have always been the top priorities. With this people-centric vision, she and her team were able to navigate the complex waters of remote work, successfully merging diverse cultures and attitudes, and achieving remarkable growth while doing so.

However, the narrative of Hanna Larsson does not end with Remote. Since leaving the company, she has continued her mission of building high-growth companies, advocating for remote work, and paving the way for a more inclusive future in tech. Today, she runs her own company, offering go-to-market advisory and consulting services for startups, all while sharing her insights with a growing audience on LinkedIn and through her extremely popular weekly newsletter, The Future of Work.

My morning tea was just kicking in as I dove deeper into Hanna’s experiences of building high-performing remote teams. Her candor about the challenges and her ardor for the benefits were clear. Hanna is not just an advocate for remote work; she's a believer in the possibilities it holds and the doors it opens for both companies and employees around the world.

"Remote work takes effort," she says, not trying to sugarcoat the realities of this mode of operation. "You need to be intentional with developing a framework for how you work, lean into your values, and set expectations with your team." It's the age-old adage—anything worthwhile takes effort, and remote work is no exception. However, it's in the overcoming of these challenges, Hanna suggests, that the greatest rewards can be reaped.

"The foundation of remote work is trust," she tells me, bringing home the human-centric themes that resonate throughout her leadership style. "We need to educate and teach leaders how to become better at leading remote teams, we also need to teach employees how to work remotely. It takes a lot of self-leadership."

"Audience Is the New Oil"

When I ask about her substantial LinkedIn following—60 thousand followers and counting—her face lights up with the enthusiasm of a seasoned mentor ready to share her wisdom.

"Building an audience is an absolute game changer for your career, life, and business," she declares. To Hanna, personal branding is not just about self-promotion—it's about creating connections, opening dialogues, and impacting lives.

She shares a few practical tips, urging professionals to identify what they want to be known for and the goals they have for their audience. Hanna emphasizes the importance of consistency in sharing content, of not giving up when the results aren't immediate. “When I teach startup founders and people building new careers how to build their personal brand and grow an audience, I put a lot of emphasis on what you want to be known for, your goal with building that audience, and how to stay consistent when you have started to share content.”

"I will give you the toolbox and tactics," she offers with a knowing smile, "but you are the one who needs to be consistent and not give up. The compounding flywheel effect happens when you are consistent."

To underscore her point, she lands on a profound note: "Audience is the new oil." Hanna sees the vast untapped potential of building a personal brand and audience, of the immense value that can be derived from this new oil. She underscores that harnessing this potential could fuel unprecedented business growth.

With a people-first approach and a knack for nurturing high-growth teams, she embodies a pioneering spirit that blends human connection with digital innovation. Her shared wisdom offers a roadmap for professionals navigating the future of work, and I can't help but be eager to learn more.

"An Economy Everyone Can Be a Part Of"

As we delve deeper into our conversation, we shift gears towards one of Hanna’s other passions—the Future of Work Newsletter. Boasting a whopping 30 thousand subscribers since its inception in September last year, the newsletter has rapidly grown into a much-loved weekly insight into the evolving landscape of work.

"My aim then was to help the thousands of people reaching out to me asking for help to find remote jobs," she recalls. "I also wanted to show people that it is doable to build culture remotely, become a high performing team, and achieve success."

Her mission didn't stop at helping job seekers navigate the world of remote work. Hanna envisioned her newsletter as a platform to showcase the myriad options available in today's job market. From entrepreneurs to freelancers to those choosing full-time employment, she sought to inspire her readers to carve their own paths.

"We have entered the creator economy. An economy everyone can be a part of," she tells me with a palpable sense of excitement. "Some people live in vans, some people live in big cities, some in the countryside, some are digital nomads, some are remote workers, and some people work from the office. One thing unites us, and that's the options we have in front of us today."

For Hanna, the future of work isn't just about labor—it's the future of living. This holistic view informs her belief in the power of individual choice and the need for us to take ownership of our lives and careers.

"We need to shift from the old mindset, go to university, get a job, get a mortgage and climb the corporate ladder. We have so many options today, and I want this newsletter to show people the way," she expresses, and it is clear in this moment that she doesn’t just have a passion for guiding others—she has a talent for it.

When asked about her role as a Go-to-Market (GTM) advisor, Hanna lights up. "This is my greatest passion in life—to help these founders and companies go to market successfully," she confesses, her words resonating with the warmth of someone who's found her calling.

Her approach is unique and holistic, informed by her experience across diverse industries and startup stages. "Every company is unique with its own set of challenges, but there are also so many areas that all startups share," she muses, echoing her belief in the power of sustainable growth and the critical importance of tailored strategies.

In a world often caught in the grip of change and uncertainty, figures like Hanna can illuminate the path towards a better, more inclusive future of work.

Sustainable Growth and Empowerment

As our conversation nears its end, I find myself reflecting on Hanna’s journey—how she's built startups, scaled teams, navigated the tides of remote work, and now guides others through the complex terrain of entrepreneurship with her startup Huntrs. Adaptation, consistency, and resilience weave themselves into the tapestry of her narrative, reflecting not only her personal ethos but also the philosophy she instills in the startups she advises.

"There's a lot of unhealthy ways of looking at startup growth and VC-funding that have been unfortunately created in the last 3-4 years," she cautions, hinting at the perilous lure of rapid growth at all costs. Hanna is an advocate for a healthier, more sustainable approach to startup growth—one that involves adapting to changing market conditions and focusing on long-term profitability.

"We need to build sustainable, long-term and profitable companies," she says. "It's the startups that are able to adapt to this change and be creative that will stay alive and thrive." For her, the survival of a startup in today's volatile world hinges on its ability to navigate change with creativity and adaptability.

When it comes to women in tech, an area close to my own heart, Hanna’s commitment to challenging the status quo is evident. She passionately calls for women to take more risks, believe in themselves, and make their mark in the tech industry. She sees this as a key strategy to bridge the funding gap for female founders—a sobering reminder of the systemic issues women continue to face in the startup world.

Her final piece of advice for founders carries a theme that has echoed throughout our conversation—the power of personal branding. "Invest time on building a personal brand on social media. This will not only fuel business growth, it will be a game changer to your startup."

As our conversation draws to a close and the light of my laptop screen flickers against the darkening room, I'm left with a profound sense of the possibilities that lie ahead—possibilities that leaders like Hanna are helping to create. The future of work is here. It's remote, it's diverse, it's ever-evolving, and, if people like Hanna Larsson have anything to say about it, it's only just getting started.

Image courtesy of: Hanna Larsson